Housing Specialist

We are seeking a passionate individual with a strong understanding of and commitment to Mary’s Place mission of empowering women, children and families who are experiencing homelessness. Housing Specialists exhibit compassion and empathy as they work alongside families in Mary’s Place shelters to help them obtain permanent housing. Housing Specialists work independently as well as part of a team, and have excellent organizational, research, documentation and time management skills. 

The Housing Specialist actively engages in Mary’s Place racial equity work – striving for racially equitable outcomes and taking responsibility for creating, maintaining and affirming communities for people of color, immigrants and refugees, trans and gender-non-conforming people, and other populations who routinely encounter systemic oppressions. 

This is full-time, non-exempt, position working a daytime schedule, with flexibility to work some evenings, weekends, and holidays as necessary. Pay rate is $27-29/hour DOE. 

The Housing Specialist reports to the Housing Manager. This position does not supervise any staff. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Work individually with families to quickly set and meet housing goals, identify barriers to housing, and develop housing plans 
• Complete vulnerability and housing assessments for families; complete screening reports 
• Work in Agency (Mary’s Place database) to assess family housing options and create accurate documentation in a timely way (client meetings, goals, barriers) 
• Proactively seek out new housing opportunities and resources to assist families with housing: internet-based housing searches, assist with applications to housing authorities 
• Work to break down barriers to housing including connecting households to resources, obtaining documentation, address housing debt, etc. 
• Help families navigate barriers related to immigration by connecting them to legal resources or aiding them with immigration paperwork 
• Utilize appropriate procedures to work with guests to access flexible funding assistance 
• Work in collaboration with all teams, including Family and Shelter Advocates, Housing Locators, Youth Services, Health Services, and Economic Advancement Coordinator to refer guests to appropriate internal resources 
• Covering various shelters sites as needed 
• Refer guest to other providers/services that Mary’s Place does not provide 
• Gather and verify documents provided by properties/landlords to determine eligibility 
• Conduct weekly meetings and check-ins with every assigned guest 
• Attend staff meetings 
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor 

Skills/Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in social services or related field; or equivalent experience working in shelter, social services, or case management 
• Experience working in a shelter setting or with homeless population strongly desired 
• Experience conducting group trainings 
• Basic knowledge of Housing First Principles 
• Ability to work with clients who may have substance use disorders, untreated mental health, and significant trauma with a compassionate and trauma informed approach; basic understanding of Harm Reduction and Trauma Informed Care is strongly desired 
• Familiarity with city and county services and resources that assist families experiencing homelessness is preferred 
• Proven ability to form positive relationships with guests, vendors, volunteers, and donors 
• Exceptional time management and organizational skills 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Outlook; able to learn new software/database systems quickly 
• Ability to work both independently as well as in a collaborative, team-oriented organization 
• Demonstrated creative problem solving, setting healthy professional boundaries, conflict mediation, and crisis management skills 
• Demonstrated ability to understand and track funder requirements and ensure accurate and timely data collection/entry 
• Highly motivated, resourceful, flexible, with a positive attitude and sense of humor, even under pressure 
• Ability and willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends in response to guests’ needs 
• Able to proficiently speak, read, write, and understand English. Proficiency in another language is preferred, especially Amharic, Tigrinya, Lingala, Oromo, French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Marshallese 
• Willingness and ability to work with people from a variety of racial, cultural, social and economic backgrounds with various lifestyles, sexual orientations, and of all ages and genders 
• Attention to detail, interacting with others in-person and through email, using critical thinking skills to strategize, develop and implement business plans and documentation, listen and participate verbally at meetings 
• Able to proficiently speak, read, write, and understand English.  
• Proficiency in another language is preferred, particularly in Portuguese, Amharic, Spanish, Lingala, Oromo, French, Russian, Tigrinya, or Marshallese. 
• Willingness to take a TB test within 30 days of hire  

Physical Requirements 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear 
• The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, type, and reach with hands and arms; and requires the ability to occasionally push, pull, lift and/or carry supplies up to 25 pounds 
• Work takes place in a social services environment where long periods of sitting, working on a computer, walking to various work areas, going up and down stairs, and standing are required 
• Travel to program sites and meetings outside the office and around the county are necessary 
• Ability to work in an environment where there may be animals present, including dogs 

In compliance with the ADA Amendment Act, should you have a disability that requires assistance and/or reasonable accommodation with the job application process, please contact the Human Resources department. 

Qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without accommodation. A qualified person with a disability may request a modification or adjustment to the job or work environment in order to meet the physical requirements of the position. Mary’s Place will attempt to satisfy requests as long as the accommodation needed is reasonable and no undue hardship to Mary’s Place would result. 

Details 

Mary's Place offers the following benefits to full-time staff: 

• Medical and dental insurance with the cost for core employee coverage paid at 100% by the company and competitive family rates 
• Basic Life Insurance of $50,000 at no cost to employee; option to buy up for additional coverage 
• 403(b) plan with a 50% employer match on the first 6% employee contribution. Eligible to participate upon hire; eligible for the match after first year of employment. 
• Unlimited use ORCA pass for a small deduction per pay period 
• 10 days paid time off (PTO) each calendar year (accrued by pay period) 
• 10 days of sick time each calendar year (accrued by pay period) 
• 10 days of flexible floating holidays each calendar year (accrued 40 hours on January 1st and 40 hours on July 1st). Prorated based on date of hire for first year of employment. 
• Employee Assistance Program 

Mary’s Place is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workplace and strongly encourage women, people of color and other underrepresented groups, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.