Housing Specialist

What You’ll Be Doing

You will provide assistance to multiple programs within the agency with knowledge of accessing and navigating a complex and under‑resourced system of housing. The Housing Specialist will be focused on helping families maintain their housing, secure permanent housing, decrease the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and minimize the average length of homelessness among these individuals and families.

Hybrid Role, 20% Remote Work.

• Provide case management services for families in our Home Stabilization Program seeking home‑finding services and home tenancy services.
• Partner with housing support for families in the Supportive Housing Program.
• Identify permanent housing options for clients such as subsidized housing, Section 8, and market rent.
• Provide support in connecting clients to other community resources.
• Develop and maintain positive professional and collaborative relationships with realtors, landlords, and public housing authorities to assist clients in accessing resources and housing opportunities.
• Assist clients with access to housing resources, searching for housing, filling out rental applications, interpreting leases, and understanding tenant rights and responsibilities.
• Assist clients in identifying a sustainable budget, understanding how to read and interpret documents, and obtaining personal documentation required for housing applications (e.g., birth certificate, social security card, valid ).
• Work with a strength‑based model incorporating the principles of family‑centered practices.
• Provide training to clients in housing maintenance and independent living skills.
• Understand program client rights and responsibilities while assessing compliance and inspection readiness.
• Document housing notes in related data systems, Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, and Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) entries.
• Abide by mandates regarding confidentiality and ethics as per federal, state, and agency policies and procedures.
• Ensure all appropriate notifications, incident reports, and data entry are completed in accordance with federal, state, and agency policies and procedures.

• High school diploma or equivalent;
  Associate degree in social work or related field preferred.
• Experience navigating the RI Housing system required; background in property management, familiarity with Section 8 voucher process, and/or knowledge of low‑income housing opportunities preferred; experience in Human Services, preferably with children and/or adolescents, is a plus.
• Strong organizational, critical thinking, and time‑management skills.
• Basic computer skills required; knowledge of Microsoft Office 365.
• Ability to communicate and effectively interact with a diverse population.
• Collaboration and teamwork.
• Statewide travel required.
• Must have a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, and car registration.
• Must authorize a motor vehicle records check.
• The ideal candidate will be required to meet all background checks and medical clearances required for the position.

Direct Service Staff:
This position requires time sitting, standing, walking, driving, carrying and lifting up to 25 lbs. This role also requires operating a desktop, laptop, and/or cell phone, and communicating with colleagues.

Child & Family will not discriminate against any individual on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, color, race, creed, national origin, ancestry, religious persuasion, marital status, political belief, pregnancy, military status, veteran status, physical or mental disability that does not prohibit performance of essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodations, genetic predisposition or genetic carrier status, or any other protected category under local, state, or federal law, nor will anyone receive special treatment for those reasons, except for reasonable accommodation as required by law.

It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job‑related factors.

• Demonstrate the ability to communicate and effectively interact with people across cultures, ranges of ability, genders, ethnicities, and races.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the history of discrimination in America, particularly as it relates to race and racism, and how this history has led to disparities experienced by marginalized communities such as BIPOC, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, and others.
• Demonstrate the ability to successfully deliver culturally responsive services.

Child & Family strives to achieve a workforce that includes representation of qualified affirmative action group members in proportion to the qualified and available target group workforce in the community that we serve.