Senior Housing Stability Specialist at Lantern Community Services Inc – New York, New York

Classification: Non-Exempt

Reports to: Housing Stability Manager

Location: NYC – Rustin House, Huntersmoon Hall, and Stardom Hall.

Hourly Range: $32.96 - $34.89

Objective:

This position will work directly with low-income and special needs tenants who are applying and living in Lantern’s supportive housing buildings. This position requires experience with the homeless and special needs population. The Senior Housing Stability Specialist will need to be flexible in their schedules of office hours.

Position Type: This is a full-time position with a regular daytime schedule, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm (hours may vary). Lantern staff may be asked to change the work schedule and hours depending on the operational needs of the site and the agency.

Essential Functions:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Assist in training and orienting new Housing Stability Specialists in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Assist Housing Stability Manager with standardization of data collection, data analysis, internal reporting for continuous quality improvement, and external reporting for funders is conducted in a timely manner.
• Assist in tracking all existing systems for accuracy (HASA Web, CAPS, ETO, Yardie, etc).
• Review and submit weekly and monthly reports to internal and external entities.
• Work in close collaboration with Program and Property Management to set and implement new strategies to streamline processes.
• Assist in maintaining Housing Stability operations, resolve problems encountered as needed, determine appropriate solutions and promote teamwork.
• Travel to buildings to support intakes, move-ins and attend scheduled meetings.
• Providing superior customer service to residents and prospective tenants by promptly responding to all incoming calls, messages, and emails in a professional, respectful manner.
• Provide support to tenants to ensure individuals remain successfully housed.
• Review and maintain tenant files, and ensure files contain all required supporting documentation for rental subsidy agencies, and syndicator requirements, which include Low Income Housing Tax Credit IHTC and Tax Credit forms.
• Responsible for vacancy management in accordance with Lantern’s policies and procedures working in collaboration with program staff and Assistant Director of Housing Stability and Vacancy Management.
• Collaborate with Clinical staff and Property Management to maintain a safe, welcoming, clean, and supportive environment.
• Assist tenants with budgeting and financial literacy.
• Assist tenants with documentation collection and liaison with HRA as needed.
• Ensuring occupancy levels of all current projects are at least 95% and working with site staff to determine needs if occupancy falls below the target level.

Intake

• Interact with new applicants and various city and state agencies.
• Request client applications from referral source for vacancies and coordinate interviews of applicants.
• Schedule, Meet and lead unit viewings for applicants for their assigned building portfolio.
• Review and collect approved applicant eligibility documentation.
• Assist clients with subsidy application preparation.
• Send acceptance letters to clients and funder agencies once deemed eligible by Housing Stability staff and Program Director.
• Coordinate new client move ins in accordance with Lantern’s policies and procedures.

Leasing

• Overseeing completion of files to ensure they are compliant with applicable Supportive Housing guidelines including Move-Ins, Annual Recertification, Interim Recertification, Gross Rent Changes, Terminations, and Initial Certifications.
• Prepare monthly lease renewal notifications on or before 120 to 90-day lease expiration to tenants.
• Ensure timely completion of annual lease documents.
• Complete income calculation for leases and subsidy continuance.
• Track and provide monthly reports of lease renewals and annual documents for assigned portfolio.
• Conduct lease signing events to support timely lease renewals.
• Attend monthly Building management meetings and provide leasing reports to building staff.
• Ensuring a complete set of initial files is stored on the shared drive for every project in lease-up and completing all occupancy-related reports and other tracking spreadsheets as needed throughout the course of the lease-up.

Rent Collection

• Communicating monthly with funders and landlords, including submission of monthly and quarterly rent rolls
• Review aging summary report to identify a need for interventions.
• Oversee issuance of arrears notices.
• Work with tenants and program staff to prevent and reduce lease arrears.
• Assist with payment plans and/or budgeting.
• Collaborate with Program Staff to help clients reduce arrears and maintain financial stability.
• Assist tenants with applying for One Shot Deals and maintaining benefits and entitlements.
• Provide aging summaries to case management team and ensure follow up.
• Work with Programs to identify and resolve client behavioral issues that impact safety or facility.
• Review incident reports to determine if there are conduct or lease violations and to collaborate with clinical staff to resolve them.
• Coordinate with property management to request non-payment proceedings.
• Coordinate with property management team to initiate holdover proceedings for clients whose housing subsidy has been canceled or who are non-compliant with building rules.
• Ensure compliance with policies on abandonment of units and re-rental.
• Other job-related functions, as assigned.

Required Education and Experience:

• Associates Required.
• Minimum of 1 to 2 years of experience providing direct service to one or more of the following populations: persons living with HIV/AIDS, formerly and chronically homeless persons and families, young adults aged out of foster care, persons with mental illness, medical issues, or persons experiencing substance use.
• Prior experience with leasing compliance, property management, supportive or transitional housing, or asset management.
• Working knowledge of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Section 8, (New York City Housing Authority) Housing Preservation and Development and HPD (Housing Preservation and Development)) Housing and Community Renewal DHCR, Rent Stabilization Law, Rent Guidelines Board, and Fair Housing practices.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills.
• Must be flexible and able to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to interact and effectively communicate with all staff levels and management orally and in written communication.
• Excellent customer service and ability to interface with tenants in a respectful, and positive manner.
• Strong computer skills with knowledge of Microsoft Suite, Excel, and databases such as CAPS or HASA Web.
• Basic math competency.

Work Environment: This job operates in multiple supportive housing sites and works with a population who experiences mental illness, addiction, disability, HIV, and other chronic illnesses.

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, climb stairs, and/ or kneel. Occasionally the employee will have to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

Note:

Lantern Community Services provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Lantern Community Services (Lantern) values the diversity of all our clients, staff, Board of Directors, and partners. By bringing diverse individuals and viewpoints together, we create more vibrant, healthy, and just communities.