Housing Specialist

Covenant House New Jersey; Asbury Park (NJ); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Covenant House New Jersey seeks a Housing Specialist to provide one-on-one housing case management for participants 18+. You will identify housing options, help with applications, and support move into permanent housing while maintaining strong landlord relationships and ensuring program compliance.

Responsibilities include outreach to housing providers, educating landlords on voucher programs, coordinating services, and conducting monthly visits to monitor progress and housing readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in human services or related field.
• Two years’ experience with adolescents.
• Strong counseling, communication, and assessment skills.
• Experience with individuals with disabilities.
• Valid driver’s license with insurable record.
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Proactively seek out new housing opportunities and resources for participants.
• Maintain knowledge of housing programs including Housing Choice Voucher and Rapid Rehousing.
• Establish relationships with landlords, property managers, and housing authorities.
• Educate landlords on rental subsidy programs and tenancy responsibilities.
• Provide ongoing case management and coordinate access to housing services.

Skills

Adolescent counseling

Excellent communication

Leadership and assessment

Disability experience

Driver's license

Education

Bachelor’s degree in human services or related field

Job description

Housing Specialist provide one-on-one housing case management to participants ages 18 years and older, moving from the Youth Engagement Center to the TLP’s, or coordinated entry into permanent housing. The Housing Specialist identifies housing options and assists participants in all aspects of case support to obtain and maintain a positive living environment. The Housing Specialist is required to actively seek out, obtain and maintain with landlords and property managers The Housing Specialist provides unconditional love and absolute respect when working with all program participants.

Duties and responsibilities

• Proactively seek out new housing opportunities and resources to assist participants
• Maintain a working knowledge of available housing programs, including but not limited to: Housing Choice Voucher, Almost Home, Rapid Rehousing, Foster Youth
  Independence, Emergency Housing Voucher, Human Trafficking Vouchers.
• Maintains a relationship with engaged property managers/owners.
• Establishes new relationships with those interested in providing housing for participants
• Establishes updates and maintains and communicates a list of available housing opportunities.
• Educate landlord on how the rental subsidy programs work including time frame and potential payment breakdown.
• Educate the landlord on the Housing Choice Voucher (formerly Section 8) program and other long-term subsidy programs.
• Determine with client housing barriers, preferences, needs, and goals
• Develop and implement an individual housing plan for each participant
• Provide access to resources to assist participants during their move into permanent housing; such as assistance furnishing and other household items
• Schedule and conduct monthly in-person on-site apartment visits
• Conduct monthly follow-up, post rapid rehousing program enrollment for 6 months via email, text, zoom and/or other means of communication.
• Connect participants to community resources that will support the goal of permanent housing (ie benefits advocacy, food pantries, employment services)
• Facilitate access to services required to foster housing readiness (credit repair, legal aid, housekeeping, money management, tenant rights, and responsibilities, etc)
• Ensure participants have the necessary items to secure housing (valid id, income verification, bank statements)
• Provide information and instructions to the participant regarding how to complete a housing application, housing search, tenant rights, and responsibilities; including observation of rental agreements rules and being a good neighbor.
• Assist participants directly with visiting prospective units, completing housing applications, speaking with and engaging landlords and property managers, and providing transportation to housing-related appointments as necessary.
• Provide direct, ongoing support in the way of escorts to case plan related appointments and activities as needed.
• Follow up with each participant weekly to ensure they are making progress towards their housing goals via text, email, zoom and/or in-person.
• Assist participants in budgeting, effective problem solving, options planning and/or other skill-building lessons.
• Ensure timely and effective flow of communication between internal departments to ensure the delivery of quality services to the participants.
• Remain current on new and modified housing assistance programs and their related regulations to ensure the accurate provision of guidance and assistance to the client.
• Maintain and update agency housing database
• Update and maintain accurate participant contact information.
• Mediate with landlords, troubleshoot housing-related difficulties with their tenants, and provide assistance as necessary to maintaining housing tenancy
• Complete required housing inspections for prospective units as necessary
• Establishes and maintains an ongoing relationship with area housing authorities, landlords, furniture store owners/managers, and local churches in order to obtain housing and household items for participants moving into permanent housing.
• Responsible for all related data collection and reports as required for internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide appropriate documentation/maintenance of case files and ensure that intakes, discharges, and assessments are completed and entered into ETO and HMIS
• Expand opportunities for participant engagement by working one evening per week as determined by the supervisor.
• Assist as needed with fundraising affairs and special events which may be conducted outside of employees normal work schedule.
• Read and respond to all company email.
• All other duties as assigned.

Applicant Must be available to work the following schedule: Monday Tuesday & Thursday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Experience and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in human services or related field
• Two years’ experience working with an adolescent population.
• Individual and group counseling skills.
• Excellent communication, leadership and assessment skills.
• Experience working with individuals with disabilities.
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.
• Valid drivers’ license with an insurable record.