Outreach Housing Specialist- Bilingual Spn-Eng

Job Description

The Outreach Housing Specialist is responsible for coordinating the assessment to Individual and Families with Homeless needs and subsequent engagement for Shelters, Rapid Re-housing, Permanent Support Housing, and referral to access medical, dental, mental health, substance use disorder care, pharmaceutical, treatment education, and other services needed by Care Resource clients. Outreach Housing Specialist should provide housing assistance through available resources including the homeless continuum of care’s coordinated entry system.

Outreach Housing Specialist participate in homeless coalition meetings, coordinated entry case conferencing, maintain appropriate client data in client case file, the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), and PATH-specific data systems, including spreadsheets and grant-prescribed data systems.

The Outreach Housing Specialist moves homeless individuals and families into permanent rental housing as quickly as possible, in conjunction with case management, workforce and support services being provided simultaneously. After rental assistance ends the clients will move into aftercare case management to provide on-going support and assistance to prevent homelessness in the future. The Outreach Housing Specialist assists program participants in locating and securing permanent housing as quickly as possible.

Works and collaborates closely with landlords and Case Managers to mediate landlord-tenant issues and ensure successful tenancies.

• Serves as a liaison, coordinator and/or advocate between the Homelessness, Housing case Management, Medical Care departments or other community medical or agency service provider to remove Homelessness barriers to House /care for clients.
• Accompany clients to Housing, medical, mental health, substance use disorder treatment or social service appointments to improve Housing Stability and medical care. Creates rapport within client interaction to help each progress in their Housing Issue to avoid homelessness situation.
• Interview prospective clients to determine Homeless need, individual needs, and eligibility for various medical and social services, enrolling them into available community programs.
• Maintain organized system of tracking client outcomes through the services point systems (HMIS) and follow up with the goal of seeing clients progress toward improvements in their lives.
• Conduct initial interview/intake and client housing barriers and other assessments. Gather and document all necessary information for program eligibility and case plans.
• Help program participants identify potential neighborhoods where they wish to live, conduct housing searches in said areas and negotiate with potential landlords on behalf of the participants.
• Conduct research, outreach, education, and public relations to build a pool of landlords and property management companies willing to rent to program participants.
• Coordinate, support and follow up on medical treatments.
• Maintain an average annual active caseload as assigned by the supervisor.
• Assist in the processing and submission of applications for housing (subsidized and unsubsidized).
• Input client information using electronic data entry according to agency and departmental guidance.
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of community services to apply knowledge of services to individual client needs.
• Support billing through concurrent documentation of service provided and budget activities as required (i.e., reconciling billing across data systems including: PCIS, Web-based systems, CASEWATCH, HIMS, Next Gen and client electronic health records).
• Participate in staff training sessions within the time frames specified and as required by the agency and the funding source.
• Participate in agency developmental activities as requested.
• Other duties as assigned.

This work requires the following physical activities: constant sitting, walking, and hearing, talking in person and talking on the phone. Occasional driving, stretching/reaching, and standing are required. Work usually performed in an office setting.

Own transportation…