Housing Coordinator

Housing Coordinator

The Housing Coordinator is a peer-based, community-facing position responsible for supporting participants enrolled in People USA's supportive housing programs across Orange and Putnam Counties. The Housing Coordinator uses lived experience, mutuality, empathy, hope, and trauma-informed practices to support participants in obtaining and maintaining safe, stable housing and living self-directed lives in the community. People USA is a peer-run organization. Our services are grounded in the belief that recovery is possible and that people are the experts in their own lives. Housing Coordinators work alongside participants to strengthen housing stability, wellness, independence, self-advocacy, and connection to their communities. This is a non-clinical role that combines peer support, housing navigation, tenancy support, participant engagement, documentation, rent and income-related responsibilities, and coordination with landlords, providers, funders, county systems, and community partners.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Provides screenings to potential program participants identified through the local county's Single Point of Access (SPOA) process
• Educates potential program participants on who PEOPLe Inc. is, what the agency stands for, and how the agency's Supported Housing program operates
• Assists accepted program clients with budgeting, including rental costs, utilities, program subsidies, personal finances, and other related personnel costs
• Directly explores with clients housing rental options that suit their financial, environmental, and personal needs
• Assists clients in completing rental applications
• Assists clients in understanding all leasing contract components
• Assists clients in managing the moving process
• Assists clients in furnishing rentals
• Help clients to continuously budget their money sensibly to maintain their housing and other basic needs
• Regularly verify client's income and budgeted costs to ensure that rental subsidies are up-to-date and accurate
• Maintains regular meaningful contact with clients (amount determined by clients), with no less than one (1) face-to-face and two (2) additional indirect contacts per month
• Educates clients on useful health & wellness topics, including but not limited to: Peer/Self-help Resources, Recovery from Mental Health Challenges, Wellness & Whole Health, Community Resources, Trauma & Healing, Wellness Planning & Prevention, Natural Supports
• Helps clients to identify barriers to their recovery journeys or personal wellness, including issues related to access, quality of care, people's rights, lack of basic needs, and stigma & discrimination
• Advocates for client's side-by-side to overcome identified barriers, making sure their voices are heard, and their decisions are understood and respected
• Builds peer-to-peer connections/relationships based on mutuality (shared lived experiences), empathy, and hope for recovery/wellness (peers-as-proof)
• Provides peer support, sharing stories, personal feelings, information, and strategies for living well
• Coaches clients to identify & accomplish whole health goals related to the Eight Dimensions of Wellness (emotional, social, physical, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, spiritual)
• Directly connects people to the services and supports they need through direct bridging/linking (as opposed to referrals only)
• Develops and maintains positive working relationships with other provider agencies, and local housing providers (landlords) within the county and its surrounding environs
• Documents all meaningful interactions in electronic records software and maintain hard copies in clients' files
• Regularly attend SPOA meetings, HUD Continuum of Care meetings, and other related meetings
• Consistently support PEOPLe, USA.'s mission to instill a sense of hope, empowerment, and self-determination in people living with mental illness that fosters recovery and a transition to wellness
• Align all behaviors with core values that promote trauma-informed care, customer engagement and satisfaction, mutuality & empathy, and a philosophical commitment that everyone can and will recover
• Staff must document their time in Kronos effectively. Staff cannot work over their positions allocated hours without Supervisor approval

This job operates mostly in community settings, including each program participant's housing (scattered site). The job also operates in a peer-run non-clinical mental health care setting that includes professional office environments. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines. 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 or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Regular travel throughout Orange and Putnam Counties is an essential function of this position. Travel is primarily local during the business day, although some travel to other People USA locations or surrounding areas may be required. This is a highly community-based position and may require up to 75% travel. A valid driver's license and ability to meet agency driving requirements are required.

Required Qualifications:

• High School degree or equivalency
• Personal lived experience/s with mental illness or substance abuse
• Bachelor's degree preferred
• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred
• Significant demonstrable experience in health & human services
• Must work towards or possess the following: New York State Certified Peer Specialist must be obtained within 6 months of hire, or Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP)