Bilingual Housing Stabilization Case Manager (TBRA)

Description

The Bilingual Housing Stabilization Case Manager is responsible for providing housing support designed to increase housing retention, and housing advocacy as needed. The Bilingual Housing Stabilization Case Manager works with clients receiving Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) funded through Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), administered by Victory Programs, and clients with housing vouchers administered through Metro Housing Boston.

Key responsibilities include determining eligibility, enrolling new clients, completing lease-ups, unit inspections, and annual recertifications, processing household changes, coordinating client moves, and identifying units. The Bilingual Housing Stabilization Case Manager reports to and is supervised by the Program Manager of Keys to Home.

Location: Keys to Home is a program that provides intensive housing search, housing advocacy, and life-stabilization services to low-income Massachusetts families and individuals living with HIV/AIDS and experiencing homelessness or unstable housing situations. Keys to Home is focused on the interconnection of housing and health. Our program helps families and individuals obtain permanent, safe housing solutions, increase self-sufficiency, and gain skills that support stability with housing and health. We are located at 29 Stanhope St, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02116.

Essential Functions:

• Oversees and coordinates lease-up procedures, annual recertification, enrollment, relocation, interim changes, special adjustments and housing stabilization services for clients with TBRA vouchers, coordinating with landlords and program participants as appropriate to ensure timely completion of program-required documents.
• Understands key HUD documents and incorporates them into day-to-day program administration: forms and their expiration dates, income limits, fair market rents, payment standards, utility allowances, etc.
• Coordinates the process of filling program vacancies: receives referrals, document eligibility, and completes program briefing with new clients.
• Acts in accordance with Victory Programs, Inc.’s Standards of Excellence, including maintaining professional ethics, boundaries, and client confidentiality.
• Adheres to and ensures all policies and procedures of the programs and agency are followed.
• Adheres to established safety policies, procedures, and precautions; enforces the agency’s policies and clinical procedures, including safety and crisis procedures.
• Adheres to the highest principles of client confidentiality.

For Victory Programs TBRA households: housing search and stabilization services, resource navigation, and landlord/property management/owner liaison

• Provides direct housing search services to clients as needed: identifies housing needs and preferences; identifies possible barriers including CORI, credit and eviction history; completes online searches, landlord outreach and assists with housing applications.
• Provides housing stabilization services to clients, including eviction prevention, accessing funding and benefit sources, accompanying clients to housing and resource-related appointments, appeals, and following up on submitted client applications.
• Drafts and issues key TBRA documents, including leases, lease addendums, and Housing Assistance Payments contracts.
• Works collaboratively with clients and landlords/property owners/managers to arrange viewings, explains program guidelines and processes, payment standards, and housing quality standards. 
• Educates landlords regarding landlord/tenant leases and Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) contracts for TBRA clients.
• Verifies property ownership and collects landlord documents for Victory TBRA clients.
• Conducts Housing Quality Standard housing inspections for all new lease-ups, coordinates move-in, and assists clients with initial needs to stabilize in housing.
• Coordinates and advocates for appropriate support services and resources that will assist clients to optimize their health outcomes and housing stabilization, and move towards self-sufficiency.
• Develops a wide-ranging resource network for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Greater Boston area. 
• Provides coordination, linkage and follow-up with existing service programs to maximize access to services.
• Completes proposed termination notices, citing voucher violations, and presents the administrative position at hearings.
• Administers the waitlist: conducts outreach as needed, maintains accurate records of waitlist applicants, leads the process of identifying new clients for voucher issuance and determining eligibility.

Maintain up-to-date client and payment records:

• Maintains current, accurate spreadsheets tracking client and landlord information and status, including TBRA clients seeking relocation.
• Produces a monthly rent payment list that is timely and accurate.
• Maintains timely and accurate records of all client work in eHana, the electronic health record/system, completing all program-required assessments, including formulating individualized, goals-based plans with achievable, concrete, measurable and time-limited goals.
• Maintains clear and accurate client files and data-based records.

Meet agency participatory expectations:

• Attends weekly team meetings, weekly supervision, monthly clinical supervision meetings, All-Staff meetings, monthly staff trainings, collaborative program meetings, and other staff trainings and workshops, as required.
• Completes any additional agency or funder reports as requested by your immediate supervisor or other designated person.
• Participates in quality assessment and improvement activities as requested.
• Maintains professional competence necessary to perform job responsibilities; maintains and provides the agency with records of continuing education activities.
•  Performs related duties and projects as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Must be bilingual (Spanish/English)
• Bachelor degree with 1-2 years’ experience preferred, or High school diploma with 3 or more years of client advocacy experience. Relevant experience may include:
• Housing search.
• Housing retention.
• Case management.
• HIV services.
• Experience advocating for clients with government assistance agencies, housing authorities, private landlords or realtors preferred.
• Openness to harm reduction philosophy.
• Ability to work independently and cooperatively as a member of a professional team.
• Strong organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong computer skills, including Google office suites and Internet use.
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully in multi-cultural settings with diverse client groups, including people with mental health concerns and substance use disorder.
• Must be CPR certified (may be obtained upon hire)
• Complete TB screening (may be obtained upon hire)
• Three strong work related professional references; at least 2 from manager or supervisor.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with issues related to social and economic inequalities, including issues related to HIV/AIDS, substance use, homelessness, mental health, and bilingual, multicultural & LGBTQIA+ communities.
• Experience advocating for beneficiaries with government assistance agencies, housing authorities, private landlords, or realtors preferred.
• Experience designing and conducting trainings/workshops.
• Working knowledge of HIV/AIDS community trends, harm reduction, and at-risk populations, and commitment and experience to delivering low-threshold, easily accessible services.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and responsibilities; excellent organizational, interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Self-directed, motivated, and flexible with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to meet the following physical requirements with or without reasonable accommodations:
• Sit at a computer station for extended periods of time.
• Ability to keyboard for extended periods of time.

Position Type: Full-Time position (40 hours weekly) Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. On-site. Non-exempt.

Rate: $27.04 hourly

Victory Programs values a diverse workforce, as we collectively seek to create welcoming, inclusive and accessible environments for our employees and the people we serve. We strive to sustain healthy, functioning communities that respect and celebrate different experiences, identities, cultures and ideas.

Victory Programs has helped individuals and families in crisis for over 45 years. Thousands turn to us yearly for shelter, sustenance, recovery, care, and professional, compassionate support. Most struggle with homelessness, substance use and mental health, and many live with HIV/AIDS. Our team of more than 300 staff across over 30+ programs works with people to develop and execute creative, safe solutions to the very real challenges our clients face.

Our benefit program includes a 75% health and 25% dental employer premium contribution, 100% employer-paid disability and life insurance.