Job Title: SSVF Housing Navigator
Group: Veterans Services
Department: Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
Region: North Carolina
Location: Durham, Salisbury
Classification: Exempt
Status: Full Time
Reports to: Assistant Director, SSVF
Supervises: N/A
Travel Requirement: Up to 50% when needed
Remote Work: Ability to work from home office (partially)
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas empowers self-reliance and inspires hope. As a church without walls, we do this through personalized housing, ministry, health, and human services that benefit vulnerable individuals, their families and the community. Founded in 1896 in Baltimore, MD by social reformers, Ballington and Maud Booth, we were one of the first of over 30 affiliates of Volunteers of America – one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive human services organizations.
Our founders envisioned a movement dedicated to reaching and uplifting the American people. On behalf of the organization, the Booths pledged “to go wherever we are needed and do whatever comes to hand”. Their declaration continues to guide Volunteers of America's impact on “Helping America’s most vulnerable”.
Through a dedicated and committed team of more than 850 employees and thousands of volunteers, we provide critical care, support services and hope to thousands of people each year throughout Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia and the Carolinas. We firmly believe our employees drive the success of the organization. Through our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts (DEI), we endeavor to attract, engage and retain qualified, diverse, compassionate individuals to join our journey and experience a work environment that offers challenging, stimulating and financially rewarding opportunities.
JOB SUMMARY
The SSVF Housing Navigator is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with landlords in the community and assisting veterans enrolled in HUD VASH or co-enrolled in HUD VASH and SSVF in securing and maintaining safe and affordable housing.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Build and establish working relationships with landlords to assist in locating appropriate housing for veterans experiencing homelessness.
- Develop outreach materials and agreements with landlords that will provide rental units to help individuals and families experiencing homelessness access and maintain permanent housing.
- Match prospective tenants with appropriate rental housing within the pool of rental units recruited.
- Coordinate with both the landlord and prospective tenant to secure appropriate housing.
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Maintain landlord relationships and keep a current database of landlord contacts and available properties in the community.
- Engages and participates in the HUD VASH case management team.
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Participates in HUD VASH bi-weekly Housing Team meeting (occurs every other Tuesday at 9:00 AM via Teams).
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Participates in time-limited special projects and initiatives as a subject matter expert and support in the housing process.
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Provides housing search services, outreach to Veterans, and evidence-based curriculum to facilitate education in individual and/or group services. This includes transporting Veterans, document gathering, completing paperwork for resources and PHA applications and resolving uncomplicated (non-clinical) issues or barriers to the Veteran securing housing.
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Tracks and updates housing outcomes
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Assist HUD VASH veterans, co-enrolled HUD VASH-SSVF veterans, and housing case managers with coordination of supportive services to ensure clients maintain permanent housing.
- Become active in the housing community to identify housing and conduct tenant and landlord trainings.
- Actively participates in regular team meetings for the purpose of program consistency, monitoring, and effectiveness.
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Applies best practice models in the service delivery approach.
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Participates in community-wide events promoting services.
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Complies with agency policies and procedures, COA regulations, federal and state requirements, and educational/certification/registry requirements.
EFFECTS ON RESULTS
With the goal of ensuring that stable and safe housing opportunities are provided to Veterans directly at various levels of the housing process,
- Conducting landlord engagement and outreach and
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locating housing and resolving issues that may negatively impact housing maintenance
will result in reductions in homelessness and intransience for this population.
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Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, or related degree preferred.
Minimum of two years’ experience in a human services’ setting with homelessness, domestic violence, and veteran populations.
Willingness to learn and apply best practice models as appropriate
Ability to work as a team leader
Excellent verbal and written skills
Knowledge of Excel and Microsoft Office
Must be able to meet agency requirements for the criminal background check.
KEY SKILLS
Thorough knowledge of human service community
Knowledge of Landlord/Tenant Laws and Regulations preferred
Knowledge of the “Housing First Approach”
Demonstrated organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
The physical requirements described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.
The ability to safely operate a motor vehicle to transport oneself, consumers, and program supplies as necessary.
The physical ability to travel to assigned locations, stand, stoop, bend, reach, pull, push, lift, grasp, climb, talk, see, hear and perform basic and light home maintenance activities, and operate office equipment.
Operating office equipment requiring continuous or repetitive hand/arm movements.
The ability to remain in a sitting position for extended periods of time
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.
