RESOURCE SPECIALIST

Dept. of Homeless Services; New York (NY); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The New York City Department of Homeless Services is seeking a Community Coordinator to support housing options for clients and coordinate outreach across communities. The role involves interviewing applicants, gathering housing histories, and providing referrals to shelter alternatives.

You will work directly with landlords, tenants, and community partners to assess viability and arrange resources. Responsibilities include field visits, documenting information, and making initial

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher preferred with related community work experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Proficiency with basic computer applications and data systems.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate relationships across diverse communities to identify housing options.
• Conduct outreach, recruitment and screening for housing alternatives to shelter.
• Canvas communities and provide DHS shelter referrals and educate on housing options.
• Gather applicant information, verify documents, and assess housing viability.
• Perform initial assessments and recommend alternatives to shelter when appropriate.
• Engage in field work, including interviews with tenants, landlords and neighbors.

Skills

Excellent writing

Strong communication

Computer skills

Education

Baccalaureate degree

High school diploma + 6 years experience

Equivalent education/experience with 1 year experience

Job description

The New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is the largest organization in the United States dedicated to preventing and addressing homelessness. In partnership with other City agencies and nonprofit organizations, DHS works to prevent homelessness before it begins, reduce street homelessness, provide temporary shelter, and connect individuals and families to stable housing all with a focus on accountability, empathy, and equity.

DHS is committed to continuous improvement and employs innovative strategies to deliver high-quality services that support a swift transition from shelter to self-sufficiency. The agency manages hundreds of facilities and operates with a large team as well as a several billion-dollar budget to meet the diverse needs of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.

The Division of Shelter Operations oversees the day-to-day operations of the agency’s Single Adult, Adulty Families and Families with Children shelter systems, both directly run and contracted providers. The work done in this Division centers on the re-housing of all shelter populations and the implementation of programming/shelter initiatives. This Division is responsible for making sure that services to the City’s most vulnerable population are delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and throughout the five boroughs.

The Department of Homeless Services is recruiting four (4) Community Coordinators to serve as a Resource Specialist who will:

• Cultivate relationships across diverse communities to provide new opportunities for clients and community based homeless population regarding housing alternatives to shelter. Provide information about these opportunities to staff and support community partners as they provide these opportunities to the homeless population.
• Conduct outreach interviews, recruitment and screening for housing alternatives to shelter with primary tenants, landlords, building superintendent, neighbors, other city agencies, institutional settings, private entities, and any other collateral sources of information to obtain relevant information in connection with determining the applicant’s viability for housing within the community.
• Canvas community and engage with community based homeless population to provide DHS shelter referrals and educate about housing options or other resources available in the community through mediation, referrals, meetings, and other methods.
• Gather all applicant information including housing history and income. Review and verify documents provided by the applicant. Perform screening interviews for the single adult applicants. Follow-up with applicants past housing resources to determine whether applicants can return to the community. Make an initial recommendation on applicants' alternative to shelter based on a total assessment of the individual’s situation.
• Conduct field work, including interviews and meetings with primary tenants, landlords, building superintendent, and neighbors.
• Perform all other necessary screenings of applicants who have housing options or other resources available in the community. Provide an initial assessment of applicants psychiatric and substance abuse history and work with a Behavior Health Specialist as needed.

Hours/Shift:

• 2PM-10PM Tuesday - Saturday (RDO Sun, Mon)
• 4pm - 12am Tuesday - Saturday (RDO Sun, Mon)
• 2PM-10PM Sunday - Thursday (RDO, Friday, Sat)
• 4pm - 12am Sunday - Thursday (RDO, Friday, Sat)

COMMUNITY COORDINATOR - 56058

Minimum Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
• High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills

• Excellent writing and communication, and computer skills.
• Proficiency with CARES.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.