Housing Advocate -Bilingual in Spanish, French or Portuguese

Description
Having trouble completing your application? For support, please call (206) 461-8430 or by e-mail to nhjobs@nhwa.org.
Bilingual ability preferred in Spanish, Portuguese, or French with English skills sufficient to communicate and prepare documents in English.
Closing Date: Until Filled
Agency Overview
At Neighborhood House (NH), our vision is a healthy, diverse, and welcoming community, free of poverty and racism, where all people thrive. We serve over 16,000 individuals in Seattle/South King County in the areas of early learning, youth development, citizenship, employment, health, housing, resource navigation, and aging adults. In addition to direct services, we use our experience and deep connection to our communities to advocate for equitable access to services, and policy changes that advance equity for all.
When one of us succeeds, we all succeed!
Neighborhood House is on a mission to becoming a multi-cultural, anti-racist agency. We are achieving this by sharing power, listening to and learning from each other and our communities, and working to repair past inequities. We are building a culture where equity is the foundation, inclusiveness is the default, and access for marginalized communities is the norm.
Our Agency Values include Community, Equity, Integrity, Relationships, and Sustainability. More information about our Agency Values can be found here.
Click here for more details about our benefits program.
Job Summary
The Housing Advocate has the primary responsibility to secure and stabilize housing for community members experiencing homelessness, or housing instability. These services include, but are not limited to: housing relocation, eviction prevention, housing search, landlord liaison activities, financial coaching, and housing counseling. This position will work closely with the Housing Stability Manager to implement new housing and employment strategies aimed at linking housing case management and employment services with the goal of making progress toward living-wage employment and housing stability. NH HS Case Mangers work in diverse communities where the majority of clients may have Limited English Proficiency.
Responsibilities

• Conduct strengths-based assessment of housing placement barriers, and work in partnership with clients to develop plans for obtaining and maintaining permanent housing.
• Work closely with clients to address and resolve financial barriers to housing stability such as credit repair, debt reduction and other financial services.
• Work in partnership with clients and Employment Specialists to develop strategies and short- and long-term goals for obtaining and maintaining employment.
• Provide support to Housing Stability team for housing search and landlord communication.
• Provide advocacy-based case-management to clients to support forward progress on goals aligned with their individualized Self-Sufficiency Action plans.
• Conduct financial coaching sessions with clients that includes helping them to understand housing requirements, create and adhere to budgets and build other skills needed for independent living.
• Conduct exit coaching activities and retention services for clients upon their completion of the program.
• Evaluate and assess level of financial and other support for clients on a regular basis to determine level of interventions.
• Whenever necessary, facilitate and conduct housing search with each client per individual needs, including attending site visits, assisting with application completion, sharing landlord connections.
• Assess for need and provide rental, utility or move-in assistance which may include inspection of housing units for HUD habitability standards..
• Outreach, collaborate, build and maintain relationships with landlords, housing programs and other community agencies.
• In collaboration with the Housing Locators, research, develop and maintain knowledge of landlord/tenant laws, support client adherence to these laws, and assist in addressing landlord compliance issues.
• Assist in enrolling clients into public benefits such as Basic Food, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) through Washington Connection, and medical benefits through WA Healthfinder.
• Maintain knowledge of King County resources and provide appropriate referrals to address barriers to stable housing and employment, i.e: medical, mental health, chemical dependency, domestic violence, education, immigration, children's issues.
• Coordinate services with other NH staff, including employment case managers, for complementary services or in a co-case management model.
• Participate in clinical case reviews, training, and case consultations.
• Track participant activities and ensure timely and accurate collection of program data as outlined by management team.
• Collect and input client data into Clarity Homeless Management Information System database and Apricot.
• Assist team members with ongoing continuous quality improvement to enhance program operations, including problem solving, helping to develop program systems or procedures, or participating in team workgroups.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications

• A.A. degree in Human Services, Social Work or a related field. Relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of degree.
• Two to four years experience working in social work, employment or human services. Case management experience preferred.
• Ability to read and write in Spanish and/or demonstrate experience working with clients who speak English as a second language.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a culturally diverse workplace dedicated to equity and inclusion.
• Ability to complete trainings and assist clients in applying for public benefits including Basic Food, TANF, and Medical.
• Strong communications skills: listening, oral and written and positive, problem-solving.
• Ability to work under limited supervision and considerable self-direction.
• Team player who is resourceful, proactive, and comfortable working with diverse populations.
• Demonstrated ability to perform job duties within the context of complex regulations and definitions and to complete extensive technical documentation.
• Ability to excel in highly visible, highly public settings.
• Computer literacy, including MS Office.
• Proven organizational skills, attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks, including the ability to work on multiple projects.
• Willingness to comply with established agency policies and performance standards, which may include productivity/personal responsibility, client/customer services, teamwork, and maintaining a professional demeanor.
• Must have reliable, independent transportation for frequent travel to client homes and between sites.

Desired Qualifications

• B.A. degree in Human Services, Social Work, Education, or a related field.
• Bilingual ability preferred in Spanish, Portuguese, or French

Required Credentials

• Must pass Neighborhood House background check requirements.
• Position requires Washington State bi-annual criminal background re-check.

Post-Hire on-the-job Training Requirements

• Current First Aid Certificate within 30 days of hire.
• Current CPR Certificate within 30 days of hire.
• Sexual Harassment Training within 30 days of hire.
• Child Abuse and Neglect training (within 2 weeks of hire).
• Family Development Certification (must be obtained within 90 days of employment and maintain certification current during employment)

Employment Practice
Neighborhood House is committed to diversity and to equal opportunity employment. As an equal opportunity employer, we support and follow federal, state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Neighborhood House does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, color, creed, religion, caste, disability, national origin, marital status, mental or physical ability including HIV status, height, weight, veteran status, military obligations, sexual orientation and expression of gender identity, or any other classification protected by law. Management and HR staff are committed to ensuring that all personnel decisions that affect employees, clients, volunteers, and board members are made in accordance with the equal employment opportunity principles of nondiscrimination.
For more information
Inquiries may be directed to Human Resources at (206) 461-8430 or by e-mail to nhjobs@nhwa.org.