Whole Family Housing Advocate

Champlain-Valley-Office-of-Economic-Opportunit; Burlington (VT); On-site; USD 49,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Paid holidays

Generous time off

Retirement plan

Discounted gym membership

Job summary

Chittenden Community Action is seeking a Whole Family Housing Advocate to provide housing placement, case management, and coordination of services for families facing homelessness. You will work with agencies and landlords to secure resources and support life skills development, job readiness, and stable housing.

The role requires collaboration with community partners, strong communication, and a commitment to serving low-income individuals and families.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline plus two years of community service experience or equivalent.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusive environment.
• Experience with home visiting, case management, and coaching services.
• Knowledge of community resources and counseling/social work for high-risk populations.
• Strong verbal and written communication; bilingual abilities are a plus.
• Computer experience including database entry, spreadsheets and MS Office.
• Strong organizational skills; detail oriented; maintain records and progress reports.
• Ability to work with diverse population, landlords and social service providers.
• Understand poverty, fair housing, and VT landlord/tenant law.
• Interest in needs of lower-income individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
• Clean driving record and access to reliable transportation; travel within service areas.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management services and housing placement for WFHA clients.
• Coordinate services with community partners to support Whole Family clients.
• Advocate for clients with landlords, agencies, and funding sources.
• Help clients develop life skills and job readiness; monitor progress toward goals.
• Maintain accurate records and prepare progress reports.
• Travel within CVOEO service areas as needed.

Skills

Case management

Verbal and written communication

Diversity and inclusion

Home visiting experience

Landlord/tenant relations

MS Office / computer skills

Record-keeping / documentation

Travel / driving

Bilingual abilities (nice-to-have)

Poverty / fair housing knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Two years of related experience or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Database entry software

Job description

Description

Chittenden Community Action is looking for a dedicated professional to provide case management services and assist individuals and families with low income in finding or maintaining suitable housing, including advocating for clients with local social service agencies organizations, landlords and funding sources. The Whole Family Housing Advocate (WFHA) is an experienced professional who will work intensively with families and children who are currently homeless by providing housing placement, case management and coordination of services. The role of the WFHA advocate is to work collaboratively with agencies and community partners to provide resources and support to Whole Family (WF) clients to ensure the acquisition of life skills including job readiness skills and access to resources that will lead to permanent housing and a positive quality of life.

Rate of pay: $23.65 per hour

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline plus two years of community service experience or combination of education and experience from which comparable skills and knowledge are acquired.
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Experience with home visiting, providing case management and coaching services, and working with families with complex needs preferred.
• Knowledge of community resources and counseling/social work practices with high-risk populations, including risk factors associated with domestic and sexual violence and their relationship to homelessness, as well as knowledge and experience working with issues of poverty and substance abuse.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills required; bilingual abilities are a plus.
• Computer experience including database entry; spreadsheets and Microsoft Office.
• Excellent organizational; must be detail oriented and be able to maintain accurate records, prepare comprehensive progress reports, and develop and track identified goals.
• Ability to interact effectively with a diverse population, landlords and other social service providers.
• Understand poverty, fair housing, and VT landlord/tenant law.
• Strong interest in and commitment to the overall needs and problems of lower-income individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
• Clean driving record, valid driver’s license and access to reliable private transportation must be maintained. Travel as needed within CVOEO’s service areas to meet with clients.

When you come to work for CVOEO you're getting so much more than a paycheck! We offer a great working environment and an excellent benefit package including medical, dental and vision insurance, paid holidays, generous time off, a retirement plan and discounted gym membership.

We are an inclusive organization that embraces all people. CVOEO is interested in candidates who can contribute to our organizational and community inclusion.