Housing Support Specialist

The Housing Support Specialist works with individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and those living on low-incomes to find and maintain safe and appropriate housing in north Durham Region. The Housing Support Specialist provides housing stabilization services through referrals to community resources and connection to government and non-profit programs; assists households to maintain their current tenancies and assists people who are currently homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to secure transitional to permanent housing.
**Requirements**:

- Social Services Worker or Social Work diploma or an equivalent combination of education and experience
- Member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) considered a strong asset
- Minimum of 3 years recent experience in the area of housing placement and or social work
- Experience working within a non-profit and/or social services environment
- Experience providing support services to individuals facing challenges surrounding their homelessness, including, but not limited to; mental health, family violence and/or addictions
- Strong knowledge of needs, experiences and community services for the homeless population
- Knowledge and understanding of social housing, the _Residential Tenancy Act _and eviction prevention strategies
- Experience working with at-risk or homeless individuals
- Knowledge of current housing market and trends, vacancy rates, and rental prices
- Ability and experience assessing client needs, and ability to assist clients to develop strategies for achieving their goals while problem-solving barriers
- Well-developed interpersonal, and relationship building skills; as well as ability to establish rapport and excellent communication (written and oral) with clients, team members, and Executive Director
- Experience and ability to appropriately respond to crisis situations; combined with strong de-escalation, conflict resolution and problem solving skills
- Ability to work effectively within a team setting
- Driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle required with a minimum of $2M liability insurance
- Ability to work sensitively and effectively with people from various life situations and cultural backgrounds
- Demonstrated excellent administrative and organizational skills; strong computer skills, specifically Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint is an asset
- Previous experience using and data entry into HIFIS is an asset
- A current police vulnerable sector check is required

Job Duties

Housing Support and Homelessness Prevention
- Intake of clients on a walk-in and appointment basis
- Meet with clients and landlords in the community
- Advocate on a client’s behalf with OW, ODSP, other social agencies, local shelters
- Assist clients in finding permanent or temporary housing (i.e. referrals to shelters)
- Advocate/negotiate/mediate with landlord on client’s behalf
- Provide information on the _Residential Tenancies Act_, Rental Tribunal process and the eviction process
- Accompany clients to the Landlord Tenant Board hearings if required
- Connect clients to resources in other cities when they are preparing to relocate
- Complete housing searches for clients who require housing

Client Services, Case Management and Documentation
- Ensure services & treatment are delivered from a strength based framework and customized to meet individualized needs of clients
- Provide crisis intervention linkages, referrals through consultation to ensure client support and housing stabilization
- Foster and maintain ongoing relationships with clients, service providers, and identified resources
- Maintain up-to-date case notes, progress reports and client files with clear rationale for methods and intervention used, and statistical documentation in accordance with the program requirements
- Complete and maintain accurate statistical and narrative reports on all clients
- Maintain a system to track and report all performance indicators for North House programs
- Ensure that all client data is entered accurately and in a timely manner into the HIFIS database
- Maintain client files with all relevant information required by the program guidelines

Community Relations and Outreach
- Attend all team meetings and participate as a full member of the team
- Represent North House on community committees and in community meetings as required
- Follow the policies and procedures to ensure that all services are consistent with North House’s mission and mandate
- Liaise with community partners by:

- informing community agencies about North House and its programs
- facilitating referrals and meetings with agencies
- advocating for low-income households
- obtaining community support for non-traditional initiatives and programs
- attending and participating in community planning events and activities

Work Conditions
- Interacts with clients, staff, visitors and staff from other o