Independent Living Specialist – Housing

Independent Living Specialist – Housing

Atlantis Community Inc. (ACI) has been advocating for people with disabilities for 50 years. Atlantis serves a seven-county catchment area (Adams, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, and Jefferson Counties). As a Center for Independent Living, we support the rights of people with disabilities to direct their own lives by providing advocacy, life skills training, transition services (youth, from nursing homes, and diversions from institutions), information and referral, and peer support.

The mission of Atlantis is to advocate for all people with disabilities to be a meaningful part of an integrated community of their choice.

The Independent Living Specialist – Housing is a position within ACI’s Independent Living (IL) Department, providing dedicated, consumer-directed support to individuals working toward a housing goal, such as finding a place to live, applying for a housing voucher, developing self-advocacy skills to navigate housing-related issues, or accessing rental assistance to remain housed. This role combines a direct caseload with department-wide housing education, resources, and outreach.

Working collaboratively with IL Specialists, it ensures consumers with a housing goal receive focused, timely support while maintaining their existing relationship with their IL Specialist for their other goals.

To be successful in this role, you will bring strong organizational and documentation skills, working knowledge of housing voucher systems, rental assistance programs, and Fair Housing Law- or a willingness to learn them. You'll be comfortable managing a focused caseload while also supporting the wider IL team through workshops, resource-sharing, and coordinated application support when a time-sensitive opportunity like a voucher application window opens.

Success in this position requires working within ACI's independent living philosophy: the consumer directs their own housing goal, and you support that process rather than manage it. This position reports to the Director of Independent Living Programs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Accept direct intake for consumers whose only identified need at referral is housing
• Support the IL team by conducting general intakes as needed
• Carry a caseload of 75+ consumers, phased in gradually
• Support consumers with housing search, rental applications, recertification paperwork, and housing stabilization and retention planning
• Support consumers with completing voucher compliance and recertification, annual and interim recertification, required reporting, and disability-related accommodation requests
• Help consumers identify and resolve housing barriers, including application barriers, accessibility needs, and discrimination concerns
• Teach self-advocacy skills to support consumers navigating issues with landlords, property managers, and housing authorities
• Support consumers in navigating housing discrimination or Fair Housing complaints; make legal aid referrals for representation and appeals
• Connect consumers experiencing or at risk of homelessness with emergency shelter, coordinated entry, and other homelessness-specific resources and programs
• Support Information & Referral Specialist on housing-related questions from people who are not yet ACI consumers
• Document all services in CIL Suite, including timely and accurate service notes
• Track and update consumer progress on housing goals
• Meet regularly with supervisor to report on caseload, goal progress, and case updates

Housing Resources & Community Engagement (20%)

• Share housing resources, application guidance, and voucher or waitlist opening updates with IL Team and consumers
• Maintain and regularly update ACI’s internal housing documents and resource…