RESOURCE SPECIALIST

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, reduce street homelessness, provide temporary shelter, and connect individuals and families to stable housing with a focus on accountability, empathy, and equity.

About the role

The Division of Shelter Intake is responsible for the oversight of day-to-day operations of the agency’s Single Adult, Adult Families, and Families with Children intake and assessment sites. This role involves ensuring that New York City’s most vulnerable population can access shelter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

As a Community Coordinator, you will function as a Resource Specialist, cultivating relationships across diverse communities to provide housing alternatives to shelter for clients and the community-based homeless population. You will conduct outreach, interviews, recruitment, and screening for housing alternatives with landlords, building superintendents, neighbors, city agencies, and other sources to assess applicants' viability for housing.

Responsibilities

• Provide information about housing opportunities to staff and support community partners.
• Conduct outreach, interviews, recruitment, and screening for housing alternatives with primary tenants, landlords, building superintendents, neighbors, city agencies, and other collateral sources.
• Canvas communities and engage with the homeless population to provide DHS shelter referrals and educate about housing options or other available resources through mediation, referrals, meetings, and other methods.
• Gather applicant information, including housing history and income, and review and verify provided documents.
• Perform screening interviews for single adult applicants and follow up with past housing resources to determine if applicants can return to the community.
• Make initial recommendations on housing alternatives based on a comprehensive assessment of the individual’s situation.
• Conduct fieldwork, including interviews and meetings with primary tenants, landlords, building superintendents, and neighbors.
• Perform screenings of applicants with housing options or other available resources in the community.
• Provide an initial assessment of applicants' psychiatric and substance abuse history and collaborate with Behavioral Health Specialists as needed.

Requirements

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

Preferred Skills

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

Benefits

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website.

Pay

$62,868.00 – $72,298.00

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, 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.