Housing Specialist

Program Overview

CAMBA operates five single adult homeless shelters and one single adult drop-in center, funded by New York City Department of Homeless Services. Each shelter offers clients a supportive, structured, therapeutic, safe, and drug-free facility. Homeless (often mentally-ill and substance-abusing) men and women are provided with comprehensive services to stabilize their condition in order to successfully transition into permanent and/or supported housing.

Specifically,
CAMBA’s Atlantic House Men’s Shelter located in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn serves 200 MICA (mentally ill chemical abusing) men. The Park Slope Shelter for Women located at the Park Slope Armory in Brooklyn serves 100 MICA women. The Broadway House Women’s Shelter located in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn serves 165 women, approximately 37 of whom are MICA.
CAMBA’s Magnolia House located in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn serves 200 MICA women.
CAMBA’s Opportunity House (COH) located in downtown Brooklyn serves 62 men.
The Gathering Place located in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn is a drop-in center serving 75 homeless men and women.

The person filling this position is expected, under general supervision, to: (1) immediately formulate a plan and prepare clients for permanent housing placement; (2) engage individuals requiring social service assistance; (3) interview and evaluate clients, formulate Independent Living Plans and goals; and (4) locate and refer to appropriate community resources for clients; including the following:

• Maintain professional relationships with clients and client confidentiality.
• Practice Universal Precautions/Standard Protocol & Procedures.
• Comply with any and all Federal, State, City and CAMBA security and privacy polices intended to protect the security and privacy of individually identifiable health information.
• Serve as a liaison with outside organizations regarding such matters as education, healthcare, housing, social services, legal issues, etc.
• Assist clients in attaining their Housing related goals by identifying and referring clients to appropriate services both within and outside CAMBA.
• Conduct housing search efforts for each housing ready client referred (i.e., referrals to housing providers, contact landlords, search for apartment listings, etc.).
• Develop curriculum to address clients’ Housing and Independent Living related needs including, permanent housing search process and options.
• Develop and facilitate a series of Housing Workshops.
• Develop materials to be posted on a Bulletin Board that serves to provide relevant Housing related information.
• Provide individualized counseling on housing related topics.
• Organize and schedule presentations by supportive housing programs, local real estate experts and/or landlords.
• Provide housing related support, training and coordination with the other social services staff.
• Establish linkages with community-based organizations (i.e., supportive housing programs, DHS Housing Unit, etc.) and local landlords.
• Review all approved housing packages to determine appropriateness of housing providers.
• Escort clients to appointments (i.e., housing interviews, apartment move-ins, housing fairs, etc.).
• Ensure that quality housing placements are achieved via web-site checks (DOB, HPD) and all payments to landlord/utilities are up-to-date with apartment in move-in condition.
• Follow-up with clients for a period of time after move-out to assure client stability.
• Conduct initial intake and assessment of clients’ needs and periodic re-assessments.
• Create and maintain client electronic and paper files.
• Prepare initial psychosocial evaluation and update according to regulations.
• Obtain and maintain relevant documentation and release forms from clients (i.e., birth certificate, proof of income, medical documents, release of Personal Health…