What are the responsibilities and job description for the Housing Navigator position at The Wellspring Alliance for Family?
Job Purpose: Serves as a liaison with local and rural land lords and property managers. Conducts outreach in Ouachita and surrounding rural parishes to ensure that adequate, affordable housing options are available. It also provides for collaboration and communication among community partners to ensure at-risk and homeless individuals and families receive appropriate services.
Experience and Knowledge
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree required.
- Experience in marketing, public speaking and community education
- Knowledge of Community Resources
- Flexibility to work non-traditional business hours
- Professional experience in structured group facilitation skills
- Building landlord relationships
- Building relationships with developers
- Computer experience: Word Processing, Data Base(s), Spread Sheets
Skills and Abilities
- Knowledge of current social and economic problems and the way these problems affect families and individuals
- Ability to analyze, interpret or make decisions based on varying facts or circumstances
- Sensitive to the needs of people and able to carry a variety of leadership roles
- Ability to assess situations both within and outside the client system and determine priorities
- Ability to develop and maintain professional relationships with individuals from various cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships with other agency professionals and to be cooperative in handling referrals
- Ability to identify and use community resources
- Maintains poise and self control even under extreme stress and unexpected crises
- Appropriately assertive even in difficult situations
- Effective in planning and arranging work responsibilities
- Assumes responsibility for own learning and the commitment to continued professional growth
- Ability to work within the purpose, structure and constraints of the Agency and to make suggestions for change in a responsible manner
- Handles delicate situations tactfully
- Professional and responsible about all aspects of work and makes good use of time
- Verbal, written and technological communications skills, including the ability to record with clarity and promptness
- Must have excellent interpersonal skills and be receptive to new ideas
- Understands tenant/landlord rights and responsibilities
- Understands landlord interest and the rental market
- Computer skills with broad knowledge of databases
- Organizational and planning skills
- Ability to maintain confidentiality
- Ability to work under pressure and deadlines
Core Values of Staff
- Service: I act with a servant’s heart to contribute meaningfully to the wellbeing of others.
- Teamwork: I willingly help my teammates.
- Respect: I recognize the dignity, worth and importance of others.
- Open-hearted: I am kind, caring and compassionate.
- iNtegrity: I am honest and ethical in all that I do.
- Growth: I embrace challenges and change with a positive attitude.
Job Related Training Courses Programs
- Orientation
- On-going in-service with local, state, regional and national workshops, conferences.
Principal Duties & Responsibilities
- Delivers services by
- Researching, analyze, and interpret data to ensure that adequate, affordable housing options are available
- Establishing and developing a collaborative relationship with local VA facilities
- Building community partnerships
- Conducting outreach to identify low-income veteran families
- Planning and developing educational offerings of available services
- Influence community attitudes and practices by
- Compiling and analyzing information to identify current attitudes and practices
- Advocating for positive change within communities in regards to homelessness
- Assures quality services and program efficiency and effectiveness by
- Complying with appropriate program standards and guidelines
- Maintaining community partnerships to ensure appropriate service linkages
- Contributes to team efforts by
- Communicating effectively
- Exhibiting a willingness to help other staff
- Demonstrating flexibility and accommodating change
- Encouraging and supporting others
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Interfaces with allied community professionals and potential clients to market programs by
- Networking with professionals to ensure an understanding of program services available,
- Maintaining a harmonious working relationship with collaborative and advisory groups and other related service agencies through amenable and cooperative contacts.
- Maintains professional competency by
- Participating in continued education and personal growth experiences;
- Reviewing professional publications
- Establishing personal networks; and
- Participating in professional societies
- Promotes a positive image of the agency and markets programs by
- Ensuring an understanding of program services available
- Publicizing activities and accomplishments; and
- Conducting oneself according to a professional code of ethics
- Maintains database by
- Accessing, inputting and retrieving information daily to computer.
- Monitoring files for deficiencies.
- Following prescribed procedures; and
- Tracking outstanding records and information
- Performs other duties as related to the position and as assigned
- Work non-traditional hours and/or alternate schedule during special projects or to meet agency deadlines
