Part-Time Facilitator; Kona

HOPE Services Hawaii, Inc. is looking to recruit a Housing Facilitator who will work independently and without supervision to maintain the operations and functions of the emergency shelter for 5-31 individuals experiencing homelessness. The Housing Facilitator will be to focus on helping shelter guest increase access to, and retain safe, long-term housing, employment opportunities and then provide tailored supportive services.

Using a multi-disciplinary skill set, the Housing Facilitator must be able to exercise the following skills:

• Serves as part of the shelter team focused on housing assistance and employment opportunities;
• Provides oversight and safety of program guest;
• Provide services designed to assist guest and their families in becoming document ready;
• Assess risks and develop appropriate plans to help ensure continuation of service;
• Communicate effectively with local community and external agencies, while successfully fostering relationships which enable needed resources to be accessed;
• Coordinate provision of services with other programs within the community;
• Report safety, sanitation and facility security concerns;
• Carries out the Emergency and Disaster Preparedness procedures where necessary;
• Immediately respond to suspicious, potentially dangerous and/or emergency situations where life, property and public order may be in jeopardy;
• Ascertain the housing needs and available resources of guest seeking aid and work with them to determine what is available to them;
• Generate resources in the area of housing, including: researching available affordable and supportive housing options;
• Troubleshooting technical housing issues as they arise with staff and guest;
• Assist guest with seeking a variety of needs to promote long-term housing stability;
• Actively participate in staff meetings and trainings;
• Other duties as assigned.

The Housing Facilitator must fulfill duties in accordance with the Housing First approach, including:

• Housing as the first essential step, without any requirements for sobriety, participation in treatment, medication protocol, compliance, or demonstrated “housing readiness”;
• Recovery orientation related to mental wellness and cognitive functioning;
• Reducing harm to the individual and broader community;
• Remaining non-judgmental in behaviors, practices, beliefs and actions of service participants;
• Promoting and empowering meaningful choices and service access options, as well as allowing the service participant to influence the type, duration, frequency and intensity of supports;
• Absence of coercion, tricks or contracting;
• Professional relationship without dependency that supports “doing with” instead of “doing for”;
• Expressing empathy and positivity;
• Remaining future oriented, not anchored to past events, with a strong sense of promoting hope and possibility in a realistic manner;
• Transparency and disclosure of information with the service participant using full informed consent;
• Balancing the needs of the client, community and landlord in each situation;
• The right to refuse or revoke services and/or seek restitution or grieve instances where they feel services are inappropriate or inadequate.

The Housing Facilitator must have a passing knowledge and comfort in the areas of:

• Homelessness;
• Housing First;
• Addictions and dependency;
• Chronic illness;
• Non-profit organizations.

In the course of performing the duties of the Housing Facilitator it is not uncommon to see, engage or be confronted with first hand – or have staff encounter first hand – the following: violence and threats of violence; profane, racist and/or sexist language; bodily fluids; conflict; interactions with First Responders; alcohol and other street drugs; cigarette smoke; death of service participants or her/his associates;

nudity of service participants or her/his associates; friends/family dynamics with service participants; people involved with sex work; people involved in the drug trade; persons used against their consent, will or knowledge; people in conflict with the law; and/or other situations that may be unsettling. Measures are taken to train staff to appropriately deal with these situations, but those in the position should…