Status: Full-time, Monday – Friday (hours may vary)

FLSA Classification: Non-Exempt

Job Location: Far Rockaway, Queens NY

Hourly Range: $27.47 - $32.96

Objective

We are seeking a Housing Specialist for Lantern’s migrant family shelter. The Housing Specialist will be responsible for helping clients find permanent housing and become self-sufficient. Services will include assisting with orienting clients to the housing search process and training clients in how to conduct an apartment search, how to interview for an apartment, and how to complete housing applications. Additionally, the Housing Specialist will provide escorts to housing-related appointments and facilitate moving on by supporting clients with direct assistance during the final moving out phase.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Establish linkages and maintain solid working relationships with supportive housing providers, real estate brokers, managing agents, and landlords as a resource for clients.
• Escort clients to various housing related appointments including but not limited to interviews, paperwork signings, move outs, and evaluations.
• Assess client’s readiness and barriers to obtaining affordable permanent housing.
• Provide supportive social services including interview prep, workshops, education, referrals, and escorting to prepare clients for successfully securing and maintaining permanent housing.
• Prepare and assist clients with the housing application/interview process (i.e. HHA, CAPS).
• Provide accurate, complete, and timely documentation of the provision of supportive social services and client progression/regression toward the goals of securing permanent affordable housing.
• Track, monitor, and report housing placement rates for all clients.
• Attend housing related DHS meetings.
• Monitor and assess client progression/regression in behavior and/or appearance.
• Manage crisis intervention services and address all emergency situations as appropriate.
• Attend interdisciplinary team meetings and case conferences as needed.
• Participates in professional development activities such as in-service trainings, seminars, webinars, and conferences as needed.
• A work schedule that includes evening hours. Assist clients in moving into permanent housing by providing support such as attending lease signings, assisting with applications for one-shot deals, providing moving assistance, etc.
• Provides additional information and instruction on the skills required to secure and maintain permanent housing, such as how to create and maintain a household budget.
• Participate in housing meetings, case conferences, staff meetings, and other meetings/trainings as assigned.
• Documents all counseling, escorting, referral and discharge planning activities in client charts.
• Provide comprehensive case management services to an assigned caseload.
• Provide referrals for in-house and community-based medical, mental health, and supportive social services to assigned caseload as appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

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

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma, G.E.D or high school equivalency is required, bachelor’s degree in social services or related field preferred.
• 1 year of experience required assisting the homeless or difficult to serve populations find housing.
• Experience providing services to individuals with mental illness, substance use, chronic health conditions and/or homelessness.
• Sensitivity to issues involved in working with a diverse organization.
• Must have initiative, the ability to work well under pressure, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Bilingual skills in English and Spanish are a plus.

Work Environment:

This job operates in a family-based shelter and works with a population who may experience mental illness, substance use, disability, HIV/AIDS, and other chronic illnesses.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, stoop and/ or kneel. They must also use hands to type, handle, or feel. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

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

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

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. Lantern welcomes individuals of all backgrounds and experiences regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, pregnancy, religion, immigration status, veteran status, class, creed, mental or physical disability, and any other characteristic protected by federal, state, and local law.