SOAR Housing Specialist (Housing Services)

About the role

The SOAR Housing Specialist provides housing-related support and advocacy to individuals and families impacted by homelessness. The Specialist coordinates housing stability activities, provides referrals to needed community resources, develops housing plans, and delivers tenancy-based education that promotes housing retention. The Specialist also assists with grant monitoring and completes reports for the SOAR Housing First program.

Responsibilities

• Complete intake assessments for new clients referred to the SOAR Housing First program.
• Ensure that all referral documentation is collected, reviewed, and validated to substantiate program enrollment.
• Support clients in finding and securing safe, affordable housing and help families access resources for housing-related assistance (i.e. furniture procurement, utility assistance, etc.).
• Maintain a caseload to provide support identifying community resources.
• Partner with clients to create housing plans and assist with community referrals and linkage as indicated.
• Support the housing process by conducting pre-inspections for new unit move-ins and housing relocations.
• Serves as liaison with housing inspector, helping to coordinate new, annual and other housing inspections to ensure compliance with program standards.
• Advocate with landlord and property managers regarding tenancy and negotiate move-in costs.
• With direction from the Housing Program Manager, complete regularly scheduled grant reporting.
• Ensure that services are accurately recorded and captured in data reports and the electronic health record.
• Complete monthly budgets for clients enrolled in the agency’s representative payee program.
• Conduct social groups that promote community building, housing attainment, and housing retention.
• Perform regularly scheduled chart audits to ensure that documentation meets standards set by grant funders.
• Obtain verification documents annually to support the housing recertification process.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Personal vehicle with current automobile insurance and valid Maryland driver’s license required.
• Two years of experience in connecting individuals to essential services including healthcare, mental health, and addiction services.
• One year of experience completing intake assessments and developing treatment plans.
• Experience working in a health care setting preferred.
• Knowledge of Baltimore City community resources for addiction, social services and mental health.
• Willingness to adopt Harm Reduction and Housing First principles and apply them to work with clients.
• Approaches change with a positive, open‑minded attitude.
• Demonstrates personal integrity and has well‑developed interpersonal skills necessary to engage clients and promote positive relationships with other community agencies and providers.
• Displays strong attention to detail and notices discrepancies easily.
• Able to be flexible and work as part of an interdisciplinary team.
• Able to take initiative and problem solve.
• Able to work with ill, disabled, emotionally upset, and sometimes hostile clients.
• Models and reinforces the core values of dignity, authenticity, hope, justice, passion, and balance.
• Actively participates in performance improvement and advocacy activities that support the mission.
• Protects clients’ personal health information by maintaining compliance with HIPAA and other relevant health care‑related IT security regulations.
• Performs other duties on an as‑needed basis.

Schedule

Onsite at 421 Fallsway Main Clinic; Hours: 8:30am - 5:00pm.