Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) is looking to hire a full-time (37.5 hours weekly) Homelessness Prevention & Mitigation Case Manager.
The primary goal of the Case Manager is to help no-, low- and -moderate income Boston individuals and families avoid homelessness or find and retain suitable affordable apartments in the Boston area, with a special focus to perform trauma informed case-management of fire and other emergency victim or other households newly experiencing a crisis situation which has left them suddenly or recently homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. NOAH is responsible for responding to requests from throughout the City of Boston. The Case Manager will be working on these activities 100% of his/her time. The position reports to the Director of Administration.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Place homeless households in hotels, as appropriate; coordinate and monitor such stays.
- Meet client placed in hotel at hotel at least once per week
- Educate Bostonians who are newly homeless or at risk of homelessness in the housing search and application processes
- Assist clients in searching for, screening, and applying for new apartment homes; and enrolling in CHAMP and other government-assisted housing opportunities, etc.
Additional Responsibilities (Case Managers will be cross-trained in all activities):
- Assist clients in completing and submitting financial assistance applications, tracking through to the award process
- Follow all City of Boston/OHS/Mayor’s Office of Housing contract protocols
- Help program clients avoid homelessness via eviction prevention, helping those wishing to remain in their apartments to do so
- Assist emergency/crisis victims find both temporary and permanent housing; Place homeless clients in hotels for short-term stays; Process applications for housing resettlement grants and flex funding assistance grants (including eviction prevention, move-in costs and other related needs)
- Assist Boston Office of Housing Stability staff off-site to help emergency victims, if/as needed
- Work with EHAP clients, initiating necessary paperwork and assisting them with filling out intake forms and housing applications; interviewing them to determine need and screening them to ensure that clients meet the City income guidelines; draft a joint Action Plan and/or Work Plan (follow-up can include counseling, budgeting, housing search, eligibility screening, referrals, assistance getting legal or social services, applications, placement, etc.)
- Maintain confidential files for each client and keep all databases updated daily, including Salesforce
- Follow up with cases over time to determine case outcomes and ongoing need, including clients in stabilization
- Keep a full and accurate record of persons/families seeking assistance; make detailed case notes; and record and date each client interaction and result for the file; enter all client data into the Salesforce (or Clarity or CounselorMax, if required) online system
- Work with local realtors, brokers, housing authorities, homeowners/landlords and search online to locate suitable units for persons and families
- Search social media, online, and local and city newspapers for apartment-for-rent ads
- Consult with NOAH’s Property Management to determine if any NOAH apartments might be available, including any for homeless populations
- Assist persons/families to negotiate with prospective or current landlords
- Draft timely and accurate reports for submission to OHS, adhering to all deadlines
- Maintain systems for housing search and placement
- Build and maintain a database of landlords with units and contact information (including email addresses and phone numbers)
- Provide tenants’ rights and Fair Housing information and advocate for tenants with their landlords; helping report violations to appropriate authorities, including ISD
- Perform benefits screening, budget and income-maximization counseling; update client resource package and distribute to all clients
- Maintain all client data and files and perform and meet all program requirements as required by funder and HUD
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Reliable writing, filing, database management and reporting abilities
- College degree preferred; social work or related degree preferred
- Ability to speak and write English fluently; Spanish and/or Haitian Creole a plus
- Good ‘people skills’ and an enthusiastic ‘can-do’ attitude
- Willingness to work diligently on behalf of diverse low- and low-moderate income persons and families
- Entrepreneurial attitude and cooperative spirit
- Professional behavior exhibited at all times
- Cultural competency; able to work with diverse clientele
- Consistently demonstrate empathy and respect for all clientele and coworkers
- Highly organized and able to manage multiple tasks and projects
- HUD Counseling Certificate or ability to study for, take and pass HUD counseling certification exam and obtain certificate within first six months of start date
- Knowledge of rental housing counseling field and/or of various local, state and federal rental assistance programs preferred
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $60,000.00 - $66,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
Language:
Ability to Commute:
- East Boston, MA 02128 (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in East Boston, MA 02128