Housing Specialist-Gilroy CWSP (87243)

Job DetailsLevel: EntryJob Location: Gilroy CSWP - Gilroy, CA 95020Position Type: Full TimeEducation Level: High SchoolSalary Range: $32.20 - $32.20 HourlyTravel Percentage: Up to 25%Job Shift: DayJob Category: Nonprofit - Social Services

Position: Housing Specialist Gilroy CWSP

Location: Gilroy, CA

Reports to: Program Manager

Status: Regular, Full Time, Non-Exempt

Compensation: $32.20 Hourly

THE ORGANIZATION:

HomeFirst™ is a leading provider of housing services: prevention, outreach, shelter, interim, and permanent housing programming for individuals who are housing insecure or unhoused in the Bay Area of California. We serve more than 5,000 adults, Veterans, families, and youth each year through a continuum of care, which meets people where they are and works to support a housing plan specific to each individual.

HomeFirst has approximately 500 staff working across two Bay Area counties including Sonoma and Santa Clara County. HomeFirst operates more than 15 locations, including The James F. Boccardo Regional Reception Center (BRC), Family Living Centers, Labath Landing Interim Housing, and more. Our core elements include, but are not limited to:

Prevention
Street-based Services
Emergency Housing
Permanent Housing Interventions




Supportive Services
Affordable Housing
Systems Leadership

HomeFirst is committed to a culture of demonstrating our core values.

Activism | Creativity | Excellence | Passion| Respect | Responsibility | Teamwork

ROLE SUMMARY:

The Housing Specialist meets with our program participants and assists them in locating, securing, and maintaining permanent housing in the community. They play a key role in representing agency and program participant interests to landlords, developing strong working relationships with property managers and owners. To this end, the Housing Specialist participates in our collective effort to end and prevent homelessness.

QUALITIES:

The Housing Specialist is passionate about serving others and sees themself in a helping profession long-term. They have a knack for winning people over through their strong persuasive abilities and balance their natural creativity with nuts and bolts of problem-solving.

They manage their time well and demonstrate strong organizational abilities. With the support of program leadership, the Housing Specialist participates in our culture of learning and increases their knowledge of evidence-based practices over the course of their employment. Together, we model the values and principles of HomeFirst within the agency and the broader community.

HomeFirst is a diverse company in a diverse field, and the Housing Specialist seeks to work with people from a variety of social and economic backgrounds. They are a highly collaborative member of our participant services team and enjoy a team-oriented work environment.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Maintain a caseload of 20-30 participants in an active housing search.
Provide comprehensive Housing Specialist services. This may include:

Landlord outreach and support
Housing search
Application assistance
Advocacy
Housing mediation
Financial assistance administration
Crisis de-escalation
Risk assessment and mandated reporting
Connection to community resources, i.e., eviction prevention
Other direct service provision


Meet with participants at a frequency and location determined by their needs.
Engage in the consistent application of evidence-based practices.
Support internal case management and program support specialist activities as needed. This may include:

Street-based or community outreach efforts
Conducting joint participant meetings
Workshop coordination
Participate in case conferencing and collaborative care coordination.
 


Maintain compliance with contract, agency, and licensing requirements.
Achieve identified program and position deliverables.
Adhere to task completion deadlines.
Maintain thorough and accurate documentation of participant services in accordance with agency and contractual standards.

Attend all job-related meetings, including program staff meetings and agency-wide meetings.
Participate in opportunities for learning and skill maintenance/development.

Utilize supervision appropriately, maintain open lines of communication, and provide updates on activity.
Assist with other duties as assigned.

Benefits of joining the HomeFirst team:

Professional growth opportunities within the organization
100% medical coverage for employees with an opportunity to add dependents at a shared cost of 50%
Flexible and hybrid work schedules may be available(Corp only-varies)
401K match up to 5% with immediate vesting
Generous PTO, accrual begins with 120 hours annually and increases with tenure

 



12 observed h