Housing Specialist

Unity Care; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Unity Care seeks a Housing Specialist to assist system-involved youth in identifying independent-living housing and securing resources. You will help complete documentation and apply documents to government systems, working with case managers, government staff, and landlords to enable residents to live independently.

You will develop action plans with clients, negotiate leases, conduct inspections, and ensure rent remains reasonable and affordable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, or business and 2-years’ experience working with system-involved youth in a social services setting.
• Ability to engage verbally and in writing with system-involved youth, government staff, and property owners/landlords
• Good working knowledge of the greater San Francisco area.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent computer skills (Outlook & Word).
• Commitment to serving those in need.
• Excellent problem-solving ability.
• High degree of initiative.
• Genuine team player.
• Ability to work with a culturally diverse staff and client base.
• Experience working with system-involved youth preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assist clients with completing necessary documentation for program compliance, to apply for housing vouchers, and to fulfill UC contract obligations.
• Assist clients in locating appropriate and affordable housing.
• Advise and direct clients in developing and implementing an action plan to secure housing.
• Discover and maintain knowledge of available housing in the community.
• Coordinate with case managers to support client’s housing success.
• Serve as liaison with landlords and utilities to achieve stable housing.
• Provide transportation to clients as needed.
• Conduct housing quality inspections and ensure rent reasonableness per HUD definitions.
• Enter required information in client database accurately and timely.
• Maintain case notes and records per agency standards.
• Track client outcomes and service trends for program improvement.
• Market housing program to landlords and build relationships.

Skills

Communication

Verbal & Written

Interpersonal Skills

Problem Solving

Initiative

Team Player

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work/psychology/business

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Job description

Summary:

The Housing Specialist assists system-involved youth from foster care, probation, or other settings to identify independent-living housing and to obtain the resources to do so by assisting the client to complete necessary documentation and applying those documents to government data entry systems. This position works closely with case managers, government staff, and landlords to assist clients to live independently in their own housing. Responsibilities include developing an action plan with clients, managing lease options & negotiations, conducting inspections of units, and ensuring rent is reasonable and affordable.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in social work, psychology, or business and 2-years’ experience working with system-involved youth in a social services setting.
• Ability to engage verbally and in writing with system-involved youth, government staff, and property owners/landlords
• Good working knowledge of the greater San Francisco area.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent computer skills (required proficiencies in Microsoft Outlook & Word).
• Commitment to serving those in need.
• Excellent problem-solving ability.
• High degree of initiative.
• Genuine team player.
• Ability to work with a culturally diverse staff and client base.
• Experience working with system-involved youth preferred.

Responsibilities:

• Assist clients with completing necessary documentation for the program compliance, to apply for housing vouchers, and to fulfill UC contract obligations.
• Assist clients in locating appropriate and affordable housing.
• Advise and direct clients in the development and implementation of an action plan to secure housing.
• Discover and maintain good working knowledge of available housing in the community.
• Initiate and maintain communication with case managers in supporting client’s success in sustaining housing.
• Serve as a liaison with landlords and utility company to achieve stable housing for clients.
• Provide transportation to clients, as necessary.
• Conduct housing quality inspections of properties and ensure all units pass rent reasonableness as defined by HUD.
• Maintain professional boundaries and model appropriate behavior.
• Enter required information in client database accurately and in a timely fashion.
• Maintain accurate case notes, client data and other records according to agency, funder, and professional standards.
• Assist in tracking client outcomes and service trends in order to promote on-going evaluation and improvement of services.
• Market housing program to landlords, develop marketing materials for recruitment of landlords, and build positive relationships with them.
• Advocate for clients in unsafe or neglected properties.
• Attend and participate in regular supervision meetings, team meetings, and staff meetings.
• Attend specified external meetings as an UC representative.
• Other duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES and QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

• Read and interpret documents and procedure manuals. Write routine reports and correspondence.
• Speak effectively in small setting and groups, i.e. UC employees, clients, or residents.
• Apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Resolve problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Identify negative disruptive behaviors and redirect behavior using mediation and de-escalation techniques.
• Employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop; kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell.
• E mployee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Employee may be required to make or receive physical contact with clients and residents, such as in the process of delivering First Aid/CPR or de-escalation interventions.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Must have CPR and First Aid certificate within 10 days of start date and maintain a current certificate with Human Resources.
• Must clear a Department of Justice background check including fingerprinting before start date and maintain clearance.
• Must be able to work in a DSS Community Care Licensed Facility.
• Must clear a health screening, including TB before start date and maintain clearance .
• Must have a car, valid California Driver License and be able to drive, have a clean driving record and maintain a clean driving record.
• Meet and maintain the minimum vehicle liability and property insurance limits (to be insured by our insurance carrier for using vehicle for business purposes such as transportation of residents or reimbursement of business-related mileage expenses ).

Disclaimer:

The duties and responsibilities described in this document are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time and the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands at the sole discretion of the company. The specific statements shown in each section of this description are not to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements and criteria to successfully perform the job.

The Unity Care Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Unity Care Group does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.