Housing Stability Specialist: Eviction Prevention & Support

Breaking Ground; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Breaking Ground in New York City is hiring a Housing Retention Specialist to implement light touch supportive services, promote long-term housing stability, and prevent eviction. The role includes carrying a caseload of up to 20 households, conducting weekly home visits, coordinating with property management and on-site social services, and connecting residents to benefits and education resources.

You will work with residents facing special needs and lease concerns, contributing to the program's

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related field required, MSW preferred
• Minimum 3 years of experience working with formerly homeless individuals and families
• Housing-based case management experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated understanding of behavioral health and harm reduction principles
• Ability to engage residents with special needs and collaborate with stakeholders
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and electronic case records

Responsibilities

• Conduct regular home visits to tenants’ apartments
• Escort tenants to appointments as needed
• Assess needs and create service plans with mutually agreed goals
• Assist with obtaining entitlements and benefits including subsidies and public assistance
• Promote financial literacy and budgeting through workshops and individual sessions
• Refer households to rental assistance programs and Homebase
• Educate on lease responsibilities and being a good neighbor
• Collaborate with building management to address concerns
• Provide referrals to primary care and behavioral health services
• Support education and job training and resume assistance
• Provide DV/IPV support and safety planning
• Track school attendance and interventions
• Maintain compliant record-keeping
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Collaboration

Problem solving

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Social Work

MSW preferred

Tools

Foothold/AWARDS

Microsoft Teams

Job description

Reporting to the Assistant Program Director, Light Touch Services theHousing Retention Specialist implements “light touch” supportive services and through their interventions promotes and fosters long term housing stability, prevents eviction, and return to shelter. The Housing Retention Specialist carries a caseload of up to 20 households, including formerly homeless families and individuals with special needs or who are at risk of eviction as a result of rent arrears or other lease violations. The Housing Retention Specialist conducts home visits on a weekly basis, upon move-in, and during the first 1-3 months. As households settle into their new homes, levels of services will be adjusted accordingly, and ongoing, so that services areright-sized for each household. Efforts are largely preventative in nature focusing on maintaining benefits/subsidies and avoiding rent arrears, referral to community-based services, community integration. The Housing Retention Specialist is the liaison between on-site social services and property management staff.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct regular home visits in tenants’ apartments
• Escort tenants to appointments as needed
• Conduct initial and ongoing assessments to assess observed and self-identified needs, and create mutually agreed upon service plans
• Provide assistance obtaining and maintaining entitlements and benefits including advocacy and guidance with subsidy recertification, Public Assistance, SSI/SSDI, voucher renewal, and SCRIE/DRIE applications and renewal
• Promote financial literacy through group programming, workshops, and individual sessions. Topics include assistance with creating and managing a household budget, referrals to financial repair services, etc.
• Connect tenants to short-term rental assistance by referring households in need to the local Homebase provider and other rental assistance programs
• Provide education and guidance around lease responsibility including expectations around being a good neighbor, rent obligations, use of the unit, safety, etc.
• Collaborate with building management during regular meetings to address any concerning issues raised by building management or other tenants
• Provide referrals to community based primary care and behavioral health services
• Support education and job training including workshops, individual counseling, referral to educational resources including GED support, and referral to vocational preparation resources including resume assistance and job training/placement programs
• Provide DV/IPV support including crisis intervention, safety planning, and connection to community resources for ongoing services and support
• Assist with tracking school attendance and school interventions
• Maintain record keeping in compliance with agency standards as well as those of City and State agencies
• Perform other duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or related field required, MSW preferred
• Minimum 3 years of experience working with formerly homeless individuals and families
• Housing-based case management experience strongly preferred
• Demonstrated understanding of behavioral health, and is familiar with best practices in mental health and substance use recovery which are rooted in harm reduction
• Ability to positively engage with residents who present with special needs
• Strong collaborative skills; ability to work successfully with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal skills, creativity, and problem-solving ability
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite programs including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams, experience with electronic case records, Foothold/AWARDS a plus, and ability to learn new programs