Housing Specialist

Housing Specialist

The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. The Coalition advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being, and stability of those it serves.

Our Philosophy of Service: We believe all people have the right to adequate housing and health care. We work to remove the barriers that restrict access to these rights. Society benefits when adequate housing and health care are available to everyone. We create lasting solutions to homelessness by:

• Honoring the inherent dignity of those we serve, affirming their capabilities and fostering their hope that a better life is possible.
• Building strong, caring and trauma-informed communities through the integration of housing, health care and supportive services.
• Advocating for social and racial equity, inclusion and diversity, and challenging the status quo in partnership with our workforce members and those we serve.
• Achieving excellence through continuous quality assurance, innovation and professional development.
• Using resources judiciously and effectively.

The Housing Specialist supports the Housing Assistance Department (HAD) by collaboratively addressing the housing stability needs of program participants and ensuring housing program integrity.

Additional Requirement

• Valid driver's license required. This requirement may be waived, if necessary, based on overall candidate experience and current needs of the business and/or role.

Coalition Benefits

• Choice of HMO or PPO health insurance coverage options: full-time employees contribute only 1% of their earnings for their own HMO health coverage and no more than 4% of their earnings for coverage of eligible dependents. We're proud to offer same-and opposite-sex domestic partner coverage.
• Choice of dental insurance or discount plan.
• Vision insurance.
• Flexible spending accounts for health care / dependent care / parking expenses.
• Free basic life and AD&D insurance coverage.
• Employee Assistance Program, a problem-solving resource available to you and your household members.
• Dollar-for-dollar retirement plan matching contributions up to 5% of earnings with 3-year vesting.
• Extensive paid time-off, including 9 holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and three weeks of vacation for new full-time employees in their first year.

The effective date for your benefits will be the first of the month following your date of hire.

Essential Job Functions

• Research, monitor, and properly interprets funding rules and regulations for various housing programs, including HUD.
• Facilitates households with completing funding source and housing application paperwork.
• Accurately verifies eligibility for funding sources in accordance with all regulations including income, household composition, payment assistance for rent, utilities, or move-in expenses, and other standards.
• As assigned and within the scope of Voucher Administration, assists with housing searches, orientations, inspections, and lease-ups.
• Conducts housing orientations, inspections, solicit and completes paperwork to ensure compliance for eligible funding sources.
• Monitors and documents rental units that fail inspection. Imposes sanctions of rent abatement for units not meeting repair deadlines.
• Outreaches and engages program participants on an as needed basis. This may include meeting with program participants in the office, on the streets, in the shelters, at places of employment, or in their rental units to ensure housing program activities are completed.
• Identifies and collaboratively resolves conflicts with and between parties which may include rent and lease negotiations.
• Coordinates with housing related agencies and partners to ensure housing stability for households by ensuring the accurate and timely submission of required documentation and payments
• Demonstrates competency in all database systems including Colorado's Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), Emphasys/Elite, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, or other tools and applications that the Housing Assistance Department utilizes to perform work.
• Tracks and coordinates assigned tasks, projects, and programs.
• Ensures accurate data collection and entry to maintain fidelity in internal and external reporting systems to ensure reporting complies with legal and funding requirements. When assigned, prepares reports for HAD Leadership.
• Collaborates with Coalition programs and outside service providers to ensure a coordination of care for households upon transfer from Housing Navigation.
• Regularly consults with HAD Leadership on training needs, operational issues, and program improvements.
• Actively participates in meetings, as assigned
• Respond to contacts in a professional, accurate, meaningful, and timely manner.
• Maintains a harm-reduction and trauma informed work environment that is marked by respect for others, values inclusiveness, builds workforce diversity, and that fosters cooperation and teamwork.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications Summary

• Bachelor's degree in social service-related field preferred. 4 or more years of experience in human services or homeless services related field may be substituted for education.
• Prior experience working with HUD regulations and/or subsidized housing programs preferred.
• Prior experience working with people who are experiencing homelessness or who have come from homelessness preferred.
• Reliable transportation required. Valid Driver's License Required.

$30 - $30 an hour WHERE A CANDIDATE IS PLACED IN THE COMPENSATION RANGE DEPENDS ON TOTAL RELEVENT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Employee must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to safety or health of self or others. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. Employee will perform job according to applied laws. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is committed to delivering services, making employment-related decisions, selecting volunteers, and selecting vendors without regard to age over 40, race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, military status, or any other applicable status protected by law.