RESOURCE SPECIALIST

About the role

The New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is the largest organization in the United States dedicated to preventing and addressing homelessness. In partnership with other City Agencies and Nonprofit Organizations, DHS works to prevent homelessness before it begins, reduces street homelessness, provides temporary shelter, and connects individuals and families to stable housing with a focus on accountability, empathy, and equity.

The Division of Shelter Intake is responsible for the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the agency’s Single Adult, Adult Families and Families with Children’s intake and assessment sites, both directly run and contracted providers. This Division is responsible for ensuring that the City’s most vulnerable population can access shelter, per eligibility criteria, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate relationships across diverse communities to provide new opportunities for clients and community-based homeless population regarding housing alternatives to shelter.
• Conduct outreach, interviews, recruitment, and screening for housing alternatives to shelter with primary tenants, landlords, building superintendent, neighbors, other city agencies, institutional settings, private entities, and any other collateral sources of information.
• Canvas community and engage with community-based homeless population to provide DHS shelter referrals and educate about housing options or other resources available in the community.
• Gather all applicant information including housing history and income, and review and verify documents provided by the applicant.
• Perform screening interviews for single adult applicants and follow-up with applicant’s past housing resources to determine whether applicant can return to the community.
• Make an initial recommendation on applicant’s alternatives to shelter based on a total assessment of the individual’s situation.
• Conduct field work, including interviews and meetings with primary tenants, landlords, building superintendent, and neighbors.

Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community-centered activities in an area related to the duties described above.
• Or, high school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community-centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above.
• Or, education and/or experience which is equivalent to the above, with at least one year of experience as described above.

Skills

• Excellent writing and communication, and computer skills.
• Proficiency with CARES.

Benefits

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: as a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs.

Pay and Schedule

The salary range is $62,868.00 – $72,298.00. The schedule is 2pm-10pm, Tuesday-Saturday, with regular days off on Sunday and Monday.

Additional Information

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment, although City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County.