Housing Stabilization Specialist

Description

SCHEDULE: 40 hours; Monday – Friday 8:00am-4:30pm with availability for early mornings, evenings

Pays $23.48 per hour DOE

LOCATION: 444 Harrison Ave, 363 Albany St, 1 Lingard St, community-based work

SUMMARY OF POSITION:

The Housing Stabilization Specialist (HSS) will work within a team of Housing Placement Specialists, a Clinician, and a Housing Benefits Navigator to ensure partnership with previously homeless clients that will provide supports to help sustain housing. At times, these tasks will be done in conjunction with community partners. Through all stages of the program, the Housing Stabilization Specialist will utilize progressive engagement; least amount of support needed to be successful. The HSS will provide stabilization services to ensure the client does not return to homelessness and can achieve independent living in the community. A key component of the work is successfully connecting individuals to assets, which increases income and mainstream benefits, and supports which increases stability while in housing. The Housing Stabilization Specialist will facilitate on-going communication between the guest, housing authorities, property owners and community programs and partners. The Housing Stabilization Specialist will also develop Individual Service Plans (ISP) as part of the transition from shelter to housing. The Housing Stabilization Specialist will also develop and help educate individuals with skills that better helps them to manage money and be good neighbors and tenants. The Housing Stabilization Specialist will work under tight timeframes for accurately entering guest information into the Pine Street Inn’s approved Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and Carelogic data for those guests who are enroll in CSPECH. Attention to detail and accuracy is critical in this position, The Housing Stabilization Specialist will provide exceptional customer service both internally and externally and will work in partnership with other emergency services and housing department staff to provide integrated service delivery, which furthers our mission to eliminate homelessness.

*Please note - All credentials and licensures to be reviewed annually as part of the PSI credentialing process. Additionally an annual CORI review and OIG Medicaid Fraud checks to be conducted for the Housing Stabilization Specialist. Acceptable results of annual credentialing and CORI reviews and OIG Medicaid Fraud checks will be required of the Housing Placement Specialist.

The Housing Stabilization Specialist will work from the following principles:

• Shelter is a temporary safety net, not a home. The Place Me Home program staff must assertively motivate guests and incentivize them to seek better alternatives using best practices.
• All people experiencing homelessness, regardless of their housing history and duration of homelessness, can achieve housing stability in permanent housing.
• Never warehouse or institutionalize our guests in our shelters.
• Everyone is “housing ready.” Sobriety, compliance in treatment, or even a clean criminal history is not necessary to succeed in housing. Rather, homelessness programs and housing providers must be “consumer ready”.
• Leverage guests’ strengths, assets, and connections to move quickly out of shelters and to any other housing.
• Recognize the impact of violence and victimization on development and coping strategies
• Employ an empowerment model
• Maximize guest choices and control over her/his recovery based in a relational collaboration
• Create an atmosphere that is respectful of the guests’ need for safety, respect, and acceptance
• Emphasize the guests’ strengths, highlighting adaptations over symptoms and resilience over pathology
• Minimize the possibilities of re-traumatization
• Strive to be culturally competent and to understand each person in the context of his or her life experiences and cultural background
• Solicit guest input and involve guests in designing and evaluating services

Requirements

EDUCATION/TRAINING:

REQUIRED:

• BSW, BA or BS in a human services related field [can be substituted for High School Diploma and at least three (3) years of equivalent experience in a social service setting]
• Valid Massachusetts Driver’s License and acceptable driving record

PREFERRED:

• Bilingual, with an emphasis in English and Spanish
• Training in Trauma Informed Care, Progressive Engagement, and Motivational Interviewing
• Basic understanding of Homeless Management Information Systems
• Certification, training, or formal education in counseling and/or case management/stabilization services

KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:

REQUIRED:

• Minimum of 2 years of experience delivering services to challenged population struggling with addiction and untreated mental health concerns
• Strong written communication and documentation skills
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office Products, including Excel and Outlook
• Experience working with people who have untreated mental illness, and/or active substance addiction
• Knowledge of the issues related to homelessness, particularly around housing, S/A, mental illness and economic factors as precipitants to homelessness
• A working knowledge of homeless referral networks
• Requires knowledge and belief in “Housing First” philosophy and strategies
• Basic Math Skills and Budgeting Experience
• Experience and knowledge of housing support, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, domestic abuse, and basic benefit systems.
• Proven ability to problem solve, work independently, creatively, and prioritize within a faced-paced environment.