Supportive Housing Advocate

OCO; City of Oswego (NY); On-site; USD 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Oswego County Opportunities, Inc. is seeking a Housing Program Advocate to provide direct services and intensive case management for individuals experiencing homelessness within a supportive housing setting. This full-time position emphasizes Housing First, trauma-informed care, and tenant advocacy with community collaboration.

The role requires leadership, crisis intervention, strong documentation, and the ability to coordinate with partners to promote housing stability and personal growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Associate’s Degree in Human Services with relevant experience advocating for families.
• Ability to work independently, organize, and escalate when needed.
• Familiarity with county geography and local human services resources.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct services and case management across multiple sites.
• Supervise assigned staff and coordinate with other service providers.
• Maintain assessments, service plans, and documentation.
• Offer life skills coaching and support groups as assigned.
• Arrange transportation and facilitate access to community resources.
• Attend meetings, trainings, and on-call crisis response as scheduled.
• Represent the agency to partners and oversee program functions.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Advocacy

Collaboration

Documentation

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Human Services

Associate’s Degree in Human Services

Any equivalent education/experience

Job description

• Pay or shift range: $18.18 USD to $22.45 USD
  This is the expected pay range for this position. Final offers are based on various factors including skill set, relevant experience, qualifications, and other job-related considerations.
• Behavioral Health
• Full-Time
• Requisition #: ADVOC002475

Description

Pay Rate: $18.18 to $22.45 (Grade 13)

Full Time - 37.5 Hours Per Week

Sunday to Monday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Thursday to Saturday: 11:00am - 7:00pm

What is a Supportive Housing Advocate?: The HOPE Housing Program Advocate plays a critical role in supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness by providing intensive, on-site case management and service coordination in a supportive housing setting. This position emphasizes a Housing First approach, trauma-informed care, tenant advocacy, and collaboration with community partners to promote long-term housing stability and personal growth.

JOB SUMMARY:

Provides direct services to consumers according to OCO Universal Service Delivery methods in diverse locations, including OCO offices, other agency offices, program sites, public places and the homes of consumers. Independently provides care management services to an assigned population and oversees project functions as assigned. Carries out duties in accordance with Agency and Program regulations, policies and procedures.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides direct supervision to assigned staff.
• Provides crisis intervention, supportive counseling, advocacy and solution focused decision making for those we serve.
• Works in collaboration with other service providers to engage consumers and assist them in connecting to needed services.
• Informs consumers of available services in the community and assists with the referral of primary and secondary consumers to services and monitors the provision of services.
• Develops and maintains assessments, individualized service plans and service coordination activities.
• Provides the teaching and coaching of life skills; facilitates education and support groups as assigned.
• Provides or arranges transportation to enable consumers to connect with needed community resources.
• Collaborates with community partners in the development and implementation of joint protocols; to ensure compliance with regulations and eligibility requirements.
• Assists in training program staff and community partners in specialized topic areas as assigned.
• Attends internal and external meetings/trainings as assigned; assists in meeting facilitation as required including tenants association.
• Provides on-call crisis intervention on a rotating basis as scheduled.
• Communicates pertinent information to co-workers, supervisors and community partners.
• Completes all documentation as required including electronic records/data systems, paperwork, and outcome measurements.
• Acts in a leadership role, represents the agency to community partners and oversees program specific functions, as assigned.
• Carries out project responsibilities and special projects as described in the attached addendum.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have the ability to relate to and work with individuals and families with multiple life difficulties and have a thorough understanding of the family development process and the OCO Service Delivery system.
• Must be able to work independently and be self-motivated, resourceful, organized; and know when to elevate sensitive situations to supervisor for assistance.
• Must be familiar with the geographical layout of the county and have knowledge of human service resources in the county.
• Must have good oral and written communication skills and have excellent documentation and reporting skills.
• Must possess skills for complex data entry and have the ability to read and interpret complex information and manipulate data.
• Must have demonstrated ability to work with others in a warm, non-judgmental manner and be a positive role model.
• Must be able to direct the work of others, set priorities, and problem solve.
• Must exhibit professionalism, good judgment and maintain strict confidentiality with regard to client information.
• Must exhibit a detailed knowledge of regulations, services, rights and responsibilities for the population served.
• Must have the ability to work with populations with special needs, including those that may exhibit aggressive behaviors.
• Must be flexible with work schedule in order to meet the needs of the program; must participate in 24 hour on-call emergency services on a rotating basis.
• Must have acceptable physical to carry out duties and responsibilities of the position: able to climb stairs, lift 25lbs, able and willing to assist with moving tenants in and out.
• Must have acceptable health to carry out the responsibilities of the position.
• Must have a valid NYS Driver’s license with driving record within policy and access to a properly insured, reliable vehicle for regular travel and transporting consumers.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must have a Bachelor's Degree in a Human Services area with 1 to 3 years’ experience with special populations/families; or
• Associate’s Degree in Human Services related field and at least 3 years’ experience with special populations/families; or
• Any equivalent combination of education, experience and training.

Oswego County Opportunities, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, creed, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.