Outreach Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist (SHH)

Pine Street Inn; Boston, Northern (MA, KY); On-site; USD 49,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Pine Street Inn is seeking a Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist to support unsheltered guests, using a Housing First approach. You will help with document gathering, benefits enrollment, housing applications, showings, and lease signings, coordinating with outreach teams to move participants into permanent housing.

Ideal candidates have six months of homeless-services experience, strong documentation skills, and familiarity with HMIS systems.

Qualifications

• Six months minimum experience working with homeless or similar population.
• Strong written communication and documentation skills.
• Experience with Microsoft Office, especially Excel and Outlook.
• Knowledge of Housing First philosophy and strategies.
• Ability to work collaboratively on a multi-disciplinary team.
• Basic math and budgeting skills.
• Driver's license preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide housing navigation support to unsheltered guests within the Outreach Department.
• Organize document collection and enroll clients in mainstream benefits.
• Assist with housing applications, accompany guests to unit showings and lease signings, and provide referrals.
• Offer office and community-based stabilization services after housing placement.
• Collaborate with Outreach Specialists and Clinicians; support BHOT during extreme weather.

Skills

Writing skills

Excel

Outlook

Housing First

Teamwork

Case management

Communication

Education

Associate’s Degree in human services

Undergraduate degree

Counseling/case management training

Trauma-Informed Care training

Tools

Clarity HMIS

Job description

Description

SCHEDULE: 40 hours, Monday, Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Nights and Weekends as needed during adverse weather conditions

Pay: $23.48 - $26.00 per hour DOE (Salary ranges provided are based on relevant experience and skill set)

The Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist will spend 65% of their time in the office and 35% of their time on the streets.

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION:

The Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist will work within the Outreach Department to provide housing navigation support to unsheltered homeless guests, working in collaboration with Outreach Specialists and Clinicians. This targeted housing placement and stabilization work will utilize a “Housing First” approach and will assist program participants to move into and sustain permanent housing and include, and not be limited to, organizing document collection, enrolling clients in mainstream benefits, filling out housing applications, accompanying guests to unit showings and lease signings, and providing referrals to community-based services. The Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist will provide office and community-based stabilization services once the individual is placed into housing as outlined by specific benchmarks set by funders and industry best practices. Extreme weather conditions may dictate that the HPSS provides support for emergency street outreach with BHOT. This position is considered an essential employee for the PSI.

Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist will work from the following principles:

• Shelter is a temporary safety net, not a home
• All people experiencing homelessness, regardless of their housing history and duration of homelessness, can achieve housing stability in permanent housing
• Everyone is “housing ready.” Sobriety, compliance in treatment, or even a clean criminal history is not necessary to succeed in housing. Rather, homelessness programs and housing providers must be “consumer ready”
• Engage guests’ strengths and assets to move as rapidly as they can tolerate, into permanent housing
• You will be working as a member of a larger team, asking for help and providing it to others as needed.
• Recognize the impact of violence and victimization on development and coping strategies
• Employ an empowerment model
• Maximize guest choices and control over her/his recovery supported by an alliance with staff
• Create an atmosphere that is respectful of the guests’ need for safety, respect, and acceptance
• Emphasize the guests’ strengths, highlighting adaptations over symptoms and resilience over pathology
• Minimize the possibilities of re-traumatization
• Strive to be culturally competent and to understand each person in the context of his or her life experiences and cultural background
• Solicit guest input and involve guests in designing and evaluating services

Requirements

EDUCATION/TRAINING:

REQUIRED:

• Associate’s Degree in a human service related field [can be substituted for High School Diploma and three (3) years of equivalent experience in a social service setting. ]

PREFERRED:

• Undergraduate degree, certification, training, or formal education in counseling and case management
• Bilingual
• Training in Trauma Informed Care, Progressive Engagement, and Motivational Interviewing
• Valid Driving license in good standing preferred

KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:

REQUIRED:

• Minimum of six (6) months of experience working with homeless or similar population, providing direct care and/or active case management and referral services to homeless individuals or similar population
• Capacity for working collaboratively on a multi-disciplinary team
• Affinity for considering and working with new approaches and expressing their own in a group setting
• Strong written communication and documentation skills
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office Products, including Excel and Outlook
• Knowledge of the issues related to homelessness, particularly around housing, substance use, mental illness and economic factors as precipitants to homelessness
• A working knowledge of homeless referral networks
• Knowledge and belief in “Housing First” philosophy and strategies
• Basic math skills and budgeting experience

PREFERRED:

• One (1) year experience working with homeless population, providing direct care
• Extensive experience with case management, housing placement, and landlord engagement
• Experience with Clarity, or similar HMIS system
• Knowledge of tenant rights, and responsibilities as well as “Strengths based” Case Management
• Experience with case conferencing with challenging presentations