Job Information
Pine Street Inn Housing Resource Specialist in Boston, Massachusetts
Housing Resource Specialist
Department: Housing Placement
Office: 434 Harrison Avenue
Location: Boston, MA
Position Type: Administrative
Hours/Shift: Morning - First Shift
Employee Type:: Regular Full-time
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SCHEDULE: 40 hours, Monday - Friday 10am - 6:30pm
Pays $23.48 per hour DOE
This position carries a retention bonus of $4000.00, payable in instalments of: $1,000 at 6 months, $1,000 at 9 months, and $2,000 at 12 months.
LOCATION : 363 Albany Street, Boston MA 02118
JOB DESCRIPTION:
JOB DESCRIPTION:
SUMMARY OF THE POSITION:
The Housing Resource Specialist is responsible for providing housing placement services at the Yawkey House shelter. The HRS will be assigned to the Yawkey House shelter where they will work with a caseload of female identifying guests to help them move from shelter into housing. The Housing Resource Specialist exhibits excellent customer service and possesses a sense of initiative, is self-directed, works well with groups, has a good sense of humor, and is knowledgeable about housing resources in the Boston area. The Housing Resource Specialist is able to research and access new housing opportunities and is regularly updating all resource materials for guests and staff. The Housing Resource Specialist is able to discern which guests are able to manage housing searches independently and which guests need more hands on help. The Housing Resource Specialist may also be asked to work out of our Rapid Engagement Center as needed.
The Housing Resource Specialist will work under tight timeframes to accurately enter guest information into the Pine Street Inn-s approved Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Attention to detail, organization, and accuracy is critical in this position.
REQUIREMENTS:
QUALIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION/TRAINING:
REQUIRED:
Bachelor-s Degree or minimum of 2 years of experience working with homeless population toward housing
PREFERRED:
Bachelor-s Degree in Social Work, or related field of study
Bi-Lingual Spanish or Haitian-Creole
KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:
REQUIRED:
Minimum of two (2) years of experience working with people facing homelessness, mental health issues, trauma and substance abuse issues
Knowledge of housing resources in and around the Boston area
Ability to use internet, social media, and other research tools to identify resources and housing opportunities
Fluent in 2010 MS Office Suite, applications (Word, Excel, etc.), email, and internet browsers
Experience in maintaining confidential records and information
Experience in prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Experience working in a team-oriented environment
Superior organizational and written communications skills and demonstrated project management experience
PHYSICAL ABILITIES/SKILLS:
REQUIRED:
Ability to sit for long periods of time
Ability to access different building locations and program sites
requires stooping, bending, and stretching
Ability to use a computer for email, word processing and spreadsheets; and other office equipment (fax, copier etc.) as needed
Ability to respond quickly and calmly in emergency situations
MENTAL ABILITIES/SKILLS :
REQUIRED:
Superior attention to detail
Ability to adapt to changing goals and priorities
Must be able to perform a wide variety of difficult tasks at the same time
Ability to work effectively under pressure
Ability to take initiative
Must be self-directed
Demonstrated commitment to Pine Street Inn-s mission, positive approach to change, promoting best development practices
Highly developed organizational skills and excellent oral communication and interpersonal skills are essential
Must be able to take direction well
Works proactively to keep up with program innovations and new administrative technologies
Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced, goal-oriented team environment
Enthusiasm, positive sense of humor and can do attitude
Must be able to work with diverse constituencies in a stressful environment
Ability to work independently as needed and also function as a member of a team
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
Responsible for helping the Housing Placement team meet housing placement goals and reducing length of stay for shelter guests
Responsible for gathering and disseminating resources regularly to guests and staff; provides connections to internal PSI housing resources
Proactively engages shelter guests around housing
Meets with guests daily to provide resources and assist with housing applications and obtaining necessary documents for housing applications (ie; IDs, birth certificates, verification of homelessness, etc)
Enters data into Clarity and city wide HMIS system
Maintains files for guests served, tracking all referrals and housing applications
Makes referrals to appropriate resources as needed (ie; benefits applications, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, etc)
Available to attend housing related appointments with guests as appropriate
Uses motivational interviewing skills to help guests move through stages of change to take action steps toward housing and accept reasonable housing placements
Identifies internal and external barriers to housing pathways for guests expressing repeated reluctance to engage in housing process, and suggests solutions to supervisor
INTERNAL CANDIDATES, IF INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION, PLEASE SUBMIT A PROMOTION/TRANSFER APPLICATION TO THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WITHIN 10 DAYS OF POSTING.
Pine Street Inn is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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