Program Coordinator

Job Description

Job Description

Hope Mission Statement

The mission of Hope the Mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions.

Position Purpose and Summary

Interim housing programs run on direct service and leadership. What keeps them running — accurately, compliantly, and without things falling through the cracks — is coordination. The Program Coordinator is responsible for that infrastructure.

Reporting to the Program Manager or Assistant Program Manager, the Program Coordinator provides the administrative, operational, and data coordination support that enables assigned HTM interim housing sites to function in alignment with agency policies, funder requirements, and contract standards. This role tracks documentation, monitors compliance tasks, maintains participant records in HMIS, reviews shift reports, follows up on incidents, and ensures that the operational details of daily program life are organized, accounted for, and ready for scrutiny. When audits happen, when monitoring visits arrive, when leadership needs to know whether documentation is current — the Program Coordinator is the reason the answer is yes.

This is not a supervisory role, and the distinction is deliberate. The Program Coordinator's value is in coordination, quality control, and follow-through — not authority. It requires someone who can hold a high volume of moving parts with precision and calm, who understands that a missing daily activity report or an untracked incident is not a paperwork problem but a compliance risk, and who takes both the operational and the relational dimensions of the work seriously. Programs do not run on good intentions. They run on systems, and this role is responsible for keeping those systems intact.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Data, Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date participant records in HMIS and other agency-approved data systems

• Track completion of required program documents including Daily Activity Reports (DARs), wellness check logs, incident report submissions, and case management documentation

• Conduct first-level review of documentation for completeness and accuracy; flag missing or late items for follow-up

• Submit and follow up on all incident reports in accordance with agency protocols

• Review shift reports regularly to monitor staff performance and documentation compliance

• Maintain organized participant files, rosters, logs, and trackers in accordance with program and funder requirements

• Assist with preparation for audits, monitoring visits, and internal reviews by gathering and organizing requested documentation

• Support program and contract compliance by regularly reviewing logs, records, and data against funder requirements

Operations & Site Management

• Monitor the medication cabinet and review all medication records

• Track supply inventory and submit facility maintenance, IT, and supply order requests with Program Manager approval

• Regularly inspect bathroom facilities, shelter rooms, and site surroundings to ensure clean, sanitary, and safe conditions

• Report maintenance issues and repair needs to the supervisor promptly

• Help train janitorial and hygiene staff on proper site and bathroom maintenance protocols

• Coordinate communication between shifts, departments, and program leadership regarding operational needs and follow-up items

• Provide on-site support during high-volume or high-need operational periods

• Work collaboratively with outsourced security staff to maintain safety for participants, staff, volunteers, and visitors

• Train staff on the use of security and surveillance systems

Staff Support & Coordination

• Provide direction and training to shelter support staff including Client Service Monitors and Case Managers in collaboration with the Program Manager or Assistant Program Manager

• Maintain staff timesheets and daily activity reports as directed

• Support onboarding processes by coordinating training schedules, tracking credentials, and organizing required documentation

• Schedule meetings, case conferences, and staff training sessions as directed

• Provide staff coverage as needed, including substituting as a Client Service Monitor during absences

• Provide feedback to leadership on service delivery, program enhancements, and operational modifications as needed

Participant & Community Engagement

• Assist with participant issues including conflict resolution and complaint resolution using de-escalation and mediation techniques

• Provide emergency service referrals and warm handoffs for domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and other crisis needs as appropriate

• Ensure implementation of Housing First, Harm Reduction, and Trauma-Informed Care principles across all participant interactions

• Support participant engagement activities, orientations, and program communications as assigned

• Support case management services to participants as needed

• Build and maintain positive working relationships with community partners including mental health programs, law enforcement, neighborhood councils, and service providers

General

• Assist leadership with special projects, reports, and data pulls as needed

• Attend staff meetings, case conferences, training workshops, and community meetings as required

• Coordinate external partners, service providers, and volunteers as directed

• Adhere to all organizational policies related to attendance, dress code, professionalism, and conduct

• Identify and report unsafe situations, systems, or processes to supervisors promptly

• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Must pass pre-employment and ongoing drug and alcohol screenings

• Must pass background check as required per worksite

• Must provide proof of legal authorization to work in the United States

• Must comply with all HTM policies including safety, confidentiality, conduct, and HIPAA standards

• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.

• Ability to stand, bend, squat, kneel, twist, push, and pull on an intermittent or continuous basis

• Ability to perform sustained visual tasks including administrative and clerical work

• Ability to move quickly between locations and climb stairs as needed

• Must be available for varied shifts including evenings, weekends, and coverage as operationally required

• Position is contingent upon funding availability and contract requirements

Qualifications

• Minimum two years of experience in program coordination, staff support, or a related role in homeless services or social services

• Experience working in homeless services strongly preferred

• Knowledge of homeless populations, government assistance programs, housing placements, and case management procedures strongly preferred

• Knowledge of contract compliance requirements in a funded program setting strongly preferred

• Familiarity with Housing First, Harm Reduction, and Trauma-Informed Care frameworks

• Familiarity with HMIS and data entry in program management systems preferred

Skills

• Ability to maintain accurate records and manage documentation across multiple systems simultaneously

• Ability to identify and follow up on missing, late, or incomplete documentation

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; HMIS and CHAMP experience preferred

• Clear written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to coordinate across shifts, teams, and departments to ensure operational continuity

• Ability to apply de-escalation and conflict resolution techniques in participant interactions

• Ability to provide crisis referrals and warm handoffs for domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and other urgent needs

• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced, team-oriented environments with shifting priorities

• Bilingual preferred but not required

Physical, Demands, Environmental Conditions, Equipment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. The employee is required to: walk and climb stairs; stand, bend, squat, climb, kneel, and twist on an intermittent or sometimes continuous basis; grasp, push, pull objects such as files, file cabinet drawers, and reach overhead; handle, finger, grasp and feel objects and equipment; reach with hands and arms; be mobile by moving oneself from place to place quickly and easily; repeat various motions with the wrists, hands, and fingers; be able to perform visual activities for (including, but not limited to) administrative and clerical tasks; ability to lift up to 25 lbs.; communicate, receive and exchange ideas, information by means of the spoken and written word; drive vehicles in and around Los Angeles County; be able to enter various buildings that may require climbing stairs; be periodically subjected to outside environmental conditions. The employee may work in proximity to service animals and emotional support animals; use a desktop and/or laptop computer; various office machines. Complete all required forms in personal writing.

Work Environment

The employee may be in contact with individuals and families in crisis who may be ill, using alcohol and drugs, and who may not be attentive to basic personal hygiene, health and safety practices. The employee may experience a number of unpleasant sensory demands associated with the participants’ use of alcohol and drugs, and lack of personal hygiene. The employee must be ready to respond quickly and effectively to many types of situations, including crisis situations and potentially hostile situations. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate in an office setting. Sometimes work may become stressful when working under pressure or in crisis intervention.

EEO: HTM (Hope the Mission) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, HTM complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, placement, promotion, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

HTM will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if HTM is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s Fair Chance Act webpage.