Community Health Worker - Housing

Site: Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Inc.

 

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

 

Job Summary

Summary
The Community Health Worker - Housing is a key member of A Positive Place's interdisciplinary HIV care and prevention team, integrating community health work into clinical care by addressing social determinants of health and health equity. In general, CHWs partner with individuals living with HIV in managing medical care, social services coordination, disease education, trauma and recovery, positive prevention, sexual health promotion, housing, and substance use risk reduction. The Community Health Worker - Housing works collaboratively with clients and other A Positive Place Care team members (medical case management, health insurance, recovery coaching, peer advocacy, health navigation), and partners with landlords, property managers, housing authorities, and other housing partners to ensure safe, affordable housing so that clients can focus on and improve health outcomes. Does this position require Patient Care? Yes
Essential Functions
-Partner with clients/tenants living with HIV, to provide housing search and advocacy, leasing up, maintaining units by assisting tenants in landlord-tenant negotiations, rental/utilities arrearage assistance, obtaining a rep-payee, and other homelessness prevention strategies.
-Conduct in-depth needs assessments, co-create housing and health & well-being plans with individuals supporting clients/tenants in overcoming barriers to health access.
-Facilitate communications and serve as a point of contact between clients, landlords, housing authorities, housing court personnel, and tenants’ rights organizations to support clear decision-making, solve problems, and meet health goals.
-Navigate complex local, state, and federal housing resources/programs, bridging gaps in access to services and improving client experience.
-Offer Advocacy & Support to amplify the voice of clients, empower individuals to understand their rights, and achieve self-identified goals.
-Provide ongoing follow-up and support to individuals to maintain stable housing, allowing for continuity of care and successful achievement of health and well-being goals.
-Conduct outreach to identify new landlords and to strengthen current housing partnerships.
-Advance health equity by bridging gaps between minoritized communities and health systems.
-Collect data and maintain accurate records of interactions and outcomes to improve client outcomes, reduce health disparities in diverse populations, inform improvement strategies, and design new services.

 

Education
High School Diploma or Equivalent required

Can this role accept experience in lieu of a degree?
No

Licenses and Credentials

Experience
Experience working with unhoused individuals/families, and/or individuals living with HIV, people in recovery, trauma survivors, members of Black, Latine, GBTQ communities, formerly incarcerated individuals, and/or other historically minoritized populations with cultural humility 1-2 years required and Housing search, advocacy, navigation and support, leasing up, rental start-up, homelessness prevention, and utilities arrearages. Travel to/from units, community partners 1-2 years required and Conducting intakes, goal planning, crisis intervention, mediating, health & health related supportive services 1-2 years required and Experience working with a “housing first” framework, knowledge of tenant’s rights & responsibilities, some HUD rules & regulations 1-2 years required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrated knowledge of local, state, and federal housing resources available to support individuals/families.
- Skilled in strength-based, people-first, harm reduction, culturally humble, and restorative approaches to equitable community health care and prevention.
- Current driver’s license, good driving record, and reliable transportation.
- Bilingual (Spanish) preferred.
- A person with lived experience of populations served is a plus.
- Strong cross-cultural interpersonal, organizational, and oral and written communication skills.
- Basic-Intermediate digital literacy required.