Homelessness Prevention&Diversion Naviga

POSITION SUMMARY

The Family Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Navigator provides short‑term, intensive housing stabilization and homelessness prevention services to families with children who are at risk of losing their housing. Working within Up Side
413’s Housing Consumer Education Center (HCEC) referral network, the Navigator helps families access housing resources, develop stabilization plans, resolve housing barriers, and avoid entry into the Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter system.

• Report to and work in cooperation with the Program Director, Executive Director, and other Center Staff to ensure program quality assurance and advancement of the Center mission.
• Provide intensive short‑term case management and service coordination tailored to families’ housing needs and related pathways. This includes frequent contact (often multiple contacts per week early in the engagement), home visits or community‑based meetings when needed, and consistent coordination with partner systems.
• Develop a stabilization plan with families identifying immediate risks, short‑term housing options, and concrete steps to prevent shelter entry. The plan will include a clear timeline, assigned responsibilities, and a prioritized set of interventions.
• Typical stabilization activities in the first two weeks:
  Contact landlords or host households to negotiate time, repayment, or a tenancy preservation agreement; coordinate mediation through Up Side
  413’s Housing Mediation Program when disputes or communication barriers drive eviction risk; determine preliminary eligibility for RAFT and HomeBASE and initiate applications where appropriate; deploy flexible financial assistance when time‑sensitive barriers threaten immediate displacement and other resources are unavailable or insufficient; coordinate immediate housing search steps when tenancy preservation is not possible, including a housing barriers analysis; connect the family to internal and external services that reduce destabilizing risk factors, such as benefits access, childcare supports, behavioral health services, and employment resources, including training and education programs;
  
  for families facing active eviction proceedings, coordinate with Up Side
  413’s court‑connected staff and Community Legal Aid when appropriate and ensure the family has access to housing counseling, mediation support, and TPP services if eligible.
• Maintain accurate case files, data collection forms, and program documentation. Generate periodic reports related to caseload activity and outcomes.

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Social Work, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience in case management, housing services, or homelessness prevention.
• Strong communication, organizational, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse populations and community partners.
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

• Intermediate computer skills: proficiency with email, Microsoft Office, Access‑based programs, and ability to learn new computer programs.
• Excellent oral, written, and organizational skills.
• Excellent phone and video‑conferencing skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to maintain and nurture relationships with partners and funding agencies.
• Ability to manage large caseload with multiple priorities.
• Ability to work independently, utilize sound judgment in making decisions, and appropriately incorporate guidance from supervisors.
• Sensitivity to cultural and socioeconomic diversity.