Housing Support Specialist

C

CATCH, Inc.

Housing Support Specialist

Boise, ID
Full Time
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    Who is CATCH?

    Every Family. Every Person. A Home. A deep belief that everyone deserves stable and permanent housing is at the core of our culture. We end homelessness for families in Idaho’s Treasure Valley by inspiring stable housing, financial independence, and resilience. Each year, we co-create a new story for over 220 people, using a Housing First philosophy.

    The Housing Support Specialist serves those experiencing literal homelessness in Ada County. The Housing Support Specialist works with individuals and families experiencing homelessness by performing housing assessments, as well as working with complex cases on a short-term basis, and de-escalating highly emotional situations.

    It is the policy of CATCH to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race (including hairstyle/texture), color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. CATCH prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.

    CATCH is committed to valuing diverse experiences and encourages individuals with personal experiences to apply. Your lived experience can be regarded as equally important as professional work experience in our organization. A “lived expert” is someone who has direct, personal experience with the issues our organization addresses, such as overcoming challenges related to mental health, addiction, experiencing homelessness, or the carceral system. This valuable insight comes from firsthand involvement rather than formal training, and it brings a unique and important perspective to our work.

    Responsibilities

    • Interview participants and determine program/ resource eligibility.
    • Enter required data into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
    • Assist the Client Support Specialist in operating the Housing Crisis Hotline by returning calls, offering resources, and deescalating situations as necessary. Additionally, manage the front desk and address walk-in traffic, which constitutes 10%-15% of the role.
    • Assist clients with complex cases on a very short-term basis to manage their housing crisis, including making referrals to the appropriate community partners or resources.
    • Support the inreach team lead to collect paperwork for The Linda Fund, maintain files, and conduct housing inspections of potential units. This includes using your own transportation to visit move-in sites and interacting with landlords to secure housing opportunities as needed.
    • Report to the Inreach Team Lead
    • Refer clients to community resources and other organizations, as needed.
    • Develop a working understanding of Rapid Re-housing models, Housing First, Trauma Informed Care, Strengthening Families, Progressive Engagement, and Motivational Interviewing; consistently demonstrates knowledge and understanding of models through all aspects of client care.
    • Work with committees to continue Housing Crisis Hotline work .
    • Be the most collaborative person in every room, continuously building a deeper relationship with referral sources, community partners, and other service providers.
    • Attend staff meetings and trainings.
    • Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

    Qualifications (Preferred Skills and Experience)

    • A sincere passion for ending homelessness (Housing First programming a plus).
    • Demonstrated knowledge of fair housing laws and practices.
    • Understanding of challenges experienced by people experiencing homelessness and willingness to help house vulnerable participants.
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
    • Strong problem solving and conflict resolution skills with a solution-oriented approach.
    • Fluency with Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, database management, and other organizational competencies.
    • Must be able to drive or transport themselves to conduct housing inspection.
    • Strongly Preferred: Fluent in English and Spanish.
    • Preferred: Social work experience.

    What We Are Offering

    • An opportunity to be a leader in growing an innovative and much-needed program.
    • Work with a team that prides itself on its people-first culture, strategic alignment, and adoption of evidence-based practices.
    • Competitive benefits package
    • Starting at $22/hr DOE