Family Housing Case Manager: Bringing Families Home
Housing Families First gives families facing homelessness the opportunity to build a legacy for their families by providing a path to a permanent home. The goal is not only to assist families in finding permanent housing, but also to ensure that each family has access to the supportive services necessary to maintain school engagement and stable housing in the long run. The Bringing Families Home program works with highly mobile, unstably housed students and their families to help them identify and move into permanent housing. Key partners of the Bringing Families Home program include three public school systems and their McKinney-Vento Offices, a federally-funded grant program to ensure that children and youth experiencing homelessness have full and equal access to an appropriate public education and experience. Additional referral partners also support the program.
General Description: The Family Housing Case Manager-Bringing Families Home performs a full range of housing-focused, client-centered case management services for students and their households experiencing homelessness as defined by the Department of Education, so that they can achieve housing stability. The Family Housing Case Manager primarily provides community intakes, case management, community-based housing stabilization services, and discharge planning for households referred to Bringing Families Home. This position reports to the Program Director, with some additional day-to-day site supervision by the Bringing Families Home Manager.
Duties include but are not limited to the following:
• Serves as contact for referrals from designated partners.
• Establishes supportive, respectful, trusting relationships with students and family members experiencing homelessness, including those who may also have severe and persistent mental illnesses, trauma, and co-occurring substance use disorders.
• Remains culturally sensitive to the educational, social, psychological, and healthcare needs.
• Partners with designated school system staff members and other partners to engage client families and promote connectivity to services and permanent housing options.
• Conducts comprehensive in-depth assessments utilizing the intake eligibility, assessment, and housing barrier tools.
• Partners with participants to prepare and implement individualized housing stabilization goals and plans while assisting participants to obtain ID, birth certificate, social security cards, and relative housing narrative supporting documentation.
• Determines appropriateness of financial assistance funds to facilitate leases and move-ins and recommends amounts.
• Carries a caseload of 20 families.
• Coaches on housing skills such as rent and utility budgeting, basic apartment rental upkeep and energy saving techniques, lease compliance education, appropriate landlord maintenance requests, and landlord-tenant rights.
• Coordinates creative use of mainstream benefits and formal and informal community-based services, vocational rehabilitation and other employment services to support participants’ long-term housing stability.
• Works collaboratively with other agencies, funders, and stakeholders.
• Uses technology, including the Homeward Community Information System database, and hard copy documents to maintain, update, report and audit on case files, data, goal attainment, and outcomes in a timely manner.
• Occasionally drive students and their families to leasing appointments in agency vehicle.
• Other duties as assigned.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
• Bachelor’s degree required. Social Work/Human Services field desired or equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities. Certified Housing Counselor is a plus. Fluent in Spanish and English a plus.
• Strong knowledge of the complexity of homelessness, including mental illness, trauma, substance abuse, aging, domestic violence, and chronic health issues, as well as the systemic policies that negatively impact educational and housing opportunities for low-income and multi-ethnic communities.
• Ability to work in a multi-agency team, as well as independently, with minimal supervision.
• Experience and comfort working with individuals with serious mental illness in a trauma-informed manner; ability to appropriately and professionally process and manage residual trauma.
• Impeccable judgement, ability to comply with grant regulations, and a very strong detail orientation a must.
• Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills; proven ability to communicate clearly and concisely, in a culturally competent manner with diverse audiences (families, education specialists, landlords, coworkers, partners).
• Ability to use a computer for database management, to establish and maintain case records, and to facilitate data collection; must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to maintain professional ethics and confidentiality of client information.
• Knowledge of FERPA and HIPPA compliance standards is a plus.
• Background Check clearance required; valid Virginia Driver’s License and acceptable driving record.
Read more about the Bringing Families Home Case Manager position and apply HERE.
Diversion Specialist
The role of the Diversion Specialist is to facilitate calls on the Housing Crisis Line to assist those who are within three days of losing housing or experiencing homelessness access safe alternatives to shelter or access shelter through the shelter referral system. It includes answering incoming calls in a client-centered, trauma-informed, solution-focused manner and providing access to housing-focused strategies that reduce the likelihood the caller will become homeless.
This position works in partnership with the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC), local service providers, government partners, and funders to provide a comprehensive regional approach that aligns seamlessly with the Coordinated Entry System.
Hours: 40 per week Classification: Exempt
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES may include, but are not limited to the functions listed below.
- Conducts initial screening of callers to assess appropriate service suggestions and facilitates setting appointments for referrals and/or services.
- Responds to client calls by assessing the level of danger for domestic and sexual violence, mental health, substance abuse, and homeless issues and offers referral resources.
- Facilitates and provides housing-focused diversion and mediation services for households experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness.
- Ensures the collection of required service utilization, demographic, and outcome data and enter the needed data in the Homeward Community Information System (HCIS).
- Builds strong, strategic relationships with community partners.
- Participates in case conferencing, as directed by the HCL Coordinator.
QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required. Flexibility in work hours and computer knowledge are important.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
- Minimum Associate’s degree in a relevant social services field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience in homeless services and/or domestic and sexual violence field preferred.
- Knowledge of community resources and referral networks, and the capacity to identify and develop relationships with new sources and services as they become available.
- Knowledge of computer and office equipment, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS:
- Outstanding communication skills, using appropriate language (verbal and written).
- Ability to articulate and demonstrate a clear understanding of homelessness dynamics and interventions.
- Ability to manage a crisis phone line while maintaining empathic listening and compassionate response skills.
- Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; as well as provide effective response while in a demanding situation.
- Ability to maintain personal and professional boundaries as well as represent the interests of the HCL.
- Exemplification of excellence and performance that reflects the philosophy of vision of the HCL.
- Detail-oriented and strong organizational skills, with the capacity to develop and manage systems that ensure accurate and timely follow-up as well as documentation.
- Knowledge of computer and office equipment, including Microsoft Office.
- Considerable knowledge of community resources and referral networks, and the capacity to identify and develop relationships with new sources and services as they become available.
- Successful completion of criminal background and credit checks.
*This position is currently remote but may be subject to change in the future. Applicant must be located in the Richmond, Virginia area.
Read more about the Diversion Specialist position and apply HERE.