Stabilization Case Manager

The Housing Stabilization Case Manager works directly with individuals and families experiencing homelessness or housing instability, helping them move toward safe, stable housing. This role is grounded in the belief that people in crisis deserve to be treated with dignity, patience, and genuine respect — and that lasting change happens when clients are seen as capable partners in their own stability.

The position is funded through the Vermont Homelessness Response Continuum (VHRC) and operates within the program framework and reporting requirements established by the State Office of Economic Opportunity.

The Housing Stabilization Case Manager meets clients where they are, often temporary housing in motels, and works with them to build individualized plans focused on permanency. Day-to-day work is collaborative: this position is a full member of the Family Services team and works alongside colleagues to ensure clients receive coordinated, holistic support that addresses the full range of their needs. The role requires strong skills in relationship-building and assessment, knowledge of housing and benefits systems, comfort working with people navigating complex and often traumatic circumstances, and disciplined documentation practices to meet grant compliance expectations.

• Initiates contact with newly referred clients promptly and conducts an initial meeting in a manner that establishes trust and makes clients feel welcomed and respected from the start.
• Completes comprehensive needs assessments using DCF-approved tools, gathering information on housing history, income, employment, benefits, health, and support systems through a conversational and client-centered approach.
• Participates in Coordinated Entry processes as required, ensuring clients are appropriately assessed and matched to available resources.
• Identifies barriers to housing stability and documents presenting needs in a way that supports planning — always with the client's voice and perspective reflected in the record.

• Develops housing plans in genuine collaboration with each client, using DCF-approved planning tools and centering clients' own goals, strengths, and preferences.
• Sets realistic short- and longer-term goals with clients, with an emphasis on movement toward transitional or permanent housing — and on building the skills and confidence clients need to sustain that stability.
• Reviews and updates housing plans on an ongoing basis, treating plan revisions as an opportunity to reflect on progress with the client, not simply a documentation task.
• Helps clients understand the range of housing options available and supports their capacity to navigate those systems with increasing independence over time.

• Assists clients in applying for subsidized and market-rate housing, including supporting application completion and, where appropriate, serving as an advocate with landlords on the client's behalf.
• Connects clients with financial assistance programs that support housing access or stability, including security deposits, rental arrears, and other available funds.
• Works actively to reduce clients' reliance on emergency hotel/motel placements, identifying and pursuing more stable alternatives as quickly as circumstances allow.
• Collaborates with housing providers, landlords, and other partners to identify available units and resolve barriers to placement.

• Assesses clients' needs for income and benefits support and assists with applications and enrollment in programs such as Reach-Up, SSI/SSDI, General Assistance, Veterans' benefits, and 3
  
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