Housing Navigator II-Cook County Health

JOB SUMMARY:

Housing Forward, working in collaboration with Cook County Health (CCH), is developing a coordinated response to homelessness and housing crises for CCH patients by providing Housing Navigation services.  Client referrals will originate from CCH and sent to Housing Forward to provide housing triage, referral, placement, and housing identification for 75 people annually.

Each Housing Navigator will work with the Suburban Cook County Continuums of Care (“CoC”), the Statewide Referral Network (SRN), the Flexible Housing Pool, and other networks, to maximize the number of resources made available to CCH clients.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Highly mobile; traveling throughout west, and partial north, Cook County, Cook County Health hospitals (Chicago) and clinics (North Riverside).

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Navigator will provide the following direct client services over the course of the client’s engagement in the Program:

1. Work on and off-site at CCH system locations to partner with healthcare staff to support the homelessness response.
2. Receive real-time referrals of homeless and housing insecure patients for Services from hospital.
3. Provide clients with resources or referrals to supportive temporary, transitional, or emergency housing als, clinics, and Medical Respite Center in Oak Park.
4. Travel throughout the community to meet with referred patients and cultivate housing options.
5. Locate and engage with referred patients, including encouragement to pursue potential housing solutions.
6. Have the capacity to meet needs of various subpopulations including families, transition-aged youth, people with mental illness and behavioral health, reentry from prison and jail.
7. Identify short and long-term housing needs and complete appropriate homelessness prevention, diversion, and other coordinated entry processes.
8. Support patients in resolving the housing crisis through applications for financial assistance, conflict resolution, and/or creating a relocation plan to avoid homelessness.
9. Navigate community resources.
10. Identify and address housing barriers.
11. Advocate for patients with housing providers and other resources.
12. Accompany patients to appointments to obtain housing or other resources including scheduling and providing transportation to units for viewing and lease signing.
13. Determine if referred patients already have services assigned through the CoC or other programming and link with those agencies for continuity of care.
14. Assist with homelessness and/or disability documentation as needed, including coordinating with hospital staff for helpful documentation from healthcare professionals.
15. Provide direct support in obtaining documentation, completion of applications, and other needs that may arise when clients are able to obtain housing in the community.
16. Decide and provide Housing Transition Funds or Homelessness Prevention assistance as available.
17. Track activities and outcomes for monthly reporting.
18. Maintain contact with patients until the patient is deemed housing secure or terminates their engagement in the Program.
19. The Navigator will enter data into CCH-approved client tracking and outcomes reporting systems. This may include access to CCH client systems and/or into a Homeless Management Information Systems database and/or into a vendor-sponsored data system.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Services or related field and 2 or more years’ Supportive Housing Case Management experience. Preference given to candidates with experience applying Homelessness and Supportive Housing concepts and experience applying Harm Reduction and Housing First philosophies.
• Reliable automobile, valid driver’s license, with safe driving record and valid insurance.
• Must have smartphone to utilize Agency communication and collaboration tools.
• This position requires employees in this program to complete Cook County requirements including drug testing, proof of vaccinations including COVID and influenza. Education verification, background check, color vision test.

KEY COMPETENCIES:

• Comfortable engaging homeless or formerly homeless populations.
• Knowledge of the factors that cause homelessness.
• Demonstrates experience and ability to interact sensitively and respectfully with persons with severe disabilities (mental health, substance abuse or other disability condition) and homeless difficulties.
• Demonstrates strong skills in interviewing, engagement, assessment, planning and advocacy.
• Demonstrates common sense, good judgment, and ability to work independently.
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team approach model, taking individual responsibility and autonomy while also working well in roles leading and serving as part of a team.
• Active listening skills.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to provide efficient, quality service to both internal and external customers.
• Solid interpersonal skills along with the ability and willingness to respect and value the differences and perceptions of different groups/individuals.
• Adaptability/flexibility skills and ability to follow up with clients in a timely manner.
• Strong written, organizational, communication and presentation skills. Intermediate computer skills.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is required to sit and stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stretch, stoop, kneel, crouch, and walk up and down stairs.
• The ability to lift 25 lbs.

Housing Forward is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, or disability.

Job descriptions are not intended and should not be construed to be all-inclusive lists of all responsibilities, skills, efforts or working conditions associated with a job. While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the job requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties from particular jobs and to assign other duties as necessary. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.