Housing Resource Specialist

Job Description

Housing Stability SpecialistThe Arc of King County’s mission

The Arc of King County promotes and protects the human and civil rights of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, actively supporting their full inclusion so that they can live, learn, work and play in their community – making the world a better place for us all. Organizational Reporting Relationships

Department: Information and Family Support

Supervisor: Housing Program Manager

Other key relationships: Director of Information and Family Support, Information & Resource Team, Housing Stability Team, Parent to Parent Program, Representative Payee Program, Advocacy Team, Healthy Relationships TeamDuties specific to this position

Represents The Arc of King County during monthly Learning Circles and other meetings and communications with the King County Best Starts for Kids Youth and Family Homelessness Prevention Initiative.

Delivers services as defined in the Best Starts for Kids Youth and Family Homelessness Prevention Initiative contract.

Maintains up-to-date knowledge of housing resources including Section 8, Subsidized Housing, Housing Authorities, tenant rights, emergency housing, as well as other public benefits.

Conducts intake interviews, identifies eligible program participants, and develops a support plan based on the program contract. For those who are not eligible, connects them with the right agency/support.

Develops person centered intervention and support plans with short- and long-term goals to improve communication skills, negotiation skills, organizational skills, budgeting skills, job development, etc. to promote stabile housing.

Supports program participants to access community resources that lower risk of homelessness such as rental, utility, and/or food assistance, childcare, employment programs, and disability-specific resources including Representative Payee services as needed. Support may include assistance with written applications, forms, and paperwork as well as consultation regarding rental agreement content so that participant understands rules and landlord expectations.

Mediates and negotiates with landlords as necessary to secure stable housing and avoid eviction, or to reduce move in costs, credit check, etc.

Educates program participants in tenant rights. Assesses need for additional skill development required for housing stability such as money management, independent living skills, and home safety. Coordinates supports as needed.

Coordinates housing placement for program participants in emergency, temporary, or permanent housing as needed.

Provides case management support via regular check-in to assess whether additional resources are needed to maintain stability, including coaching and support to program participants promoting behavior needed to achieve stable housing.

Ensures program activities are accessible to different cultural communities in terms of disability, language, culture, location, and other cultural issues by utilizing The Arc’s diverse staff team, community resources, and interpreters.

Participates in committee meetings, forums, task forces, legislative coalitions, etc. related to housing issues impacting people with I/DD and their families.

Uses King County Clarity/HMIS database system and The Arc’s Salesforce database system to collect and record participant information.

Responsible for ensuring all work done in support of contractual agreements is compliant with contract policies. Essential Functions

Communicates in a timely and thoughtful manner with participants, co-workers, and community members. Such as:

Responds to emails and calls within 2-3 business days.

Shares materials with teammates or consults with supervisor.

Maintains timely and thorough documentation. Such as:

Meets biweekly deadline to submit hours in PayNW.

Meets monthly deadline to log cases and events in Salesforce.

Maintains an up-to-date Outlook calendar.

Collaborates with co-workers when asked. Such as:

Regularly attends staff or team meetings.

Self-starter: Able to independently identify what needs to be done and does it to completion

Time management: Uses time wisely to complete tasks in a timely manner.

Professional growth: Shows willingness to learn and apply new skills. Such as:

Corrects action when coached on performance.

Evaluates activities for effectiveness.

Attends professional development opportunities.

Personal relations: Is flexible and courteous with clients/participants; empathetic while keeping professional boundaries. Such as:

Listens attentively.

Follows through in a timely manner.

Is supportive and helpful.

Reliability: Can be counted on to complete job duties. Does not leave team or clients waiting for deliverables.

Maintains a high level of confidentiality and professionalism at all times.

The above is not a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities required of this position. Management may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities at any time as it deems necessary.

Qualifications

Experience interacting with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

Demonstrated ability to work effectively with individuals of diverse economic, ethnic, and social backgrounds.

An understanding of concepts around anti-racism and social justice, and their intersection with the disability community.

Ability to learn about I/DD and community resources through experience, on-the-job training, and other professional development opportunities and relay that information to individuals with I/DD and their families.

Ability to learn and implement State of Washington Mandatory Reporting requirements.

Demonstrated ability to respond to emails and complete tasks in a timely manner.

Clear, compassionate, effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Ability to be self-directed and work as a team member.

Ability to be mobile throughout King County to work with individuals in person.

Ability to persevere in the face of obstacles.

Experience in using MS Office Suite (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) and able to learn and use other required technology.

Knowledge of Salesforce database systems and Clarity database system a plus but not required.

OR a combination of education, experience and measurable performance which demonstrates the capability to perform the duties of this position.Physical and Other Requirements

Ability to pass a criminal background check.

Ability to use email and internet with ease.

Work hours typically occur between 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Monday-Friday with some flexibility.

Requires some evening and weekend work with advanced notice.

Accommodations to meet these requirements may be available upon request.