Housing Navigator - Mercy House Living Centers

Schedule: Tuesday-Saturday

• Tuesday: 10:30am-7:00pm
• Wednesday: 9:00am-5:30pm
• Thursday: 7:00am-3:30pm
• Friday: 8:00am-4:30pm
• Saturday: 8:00am-4:30pm

Introduction:

The Housing Solutions Navigator is tasked with assessing ongoing needs, creating tailored housing plans, providing support, making referrals, and advocating for individuals at Mercy House Shelters. This role demands building strong, supportive relationships with residents to help them become more self-sufficient. Accurate record-keeping is a crucial aspect of this position.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Services or a related field, with at least one year of experience working with homeless individuals and mental health issues. Candidates with less formal education but at least two years of direct experience working with long-term homeless or low-income populations, and a good understanding of mental health and recovery, are also encouraged to apply.
• Must demonstrate a high level of tolerance and understanding for individuals with urgent, complex case management and health needs
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
• Ability to maintain a positive, professional, and safe environment
• Ability to build and sustain effective working relationships
• A valid driver's license, a reliable personal vehicle, and proof of auto insurance
• Expectation of adjusting hours for evenings and weekends based on the needs of the Shelter or as directed by the Supervisor/Program Manager

Duties and Responsibilities:

I. Service Delivery:

• Manage a caseload of 22-30 individuals, meeting with them as needed or directed by your supervisor
• Perform assessments for clients within seven days of their entry into the shelter
• Verify eligibility and enter assessments into the Central Entry System (CES) for prioritization and housing linkage
• Assist clients in obtaining necessary documentation for housing, such as ID cards, birth certificates, and income verification
• Provide information, referrals, crisis intervention, and help with permanent housing placement
• Conduct thorough screenings and assessments to gather information on clients' functional, environmental, financial, employment, housing, educational, and health needs to develop an Individual Service Plan with both short-term and long-term goals
• Participate in all stages of client service, including assessment, service planning, engagement, and delivery
• Link clients to employment opportunities, benefits, community providers for substance abuse, primary and mental health care, and other services needed to achieve their housing goals
• Implement harm reduction strategies and client-centered approaches to maintain housing stability
• Offer crisis intervention to enhance clients' independence and self-management
• Employ Trauma Informed Care and Motivational Interviewing techniques in client interactions
• Provide strengths-based case management and service coordination to help clients secure and maintain stable housing
• Conduct crisis and risk assessments in consultation with the supervisor and case management team
• Facilitate smooth transitions from the shelter to housing by ensuring a warm handoff to housing providers
• Collaborate with community support providers, outreach teams, health care networks, housing authorities, landlords, social workers, leasing teams and coordinate with the Coordinated Entry system
• Attend trainings to enhance skills in areas such as co-occurring disorders, harm reduction, and cultural competence
• Assist with housing searches, complete housing applications, request reasonable accommodations if needed, and ensure safe and ready living environments
• Accurately input data into HMIS and update client progress snapshots

II. Team/Staff Relations

• Collaborate effectively with Mercy House staff and volunteers to support the agency's mission and core values
• Participate in regular internal and external agency meetings
• Contribute to planning and developing resident programs within a team setting
• Thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment with adaptability, reliability, empathy, and effective communication skills with diverse populations

III. Administrative:

• Maintain accurate and current documentation for all clients, including housing plans, case notes, and assessments
• Assist with data collection systems and ensure deadlines are met
• Be open to learning about Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Treatments
• Utilize computers and relevant software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) and any specific systems related to the position
• Respond promptly to calls and emails
• Manage tasks independently and prioritize workload efficiently
• Physical requirements include occasional lifting of up to 25 lbs. (e.g., handling donated items) and prolonged periods of desk work and computer use
• Perform other duties or projects as assigned

IV. Knowledge Of:

• Confidentiality and legal and ethical issues related to case management
• Effective documentation practices and guidelines

Mercy House must reserve the right to modify, supplement, rescind, or revise all job descriptions to meet the overall needs of Mercy House except as to any language that establishes that the employment relationship is at the will of either the staff member or Mercy House.