Housing Navigator

Job Title: Housing Navigator

Location: SAMMinistries (location will vary)

Reports to: Street Outreach Program Manager

FLSA Status: Exempt

Approved By: Vice President of Programs

Approved Date: January 2024

SUMMARY

The Housing Navigator (HN) works closely with individuals who are homeless and seeking guidance about accessing relevant services in the community. The HN will help individuals experiencing homelessness understand housing options and processes, assist with completion of Coordinated Entry assessments, help keep individuals active in HomeLink, and other relevant services sought out by the unsheltered population. The HN will engage individuals who walk into SAMMinistries' locations seeking assistance and will also connect with individuals who have been contacted by community street outreach workers or other providers but may have lost contact or may need ongoing contact and services unavailable through other organizations. The HN will be required to complete SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) certification within 30 days of their start date. The position calls for strong communication skills, a professional yet engaging demeanor with the ability to effectively manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Engagement with clients can be in an office setting or in encampments and places otherwise frequented by individuals experiencing homelessness.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following reflects SAMMinistries’ definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. SAMMinistries may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

• Answer telephone inquiries and provide information to callers seeking assistance with services offered by the homeless response system.
• Connect with and engage clients and conduct assessments needed to enroll families or individuals into the Coordinated Entry System for homeless services.
• Connect clients to mental health, medical care, substance abuse treatment and crisis intervention as needed.
• Communicate assessments, interventions, and ongoing client contact through timely, thorough record keeping, contact forms, and verbal communication.
• Actively engage with clients on active caseload to ensure they are connected to resources that address problems underlying the current/recent experience of homelessness.
• Complete interviews with individuals to gather information needed to complete SSI/SSDI applications.
• Gather medical records and other information to complete SSI/SSDI applications.
• Write SOAR Medical Summary Reports for individual applications.
• Accompany individuals to appointments at the Social Security Administration.
• Coordinate visits to medical doctors, psychiatrists, and other specialists to obtain evidence for the application.
• Coordinate case management services with partners and help with providing case management services to individuals when needed.
• Provide transportation assistance for participants to access needed services. This can be in personal vehicle.
• Accurate, complete, and timely data entry for all contact with clients into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
• Attend all mandatory departmental meetings and/or training as assigned by supervisor, clinical team and SAMMinistries’ leadership.
• Facilitate cohesive working relationships with other homeless service provider organizations.
• Acquire knowledge and develop expertise in the area of homelessness and the community resources to assist this population.
• Demonstrate proficiency in using the HMIS database.
• Demonstrate and engage in practices that are culturally competent and demonstrate the ability to work with diverse populations and backgrounds.
• Must be able to prioritize multiple job responsibilities to produce a high volume of work in a short period of time.
• Must possess excellent interpersonal skills and be able to work with project participants, agency staff, and community partners productively.
• Understand and maintain client confidentiality and record-keeping, in accordance with HUD, SAMMinistries’, and HIPAA privacy practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• None

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in social work or related field.
• Minimum two years of experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness preferred, or a minimum of two years’ experience working with vulnerable populations in a closely related field.
• Must understand and use approaches and models that are aligned with SAMMinistries’ existing programmatic offerings including, but not limited to, Housing First, Client Centered Care and Trauma Informed Care.
• Experience with principles and approaches of Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, and de-escalation techniques.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred. Ability to read and interpret documents including safety rules, operating and procedural guides, and professional training material. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally, both in writing and verbally.

COMPUTER SKILLS

Ability to operate and work effectively in Microsoft Office programs and to complete required data entry in electronic database systems daily.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Must be sensitive to the dynamics associated with homelessness and at-risk populations.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

A valid Texas Driver’s License, a reliable motor vehicle and liability insurance. Successful completion of SOAR certification within the first thirty (30) days of hire. Successful completion of Trauma Informed Care,

Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing and Housing First training within sixty (60) days of hire.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, stoop, talk, hear, reach above and below shoulders; use hand and finger dexterity, keyboarding and making and receiving telephone calls. Working outdoors is required during system wide inclement weather response. The employee may be required on occasion to lift and or carry up to 20 lbs. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The employee may be in contact with individuals and families in crisis who may be ill, using alcohol and drugs, and who may not be attentive to basic personal hygiene, health, and safety practices. The employee may experience unpleasant sensory demands associated with the client’s use of alcohol and drugs, and lack of personal hygiene. The employee must be ready to respond quickly and effectively to many types of situations, including crisis situations and potentially hostile situations. The noise level in the work environment varies given the different settings client engagement occurs. May be required to work flexible hours to include evenings and weekends.

EEO

SAMMinistries provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ethnicity, age, or disability. In addition to federal law requirements, SAMMinistries complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the organization has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.