Housing Assistant Coordinator

Housing Navigation

• As assigned Housing Assistant Coordinator
• Outreaches to and builds rapport with clients to engage them in housing.
• Assists clients to navigate and stay up to date on all possible housing options they may qualify for, including but not limited to subsidized housing, market rate/private housing, shared housing, and permanent supportive housing.
• Completes intakes and assessments on participants to determine housing choices, needs, and barriers, which includes completing housing histories and viewing credit reports and criminal background checks.
• Creates individual housing plans and identifies strategies to help clients remove barriers and find appropriate housing options.
• Assists clients in obtaining all required documents for various housing opportunities.
• Searches for housing opportunities and assists clients in interacting with potential landlords and housing providers.

Housing Location and Landlord Liaising

• As assigned Housing Assistant Coordinator
• Searches online and through all available resources for affordable rental housing options.
• Creates, maintains, and regularly updates an inventory of housing options.
• Outreaches to potential new landlords and recruits them to become landlord partners in the program.
• Completes and coordinates required housing documents including rent reasonableness checklists and housing inspections. Helps client understand their leases and facilitates rent sharing agreements when necessary.
• Matches clients' needs and choices with housing options.
• Working with housing navigators, provides mediation and advocacy with landlords as needed to resolve concerns or problems to help the client maintain stable housing.
• Coordinates move-in logistics, including understanding and signing the lease and obtaining furniture initial start-up funds.

• Department-wide responsibilities
• Engages all clients using a Housing First approach, delivers services using principles of trauma-informed care and harm-reduction, and promotes racial equity.
• Actively coordinates with other departments to provide integrated services to guests.
• Maintains up to date and accurate service plans, client files, and client records/documents, entering timely and accurate data into BPHC's and the City's HMIS databases.
• Coordinates referrals and connects clients to key services to help them find and succeed in housing, including but not limited to external housing navigation services, benefits and income maximization, community-based resources, and stabilization services.
• Transports clients to critical appointments to find and/or maintain housing.
• Participates in regular team meetings and trainings.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of Boston area housing resources and social service agencies.
• Bachelor's degree with a minimum one (1) year human services experience. College level course work equivalent to an Associate's degree with two (2) years human services experience or High School diploma/GED and three (3) years human services experience may be substituted for above requirements.
• Commitment to racial equity, housing first, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction.
• Previous experience working with homeless, diverse ethnic and racial, or low-income populations with an understanding of barriers posed by mental health, substance use immigration status, and criminal record.
• Knowledge of Boston area housing resources and social service agencies.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Computer proficiency including writing, sending, and managing emails, using and entering data into an online database, completing electronic assessments, entering and updating data on Excel.
• Valid driver's license
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred