Campus Pride Jobs

The Housing Navigator role consists of a combination of services with the goal of assisting community clients and families living with HIV/AIDS by providing information, resources, and referrals towards obtaining and maintaining housing stability using a harm reduction and client-centered approach. The position is a liaison for clients utilizing a customer service client support system in a medium to high volume setting. This Housing Navigator position will primarily answer calls and respond to voicemails from community clients and service providers, collaborate with internal and external partners via email/messaging, and follow up with referrals through the client database and external ticketing systems.

The Housing Navigator will interact with clients to conduct housing needs assessments, provide crisis prevention and intervention services, and initiate referrals to the appropriate housing services to unstably housed and homeless clients and families. As part of the Systems Change Team, this position will work to form strong relationships with landlords and other housing providers to increase resources and create referral pipelines to assist low-income clients and families to improve their access to HIV/AIDS treatment and other related supportive services.

The salary for this position is $50,000-$52,000

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct Service

• Answer and respond to incoming calls, voicemails, emails, and walk-ins directed to Housing

• Identify clients' reason for call or visit and complete a Housing Screening and Referral assessment if indicated

• Direct active program clients to the appropriate program staff

• Assess clients' housing needs and services eligibility

• Ensure participants calling for housing needs receive full follow up, including but not limited to screening for services, needs assessment, and referral to appropriate resources inside and outside of AFC

• Follow program scripts that inform clients of Housing Navigation Program protocols and processes with ability to go off scripts if client is demonstrating crisis

• Resolve client inquiries, issues, and complaints by reviewing clients' file to determine the appropriate pathway, including but not limited to providing updates, recommendations, solutions, and/or connections to appropriate program or staff

• Utilize intervention skills in situations when a client becomes escalated

• Provide crisis prevention and intervention services to unstably housed and homeless community clients and families

• Link community clients to appropriate housing related resources and wrap around services, including but not limited to mainstream housing resources (non-AFC), financial counseling, case management, harm reduction services, behavioral health services, and legal aid

Program Support

• Collaborate with team members to ensure housing services referrals are addressed within the standard customer services time frame

• Meet with client walk-ins needing immediate housing services

• Respond to voicemails, and emails using programmatic time frames

• Develop familiarity with housing related resources and available housing types in the community to inform or link clients

• Coordinate services cross teams and with other service providers to ensure wrap around services and leverage support for Housing Navigation Program services

• Advocate for clients with landlords and providers as needed

• Ensure clients are appropriately assessed to be active on the AFC HOPWA subsidy waitlist for permanent placement

• Provide housing location services and initial housing placement for program participants approved for a subsidy through AFC's HOPWA Housing Programs

• Develop strong relationships with private, for profit, and not-for-profit landlords in order to facilitate client placement

• Provide tenancy support such as tenant education and income maintenance options;

• Serve as a housing resource for HIV case managers throughout the Chicago Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA)

• Assist with program administration and meeting facilitation of the Housing Navigation Program

Quality Assurance/Data Entry

• Monitor call/voicemail/email volume and caseload size to maximize capacity within the system

• Manage referral dashboards and review agency responsiveness to incoming referrals

• Identify and fix data errors in the client database

• Document all client and client-related services in client database

• Track calls via the Housing Screening and Referral dashboard

• Ensure notes are entered in the specified places in the call and assessment process, including on the call form, with each program referral, and a Housing Screening and Referral summary

• Assist in data pulls and analysis, including but not limited to quality management, HOPWA Waitlist candidates, and program performance

• Participate in administrative/programmatic review of subcontracted sites at least annually

Other

• Attend and actively participate in required departmental, committee, and staff meetings

• Assist with agency-wide activities as directed, including Annual Meeting, AIDS Run & Walk, and others

• Maintain and update job knowledge by participating in training and educational opportunities, reading professional publications, and participating in professional organizations

• Protect organization's value and manage risk by keeping information confidential

• Perform other duties as assigned

The list of essential functions, as outlined herein, is intended to be representative of the tasks performed within this classification. It is not necessarily descriptive of any one position in this class. The omission of an essential function does not preclude management from assignment of duties not listed herein if such functions are a logical assignment to the position.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

None

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma and 3 or more years of Human Services experience

• 1 or more years of experience using basic Microsoft Office functionality (for example, Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint)

• Bilingual (Spanish-English)

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social services or related field and 1 or more years of Human Services experience

• 1 or more years experience using a client-level database

• 1 or more years of HIV-specific service experience

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Customer Service Orientation

• Interpersonal Skills

• Phone and Verbal Communication

• Active Listening

• Written Communication

• Prioritization

• Critical Thinking

• Attention to Detail

• Time Management

• Homeless Populations

• Basic Knowledge of HIV/AIDS

• Database Experience

REQUIRED CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

N/A

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work environment is representative of that found in a general office environment. Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (up to 10 pounds.) Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation and on the telephone.

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT:

AIDS Foundation of Chicago does not discriminate against employees or clients on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy and childbirth), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, citizenship status, military service and/or veteran status, marital status, order of protection status, handicap, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), housing status, or use of social service/support services, genetic information, use or nonuse of lawful products off AFC premises during nonworking hours, credit history, arrest record, criminal history ordered expunged, sealed or impounded or any other characteristic protected by Federal or State law. A non-discrimination clause concerning employment opportunity is incorporated in the Employee Policy and Procedure Manual. AIDS Foundation of Chicago will make reasonable accommodation in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.