Job Board

Position: Housing Specialist – Rapid Re-Housing
Location: Santa Clara County
Reports to: Program Manager
Status: Full Time, Non-Exempt
Compensation: $24.64-27.85

AGENCY SUMMARY:
Established in 1980, with 40+ years of experience, we are the premier Silicon Valley provider of homelessness services. We believe that everyone has the potential to get housed and stay housed.

We relentlessly focus on eliminating barriers to housing and creating stability for everyone we serve. HomeFirst Services serves more than 6,000 adults, veterans, families, and young adults each year at multiple locations from Gilroy to Menlo Park – all of Santa Clara County as well as southern San Mateo County.

Services include:
Benefits of joining the HomeFirst Team:
HomeFirst Services is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. Additionally, HomeFirst Services participates in the E-Verify program, as required by law.

HomeFirst Services is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know:

 Homelessness prevention
 Emergency and cold-weather shelters
 Comprehensive Veterans’ services
 Rapid Re-Housing programs
 Bridge Housing Communities
 Emergency Interim Housing
 Affordable permanent housing
 Permanent Supportive Housing
 Street-based outreach
 Professional growth opportunities within
the organization
 100% medical coverage for employees
with an opportunity to add dependents
for a shared cost
 401k match up to 4%
 12 observed holidays
 PTO accrual begins with 120 hours
annually and increases with tenure
 4 hours of Community Engagement PTO
provided annually
 Access to our Emergency Assistance
Program (EAP) services

 Pet insurance options available

ROLE SUMMARY:
The Housing Specialist meets with our program participants and assists them in locating, securing, and
maintaining permanent housing in the community. They play a key role in representing agency and program
participant interests to landlords, developing strong working relationships with property managers and
owners. To this end, the Housing Specialist participates in our collective effort to end and prevent
homelessness.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Knowledge and Experience, General
 1 year paid or volunteer experience in social work or related human services
o May be substituted by 2 years of customer service experience, and lived experience with
homelessness

 Proficient in Microsoft Office suite
 Valid CA driver’s license and insurance, and reliable transportation

QUALITIES:
The Housing Specialist is passionate about serving others and sees themself in a helping profession long
term. They have a knack for winning people over through their strong persuasive abilities, and balance their
natural creativity with nuts and bolts problem solving.

They manage their time well and demonstrate strong organizational abilities. With the support of program
leadership, the Housing Specialist participates in our culture of learning and increases their knowledge of
evidence-based practices over the course of their employment. Together, we model the values and principles
of HomeFirst within the agency and broader community.

HomeFirst is a diverse company in a diverse field, and the Housing Specialist seeks to work with people from
a variety of social and economic backgrounds. They are a highly collaborative member of our participant
services team and enjoy a team-oriented work environment.

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
 Maintain a caseload of 20-30 participants in active housing search.
 Provide comprehensive Housing Specialist services. This may include:
o Landlord outreach and support
o Housing search
o Application assistance
o Advocacy
o Housing mediation
o Financial assistance administration
o Crisis de-escalation
o Risk assessment and mandated reporting
o Connection to community resources, i.e. eviction prevention
o Other direct service provision
 Meet with participants at a frequency and location determined by their needs.
 Engage in the consistent application of evidence-based practices.
 Support internal case management and program support specialist activities as needed. This may
include:
o Street-based or community outreach efforts
o Conducting joint participant meetings

o Workshop coordination
 Participate in case conferencing and collaborative care coordination.
 Maintain compliance with contract, agency, and licensing requirements.
 Achieve identified program and position deliverables.
 Adhere to task completion deadlines.
 Maintain thorough and accurate documentation of participant services in accordance with agency and
contractual standards.
 Attend all job-related meetings, including program staff meetings and agency-wide meetings.
 Participate in opportunities for learning and skill maintenance/development.
 Utilize supervision appropriately, maintaining open lines of communication and providing updates on
activity.
 Assist with other duties as assigned