The GBV Housing Specialist supports clients with housing search and placement, and case-management services through a trauma-informed approach. The specialist also provides crisis response, basic needs assistance, safety planning, emotional support, and transitional housing services. The position focuses on assisting survivor households experiencing homelessness to rapidly re-housed in permanent housing with transitional housing and supportive services to promote long term housing stability.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
· Respond to crisis calls by providing support, safety planning, information, and referrals to resources.
· Assess eligibility for permanent housing stabilization whether via diversion, eviction prevention, or rapid-rehousing, and provide resources and referrals for community programs that provide this support, if available.
· Provide services and referrals intended to address significant barriers to housing stability - e.g. health services, employment and/or educational supports, and work to remediate specific rental barriers such as poor credit and past housing debt, negotiating debt reduction with creditors and prior landlords as needed.
· Utilize available referral resources to identify and access meaningful permanent housing opportunities, and work to develop positive relationships with landlords and property managers to create pathways to housing.
· Help clients tour neighborhoods and properties, connect with landlords, and complete and submit housing applications.
· Provide the services and referrals for financial assistance necessary for clients to apply for and move into housing (e.g. ID’s, landlord application fees, security deposit, first month rent, furnishings, etc.) and facilitate lease completion.
· Provide to clients (either directly or by referral) essential furnishings and items for household set up and assist with transitioning supports to more geographically convenient community resources, if needed.
· Provide clients with basic tenant education concerning rights and duties of tenants and landlords, as well as assistance to learn their specific lease provisions and tenancy rules.
· Once housed, continue to provide case management focused on safety and housing stability on a progressive engagement basis.
· Provide regular advocacy services including phone screenings of potential clients and conduct in-person intake interviews to assess and meet client’s immediate basic needs (e.g. for safety, food, shelter, hygiene, health, transportation, etc.), and to examine safety and housing histories, barriers and strengths. This includes ‘mobile advocacy’ services by meeting with and accompanying clients to a variety of locations such as housing opportunities, the DSHS, court houses, health facilities, and meetings with other social service providers.
· Provide trauma-informed case management utilizing motivational interviewing and strength-based techniques to assist clients in developing individualized safety and housing stability plans as needed.
· Work closely with the ASC GBV staff on all matters related to clients’ safety goals and objectives and work cooperatively with other ASC programs.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS/SKILLS
· Bachelor’s degree in human services, social work, or related field, REQUIRED
· Experience providing social services to persons experiencing housing instability and homelessness with previous work in housing search and placement, landlord/tenant negotiation, or other relevant negotiation/mediation experience highly desired.
· Experience and/or education in the field of GBV or other gender-based violence, including 20 hours of GBV education per WAC 388-61A-0350 in the first year of hire.
· Experience in networking and advocating with other agencies on behalf of traumatized adults and children experiencing housing instability and homelessness
· Experience, ability, and willingness to communicate with and value staff and clients from a diverse range of racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds and with various language capabilities, religious beliefs, lifestyles, sexual orientations and identities, age variance, and abilities.
· Ability to understand and articulate how institutionalized racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism and other oppressions have led to profound inequities in all major indicators of success and wellness, including access to educational, employment, health, and housing opportunities.
· Experience working with culturally diverse populations, primarily African American and Hispanic women
· Desire to empower families from diverse cultures and backgrounds and to work with multi-ethnic survivors
· Demonstrated knowledge of contributing factors to gender based violence among African American and other survivors of color, and best practices in addressing their needs to bring about equitable outcomes
· Experience working with communities of color and people from different cultures than your own.
· Good verbal and written skills in English
· Available for some evening and weekend hours
· Must meet screening requirements, which include a Criminal Background check and State Child Abuse Registry clearance
· Washington State driver's license and insurance is required upon employment; must be able to travel independently between multiple work sites within a day
WORKING CONDITIONS
· Work Hours: Between 9:00 am and 5.00 pm, Monday through Friday. (Some evenings as needed)
· Ability to lift 30 pounds
· Position requires driving your own vehicle whenever necessary to meet program needs. A valid Washington State driver’s license and proof of insurance is required.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $23.00 per hour
Expected hours: No more than 40 per week
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Day shift
- Evening shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekends as needed
Experience:
- Case management: 1 year (Preferred)
Ability to Commute:
Ability to Relocate:
- Seattle, WA: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person