Housing Navigator

About Us:

Friendship Place is a nonprofit organization, serving the Washington, DC region, empowering individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness to rebuild their lives with the involvement of the community. Friendship Place offers the most effective model for addressing homelessness, with innovative, customized programs that have positive, demonstrable results and a lasting impact on the community and beyond. Our programs are person-centric and individualized to meet the needs and goals of individuals, families, youth/young adults and Veterans experiencing homelessness. We provide outreach, hospitality, health care, case management, housing, job placement services, and advocacy. We have established a national presence and are known for sharing best practices in the field.

Our Core Values:

Friendship Place is a Person – First Organization that believes in promoting transparency, and ethical practices among our team and those we serve. All individuals in our organization are expected to carry out their job tasks in a manner that is consistent with our core values. This includes the following:

1. Excellence and Innovation

2. Finding Ways to Say “Yes”

3. Caring at the Core

4. Agents of Change

5. Support, Empowerment, and Development

6. Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Collaboration

7. Integrity and Accountability

Summary:

The Brooks Program provides short-term housing services to families experiencing homelessness in the District. The building contains 50 units and is located in Northwest DC. The program follows a Housing First model philosophy and utilizes best practices to ensure participants can be transitioned out of short-term family housing to independent housing in within 90 days. The Housing Navigator will assist participants in identifying housing that will allow them to stabilize and transition into permanent housing. The role will seek out and network with landlords to match participants to available housing units, and partner with case managers to ensure timely exits to housing.

Responsibilities:

• Identify housing units consistent with participants’ needs and preferences in a timely manner for participant exits to housing in 90 days or less.
• Recruit and retrain landlords and housing managers who are willing to rent to participants.
• Conduct comprehensive screenings and assess participant needs.
• Assist with participant intakes and support services by clearly explaining program services and eligibility requirements.
• Complete and submit housing applications with participants (ie Rapid Rehousing, Targeted Affordable Housing, Permanent Supportive Housing, Local Rent Supplement Program, etc) thoroughly and completely to ensure successful progress towards housing.
• Review housing inspection paperwork/lease up packets submitted by landlords with attention to detail to ensure accuracy.
• Input participant documentation, assessment data, and case notes into the appropriate systems (HMIS, STEP Tool, CATCH) in a timely manner.
• Work with participants to address barriers to obtain stable housing within 90 days including budgeting, credit repair, and linkages to benefit assistance programs and community resources.
• Partner with case managers to provide participants with necessary health care, mental health/medical treatment, school, daycare and other support systems, and employment opportunities as needed; refer to appropriate service agencies.
• Assist participants in gathering identifying documents needed for housing placement including completing applications and coordinating and communicating as needed with service providers for follow up.
• Provide ongoing supports for participants in meeting housing goals and contacting clients at 30 days and 60 days to ensure stable housing and continuity of services during the transition.
• Prepare and facilitate workshops and seminars for participants on relevant life skills topics to support the success of participants in stable housing (ie budgeting, life skills, household management, tenant rights, etc). Workshops/seminars will be held at least quarterly.
• Attend biweekly Family Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement (F-CAHP) meetings to represent The Brooks and advocate for The Brooks clients to be connected to housing resources as applicable.
• Provide appropriate oversight of participants at the site and enforce program rules.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Background & Qualifications:

• 2 years of college or an Associate degree in any field and three years of experience with homeless services programs or human services is required OR
• Bachelor’s degree in any field and two to four years of experience with homeless services programs or human services, OR
• A Master’s Degree in any field and one to two years of experience homeless services programs or human services
• Experience working within homeless services, as well as with landlords, and an understanding of landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities is preferred
• Strong commitment to mission, organizational core values including racial equity and social justice
• Experience with HMIS data entry preferred
• Strong written and verbal skills
• Strong clinical skills and crisis management skills
• Ability to work in a culturally diverse environment
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Ability to work as a team player
• Demonstrates integrity, tenacity, initiative, and positive attitude

Physical & Environmental Requirements:

Work environment is in a short-term family housing facility (homeless shelter for families), with the expectation that the Housing Navigator will transport residents to appointments (unit viewings, vital documents, etc) in the community as needed by company vehicle.

Background Checks:

The selected candidate will be required to pass a criminal history background check and/or fingerprinting including FBI, drug & alcohol screening, Child & Family Services Child Protective Registry, Sex Offender Registry, TB Testing, Metropolitan Police Clearance and Virginia or Maryland State Police Clearance (if candidate resides in either state).

Direct Reports:

none

Indirect Reports:

none

Specific Requirements:

Must have own transportation to carry out job duties and responsibilities. The vehicle must meet legal requirements (insured, registered, etc.) and the employee must have a valid driver's license.

Other Details:

· Application Deadline: This job is open until filled, or the hiring manager determines that they can no longer accept applications.

· Compensation: The hiring pay range is between $58,117 - $63,506 annually. Depending on the position, the starting hourly pay rate or annual salary is based on a step system. A candidate’s starting pay determination is made based on meeting the basic position requirements, and current completed education, credentials and/or work experience. Please Note: The step system is set and not open to pay negotiation. Before moving forward in the selection process, interested applicants are encouraged to discuss starting pay eligibility with the Human Resources (Talent) Department.

· Benefits: We offer an excellent benefits package including low-cost health insurance, health reimbursement and flexible spending accounts, employer-paid dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, 403B defined contribution plan matching, employee assistance programs, professional development, employee resource groups, 14 paid holidays, 15 days of vacation and 10 days of sick leave during 1st year of employment, and much more! (Benefits are pro-rated for part-time employees).

· COVID-19: Effective September 19, 2021, the District of Columbia (DC) mandates COVID-19 vaccination for government employees, contractors, interns, and grantees. As a DC government contractor, we comply with this mandate by ensuring that all employees are in compliance with being vaccinated or have an approved exemption. If you would like to proceed with completing an employment application, it is with the understanding that Friendship Place complies with the DC COVID-19 vaccine mandate. We appreciate your interest in joining the Friendship Place team.

· Location: The Brooks - 3318 Idaho Ave NW Washington DC 20016

· Interview Process: Phone screening, panel style interview, final interview.

· Website: www.friendshipplace.org

Diversity & Equal Opportunity Statement:

Friendship Place is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our team and want to involve all those who can contribute to our inclusive culture. We support all qualified individuals within our workforce without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, personal appearance, familial status, family responsibilities, political affiliations, matriculation, credit, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

How to Apply:

Interested applicants should apply via the organizational website unless otherwise directed. All of our current career openings can be found by visiting: https://friendshipplace.org/who-we-are/careers/.