Outreach Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist (SHH)

SCHEDULE: 40 hours per week, Monday–Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Nights and weekends as needed during adverse weather conditions.

Pay: $23.48 – $26.00 per hour, based on relevant experience and skill set.

About the role

The Housing Placement and Stabilization Specialist will work within the Outreach Department to provide housing navigation support to unsheltered homeless guests, collaborating with Outreach Specialists and Clinicians. This role uses a “Housing First” approach to help participants move into and sustain permanent housing. Responsibilities include organizing document collection, enrolling clients in mainstream benefits, completing housing applications, accompanying guests to unit showings and lease signings, and providing referrals to community-based services.

Once individuals are housed, the Specialist will provide office and community-based stabilization services aligned with funder benchmarks and industry best practices. During extreme weather, the Specialist may support emergency street outreach with BHOT. This position is considered an essential employee for the PSI.

The role is guided by the following principles:

• Shelter is a temporary safety net, not a home.
• All people experiencing homelessness, regardless of their housing history or duration of homelessness, can achieve housing stability in permanent housing.
• Everyone is “housing ready.” Sobriety, compliance in treatment, or a clean criminal history is not required to succeed in housing; programs and providers must be “consumer ready.”
• Engage guests’ strengths and assets to move as rapidly as they can tolerate into permanent housing.
• Work as a member of a larger team, asking for help and providing it to others as needed.
• Recognize the impact of violence and victimization on development and coping strategies.
• Employ an empowerment model.
• Maximize guest choices and control over their recovery, supported by an alliance with staff.
• Create an atmosphere respectful of guests’ need for safety, respect, and acceptance.
• Emphasize guests’ strengths, highlighting adaptations over symptoms and resilience over pathology.
• Minimize the possibilities of re-traumatization.
• Strive to be culturally competent and understand each person in the context of their life experiences and cultural background.
• Solicit guest input and involve guests in designing and evaluating services.

Responsibilities

• Spend 65% of time in the office and 35% on the streets.
• Assist program participants with housing placement and stabilization, including document collection, benefit enrollment, and housing applications.
• Accompany guests to unit showings and lease signings.
• Provide referrals to community-based services.
• Deliver stabilization services post-housing placement, following funder and industry benchmarks.
• Support emergency street outreach during extreme weather conditions.
• Work collaboratively on a multi-disciplinary team.
• Maintain strong written communication and documentation skills.

Requirements

Education/Training:

• Required: Associate’s Degree in a human service-related field (can be substituted with a High School Diploma and three years of equivalent experience in a social service setting).
• Preferred: Undergraduate degree, certification, or formal education in counseling and case management; bilingual proficiency; training in Trauma Informed Care, Progressive Engagement, and Motivational Interviewing; valid driver’s license in good standing.

Knowledge/Experience:

• Required:
  • Minimum of six months of experience working with homeless or similar populations, providing direct care and/or active case management.
  • Capacity for collaborative work on a multi-disciplinary team.
  • Affinity for considering and working with new approaches in a group setting.
  • Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office Products, including Excel and Outlook.
  • Knowledge of issues related to homelessness, including housing, substance use, mental illness, and economic factors.
  • Working knowledge of homeless referral networks and “Housing First” philosophy.
  • Basic math skills and budgeting experience.
• Preferred:
  • One year of experience working with homeless populations, providing direct care.
  • Extensive experience with case management, housing placement, and landlord engagement.
  • Experience with Clarity or similar HMIS systems.
  • Knowledge of tenant rights and responsibilities, and “Strengths-based” Case Management.
  • Experience with case conferencing for challenging presentations.