Housing Coordinator

The Housing Coordinator is the leader and representative who manages Cornerstone’s housing stabilization services. In addition to building and maintaining connections with affordable housing providers in the community, you’ll perform everyday intake, assessment and documentation tasks with clients. Knowledge of affordable housing in the Twin Cities area and housing issues faced by people with developmental disabilities is required. The Housing Coordinator should have excellent critical thinking, communication and people skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Respond to referrals of new clients in a timely manner, including completing the intake form and assessment of the client’s needs and preferences.




• Keep client case files up to date and organized.




• Maintain current client data and keep detailed case notes on CHHC’s database.




• Diligently maintain detailed case notes, NPI numbers of clients, and current/accurate data about the client.




• Communicate regularly and effectively with the client, Case Managers, service coordinators, service providers, and support personnel to ensure that clients meet house application requirements and maintain housing when secured.

Information and Assistance to Clients

• Identify and present housing options for clients that fulfill their specific location, size, and affordability requirements.




• Assist clients in understanding and signing the lease agreement.




• Assist clients, along with their support staff and family members, in completing applications and providing necessary documents to be placed on waiting lists for affordable housing rental properties as well as the Housing Choices Voucher program.




• Based on their disability and medical needs, assist clients in requesting reasonable accommodations from lease requirements.




• Assist clients in qualifying for housing. This can require: making community referrals for credit counseling/legal assistance, assembling letters of support, helping them apply for eligible financial assistance, and by utilizing the County or other third parties in paying for all or part of the rent.




• Help clients budget and plan for move-in expenses including the security deposit and first month’s rent. This may require applying for various programs that offer financial assistance for move-in expenses.




• Be available to respond to questions from clients and authorized service providers/family members.




• Facilitate all aspects of the application process once the client becomes a potential qualified applicant. This includes maintaining and administering the waitlist, showing the property to interested clients, and assisting clients who have been selected in submitting the necessary documents to qualify for the unit.




• Ensure that clients maintain housing by responding to requests for assistance in lease renewals, lease violations, or re-certifications.

Community Engagement and Landlord/Property Manager Relationships

• Be professional in representing CHHC while in meetings throughout the greater community.




• Be professional in representing CHHC to landlords/property managers with the intention of expanding the network of properties which house people with developmental disabilities.




• Regularly communicate with property managers/affordable housing developers in order to maintain a current and accurate list of affordable housing/rental properties which are accepting applications for a wait list. Additionally, keep current application forms and other requirements for being placed on the waitlist.




• Identify opportunities for housing advocacy and collaborate with Housing Development Advocate and Executive Director in pursuing them.




• Advise client and landlord of the amount of funding approved for assistance, and follow up within three days of issuing the check to ensure that the participant’s immediate housing issues are now resolved.




• Perform other duties upon request.

Position Requirements

• Knowledge of affordable housing/housing issues faced by people with developmental disabilities.




• Active listening skills/commitment to fully understanding the client’s point of view.




• Ability to communicate difficult and complex housing choices to clients who possess a range of listening and processing challenges.




• Ability to maintain a non-judgment, non-reactionary, and non-defensive communication style during challenging discussions.




• Exceptional personal skills that permit the candidate to work with a diverse community and build collaborative relationships with a variety of community stakeholders.




• Critical thinking skills that enable the candidate to make sound judgments in developing and time-sensitive situations.




• Ability to responsibly prioritize competing tasks but also follow through in a timely manner.




• Maintain all required documentation in participants’ confidential case records, and assist the Program Manager and Director with the preparation of any required program and statistical reports.




• Ability to follow direction from the Executive Director/Program Manager




• Ability/Desire to work cooperatively as a team with other staff, the client, and client’s circle of support.




• Availability to occasionally work evenings and/or on-call hours.