Housing Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Description :

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOM

As a national leader in housing assistance programs, HOM, Inc. is dedicated to building communities where the promise of home is a reality for everyone because we believe individuals, families, and communities are safer, healthier, and stronger when everyone has a home.

Whether ending homelessness through housing assistance, guiding new landlords and property owners through the financial benefits of our programs, or advocating among local leaders for increased funding and supportive services, our HOM team engages in meaningful work that advances our mission of ending homelessness in Arizona through housing.

Honored as a Top 100 Companies to Work for in Arizona, HOM provides opportunities to make an impact, alongside generous pay, benefits, work / life balance, and PTO, among many other great perks.

If you’re passionate about making a difference in our communities, there’s no place like HOM.

If you would describe yourself as diligent, thorough, serious, situationally task -or people-oriented, and accurate we want to talk to you about joining the HOM team as a Housing Specialist .

The Housing Specialists manage a caseload of approximately 225 - 250 participants in various supportive housing programs that are funded by state, federal and local units of government or other agencies.

Housing Specialists are responsible for the management of each participant’s entire participation in the housing program, including the initial admission and move-in, interim and annual certifications, unit transfers, and program termination.

The Housing Specialist is a non-exempt position.

Primary Job Responsibilities

Program Duties

• Coordinate, prepare, and conduct housing program orientations / intakes for new participants in a clear and concise manner to ensure participants understand the housing program they have been referred to.
• Maintain constant communication with customers, including program participants, clinical teams, landlords and other community stakeholders via telephone, e-mail, in person and utilizing housing software platform notes section.
• Outreach & educate property owners / landlords and assist with the negotiations of contract rents & lease terms on behalf of program participants.
• Evaluate & verify program participant income, assets, expenses in accordance with HUD regulations and specific program guidelines / regulations / practices.
• Accurately calculate program participant rent (total tenant payment) and HAP payments.
• Assist applicants and program participants with dwelling unit search utilizing the HOM Padmission app.
• Process Request for Tenancy Approval (RFTA).
• Review Rent Reasonableness for accuracy / validity at initial submission of RFTA .
• Calculate utility allowances.
• Determine unit gross rent eligibility.
• Coordinate and work closely with inter-departmental teams involving housing program processes including Housing Quality Standards (HQS) Inspections, housing location assistance for hard to house participants, and owner relations and verifications.
• Prepare Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Contracts or Rental Assistance Agreements (RAA).
• Conduct interim & annual re-certifications.
• Coordinate and process unit transfers for program participants.
• Schedule, attend and participate in case conference meetings with the supportive services and case management teams regarding housing stability issues the program participant may be experiencing.
• Advocacy for program participants in the community.
• Process and submit participant program terminations to HOM partners for final determination.
• Create & maintain paper participant files in full compliance with HOM policies and processes. Ensure the files are maintained in an audit ready manner.
• Perform extensive data entry in housing software platform for program participants, dwelling units, landlords, and other housing program related information.
• Access participant personal proprietary information utilizing various secure computer databases, including the HUD EIV system, the Department of Economic Security AZTECS and GUIDE systems, tenant screening web sites, etc.
• Adhere to HOM’s privacy policies.

Requirements : Essential Skills :

Essential Skills :

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 applications including SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, Planner, Outlook, Word, Excel, etc.
• Strong organizational skills with aptitude for project management and multitasking to manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced working environment.
• Knowledgeable of AZ Residential Landlord & Tenant Act.
• Ability to work closely and consistently with homeless and / or disabled households with an emphasis on de-escalation and respectful communication.

Ability to handle participant outbursts and problem solve with angry or frustrated participants.

• Demonstrated high level of skill with interpersonal relationships and communication.
• Strong sense of ownership of work processes and outcomes.
• Excellent people skills and the proven ability to work well with a wide range of personalities, both internally and externally.
• Ability to think strategically and tactically to accomplish goals.
• Ability to manage change while working as part of a team.
• Problem solver with the ability to adapt to unexpected challenges.
• Willingness to truly work in a team environment which values assisting each other, mentorship and common good.

Other Skills and Requirements :

• Team Member will have unrestricted access to sensitive information that may include PII and PHI, which requires adherence to HOM Security and Privacy Policies.
• Team Member may use or disclose PII or PHI through the course of their Financial, and Human Resources duties listed above.

All use and disclosure are subject to procedures outlined in Section 1.10 of the HOM Privacy Policies.

• Demonstration of performance and attributes contained within the four (4) focus areas of HOM Inc.’s Competency Model : Emotional Intelligence, Expertise, Ethics, and Excellence.
• As part of providing a dynamic environment where everyone can be their best, we participate in the Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment and use PI tools to strengthen our performance.

All team members will take the PI assessment and participate in trainings and implementation around this tool.

• Willingness to invest in personal professional development, including learning new skills, reading reference materials or professional development books / articles / periodicals, and other professional development activities.
• Current Arizona Driver’s License.
• Current Automobile Insurance.
• Willingness to perform duties as needed or as assigned.

Education and Training :

• Understanding and commitment to Housing First principles in ending homelessness.
• Minimum of (5) five years’ experience in the assisted housing industry, property management, homeless services, project management, or other similar setting.
• Industry certifications of Section 8 or Public Housing Occupancy or ability to obtain within (1) one year of hire.
• High School Diploma or GED Equivalent.
• Associates and / or bachelor’s degree Preferred.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US

Taking care of people is central to our work, which is why we offer highly competitive pay and a comprehensive and generous benefits program.

HEALTH

Offering excellent medical, dental, and vision benefits, HOM also provides employee assistance programs for physical and mental well-being.

WELLNESS

Because this is challenging work, HOM is committed to providing monthly chair massages, employee wellness program events and challenges, blood drives, and more.

SAVINGS

In addition to competitive pay, save for retirement with employer matching and opportunities for financial planning. Other insurance benefits include life, disability, and accident insurance, and more.

BALANCE

Ensuring a healthy balance between work and life is important. Because individual needs for time away from work are diverse, we offer generous paid time off (PTO), including 13 paid National holidays.

At HOM, we’re not afraid of hard work, or a good time! To keep our team strong and connected, our employee-driven Culture Committee strives to provide engaging opportunities all year round.

Successful candidates will be required to complete a short behavioral and cognitive assessment prior to advancing to an interview.

Drug Free Workplace :

HOM, Inc. is a Drug Free Workplace where post offer applicants and employees are subject to testing for drugs and alcohol when criteria is met as outlined in our policies

Equal Opportunity Employer :

HOM, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability / vets. HOM, Inc. is dedicated to the principles of equal employment opportunity.

We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees on the basis of age 40 and over, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or any other applicable status protected by state or local law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings or apply for a job on this site as a result of your disability.

You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting the Business Operations at [email protected].

https : / / www.hominc.com / wp - content / uploads / EEO -Policy-Statement-2023.pdf