Job Description: Housing Stabilization Specialist
Why work at MCCAC?
Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC), located in the heart of the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, serves Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman Counties. MCCAC offers programs and services to ensure our most vulnerable community members have access to healthy, safe, stable, and affordable housing. This is accomplished through our housing, energy/utility payment assistance and weatherization programs. MCCAC’s mission is to build a better future for our community through partnership and equity-centered programs that prevent and eliminate poverty and houselessness.
Job Purpose:
The Housing Stabilization Specialist will play a key role in working to end houselessness and addressing barriers to housing access in the MCCAC service area. The Specialist assists participant households in their efforts to attain and/or maintain permanent housing.
This position is a case management position with a focus on housing access, retention, and stabilization. Day-to-day priorities may include coordination with housing providers, landlords, health care entities, social service providers, transportation, education and workforce development stakeholders, and state and federal agencies, to ensure that individuals and families that are looking for or working to maintain housing have the supports in place that are necessary to meet these goals.
The Housing Stabilization Specialist will also provide case management check-ins with participants to coordinate housing stability plans and any on-going needed support to help maintain permanent stable housing. The position may also have a light focus on street outreach, when necessary. Outreach priorities will include providing case management and linking houseless clients to basic needs resources such as food boxes and hygiene, and linking program participants to other available community resources that will assist in housing stability.
Program Delivery (90%):
● Assist clients in designated program(s) to develop housing stability plans including but not limited to financial and self-sufficiency goals. This includes conducting intake interviews to determine client’s needs, goals, and eligibility.
● Mediate and advocate with landlords, on behalf of program participants, to ensure housing is successfully secured and/or maintained.
● Create and maintain consistent communication channels, both verbal and written, between several parties (i.e... tenant, landlord referral source, and collaborating agencies)
● Assist participants in development of strength based/solution- focused goals that promote permanent housing and self-sufficiency.
● Develop an effective and timely referral network to ensure clients are able to connect to the correct resources that remove or prevent housing barriers. This includes maintaining an active understanding of mainstream and community resources, both at MCCAC and partner service providers, that assist clients with achieving goals related to housing stabilization and overall health and well-being.
● Work in collaboration with MCCAC’s housing referral and intake coordinator and homelessness data management and technical assistance specialist to engage with new clients and complete regular client intakes and data entry/quality activities as required by assigned program(s) and grant(s).
● Effectively manage schedule of casework related appointments to facilitate positive client-housing stabilization relationships, and other key relationships that promote client success, such as client-landlord relationships.
● Educate clients of their rights and responsibilities under Oregon Residential Lease Agreements and Tenant-Landlord Law.
● Educate landlords, partner organizations, and caseworkers about rapid rehousing assistance, eviction prevention assistance, and/or other other supportive services offered by MCCAC, as assigned.
● Serve as lead liaison to houseless community members and/or those at risk of losing housing in assigned county(ies) who are in need of rapid rehousing, eviction prevention or other housing placement/retention assistance, including by generating and sending letters and otherwise corresponding with landlords upon clients’ submission of rapid rehousing assistance, eviction prevention assistance and other related program applications
Program administration, compliance, and training (10%):
● Maintain case files according to documentation requirements established by MCCAC internal policies and state and federal grant policies (including end of year file retention process)
● Support timely data entry in Homelessness Management Information System, Connect Oregon and other systems utilized by MCCAC to manage housing/shelter client data
● Utilize online vouchering system in Smartsheets and PEX system to track rapid rehousing assistance, eviction prevention assistance and other payments incurred by the organization on behalf of assigned clients
● Utilize billing systems to track time worked, including timesheets and other tracking systems for functions such as Medicaid billing for time spent supporting Oregon Health Plan enrolled clients to navigate appropriate housing stabilization resources
● Meet monthly with Housing Stabilization Manager to assess assigned program budget(s) and policy(ies) and ensure adherence to program budgets and policies
● Collaborate with fellow MCCAC Housing Stabilization staff, Shelter staff, and caseworkers from relevant partner organizations to do case conferencing and make waitlist updates
● Attend Traditional Health Worker training and become certified by the State of Oregon (Oregon Health Authority) within the first year of employment (MCCAC will provide the training opportunity and pay for the cost for training)
● Utilize Harm Reduction, Trauma Informed Care, Rapid Rehousing, culturally responsive, and Housing First approaches to serve clients
● Conduct weekly or monthly check-ins with clients who have open street outreach or housing placement/retention cases with MCCAC; complete required documentation and re-assessment paperwork on a timely basis, and coordinate additional referrals as needed
● Close street outreach and housing placement/retention cases and complete appropriate paperwork according to clients’ individual case plans and MCCAC program guidelines
Application Information:
Knowledge, Skills, and Qualifications:
● Ability to adhere to agency and program policies and procedures
● Ability to coordinate with MCCAC’s other housing stabilization specialists and other relevant staff members, and to work as a team
● Ability to maintain client and agency confidentiality
● Ability to communicate effectively in writing and in person with MCCAC client groups, community partners, the general public, and co-workers
● Ability to maintain professionalism, even in high pressure situations
● Ability to address sensitive situations with a culturally competent, trauma-informed approach
● Experience or comfort with working with clients living outside, including those with behavioral health and substance abuse disorder needs
● Ability to effectively handle high volume telephone, email, and in-person contact
● Ability to maintain a high level of accuracy and be detail-oriented, prompt, and dependable
● Ability to work as a collaborative member of the Housing Stabilization team
● Knowledge of Oregon Landlord/Tenant, Fair Housing, and Equal Access Laws
● Knowledge and demonstrated ability in Microsoft Office programs and ability to learn and use videoconferencing and other digital tools that enhance collaboration and communication
● High school Diploma or GED required; Associate degree preferred
● Minimum two years on the job experience in customer service or social services
● Intermediate proficiency with computer and phone systems, email, voicemail, etc.
● Ability to speak and write fluently in Spanish (desired)
● Certification as Traditional Health Worker according to Oregon Health Authority standards (desired)
● Those with lived experience with houselessness, behavioral health challenges, and/or substance abuse disorders encouraged to apply
● Criminal background check (required)
I understand that Mid-Columbia Community Action Council will not deny me employment solely because of a prior felony conviction. Instead, MCCAC will determine on a case-by-case basis whether any consumer report information, including criminal history, is relevant to the duties of the position for which I have applied. With respect to criminal history information, MCCAC will consider circumstances such as the nature of prior conviction(s), their timing, and other factors to determine my employment eligibility. Not all convictions are automatically disqualifying. I understand that I may speak with a hiring Manager from MCCAC about circumstances related to a prior conviction that I would like to be taken into consideration.
Position Details:
● This position is rated as active with frequent kneeling, stooping, bending, and sitting, regularly requires the individual to lift 30 pounds
● The duties outlined in this job description are not all inclusive and additional duties and tasks will be assigned as required.
● Prior to date of hire, and throughout employment certification of the following are required:
○ Valid driver’s license
○ Proof of current auto insurance
● MCCAC is an equal employment opportunity employer
● In-person, at MCCAC Office (Wasco/Sherman County position is based in The Dalles, Hood River County position is based in Hood River)
● Fair Labor Standards Classification: Full-Time, Non-Exempt
● Reports to: Housing Stabilization Manager
Salary and Benefits
● Salary $48,600.00 Annually (full-time position, 40 hours/week with potential for longer hours)
Plus, a 3% pay differential for successful bilingual (Spanish and English) candidates
● Benefits: MCCAC offers an excellent benefits package including Blue Cross medical insurance with the agency covering 90% for employees and dependents. Dental and vision coverage. Life insurance, 401k, paid vacation, and sick leave.
Duration
● Permanent position.
Veterans, people of color, and people with lived experience encouraged to apply.
Position will remain open till filled
Please Submit Resume and cover letter to:
Mitzi Mason
Housing Stabilization Manager
mmason@mccac.com