Housing Specialist

Position Summary:

Under the authority of the Administrator, Housing and Homeless Services, the incumbent is responsible for supporting efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing to people experiencing homelessness in Allegheny County. The incumbent will be responsible for working with internal and external partners to ensure the effective and efficient use of affordable housing resources. The incumbent will coordinate and manage a number of housing initiatives currently in place (including 500 in 500, the Local Lead Agency program, and homeless preferences) and will work with DHS staff to develop other innovative approaches to expand housing available to people experiencing homelessness. The incumbent must be able to manage diverse groups of people and organizations working on a common project, with many projects of this type happening at the same time. DHS has a responsibility to remain operating at the highest standard of client service and alignment with best practices within the system.

Duties:

• Supports DHS in improving access to affordable housing resources in the county and develop new resources by working closely with the DHS leadership team on targeted initiatives.
• Creates and implements processes to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and administrative data within DHS to identify bottlenecks, trends and challenges to connecting clients quickly and efficiently to housing.
• Communicates with contracted homeless service providers about their referrals for housing choice vouchers, units within the CoC, and other affordable housing to ensure that clients have access to these housing resources; helps to problem solve at the provider level.
• Collaborates with DHS staff, DHS contracted homeless service providers and other stakeholders to assess and identify areas of system weakness and areas for improvement.
• Assists in new program design for affordable housing, identify areas in need of further development, and develop methods of implementation.
• Provides proxy representation of the Administrator, Housing and Homeless Services at meetings and community events.
• Performs related duties/special projects as requested by the Administrator, Housing and Homeless Services.

Knowledge of:

• Homelessness, affordable housing and HUD rules and regulations and national best practices in implementing them.
• Fair housing and local zoning laws.
• Housing authority rules, regulations, and policies and how they are implemented locally.
• PA Housing Finance Agency rules, regulations, and policies.
• Data driven approaches to decision making.
• Quality improvement strategies.

Skills:

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Use of data for quality improvement
• Program management
• Understanding processes and workflows

Ability to:

• Keep track of client referrals and ensuring successful outcomes of each.
• Research and evaluate best practices.
• Analyze, evaluate, and interpret data.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Problem solve and demonstrate attention to detail.
• Coordinate and manage a diverse group of organizations and people working on a common project.

Residency: Allegheny County within 1 year.

Veterans' Preference: Will be awarded to eligible candidates.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $55,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Flexible spending account
• Loan forgiveness

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Work Location: In person

Salary : $55,000 - $65,000