“Every person deserves compassion, dignity, and the safety of a place to call home.”
Homelessness is the largest social and public health crisis in California. Illumination Health + Home (IH+H) is a growing non-profit organization dedicated towards disrupting the cycle of homelessness by providing targeted, interdisciplinary services in our recuperative care centers, emergency shelters, housing services and children's and family programs. IH+H currently has 13+ facilities with 22+ micro-communities scattered across Orange County, Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.
Job Description
The role of a Housing Retention Specialist is a professional who assists individuals or families experiencing homelessness, concentrating on delivering support and case management services to facilitate the maintenance of their housing once secured. This role involves addressing potential barriers such as financial management, landlord communication, and access to essential community resources, with the aim of preventing housing instability and a return to homelessness. Essentially, the HRS acts as a committed advocate, ensuring long-term housing stability for clients. The pay range for this position is
$23.00 - $26.00
per hour, depending on experience. Hours are Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm
Responsibilities
- Carries a maximum caseload of 30-35
- Network and collaborate with relevant internal and external personnel as it pertains to promoting retention outcomes
- Advocate for and connect clients to resources that will assist the client in achieving stabilization and housing retention. This includes warm hand-offs to agencies who can assist clients with financial benefits, mental health, substance abuse, hygiene, shelters, medical treatment, legal advocacy, etc.
- Attend Interdisciplinary Care Team meetings when scheduled and provide updates to health care networks on mutual clients and Cal Aim programs.
- Coordinate, prepare and maintain required charting and documentation in a timely and thorough manner.
- Maintain client records according to HIPAA and adhere to all client confidentiality requirements and standards.
- Complete training and development opportunities as determined appropriate by the supervisor.
- Acts in an ethical manner reflecting core values of integrity, transparency, accountability, respect and responsibility.
- Must accept personal responsibility and accountability for performance of duties.
- Conduct comprehensive assessments to identify housing barriers and needs of clients.
- Regularly monitor client progress and adjust as needed.
- Act as a liaison between clients and landlords to address concerns and potential conflicts.
- Advocate for clients in lease disputes, negotiating payment plans or other accommodations when necessary.
- Provide training on essential life skills like tenant rights, household maintenance, and conflict resolution.
- Connect clients with community resources for additional support, including mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and employment opportunities.
- The Housing Retention Specialist is required to collaborate effectively with other members of the client's care team to ensure that all client needs are adequately addressed.
Preferred Experience/Minimum Qualifications
Required:
- High School Diploma or equivalent.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive)
- Case management/housing navigation experience dealing with homeless populations or similar fields.
- Customer and client relation skills.
- Valid CA Driver’s License and eligibility for company vehicle insurance.
- Possession of a personal vehicle is required.
Preferred:
- Bilingual in English and Spanish.
- Bachelor’s Degree
Benefits
- Medical Insurance funded up to 91% by Illumination Foundation (Kaiser and Blue Shield), depending on the plan
- Dental and Vision Insurance
- Life, AD&D and LTD Insurance funded 100% by Illumination Foundation
- Employee Assistance Program
- Professional Development Reimbursement
- 401K with Company Matching
- 10 days vacation PTO/year
- 6 days sick PTO/year
- 10 days holiday PTO/year
- Potential eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSFL) for federally qualified loans
