Housing Specialist - Philadelphia, United States - The Attic Youth Center

Description

Job Title:
Housing Specialist


Reports to:
Director of Community Engagement


FLSA Status:
Full-time Exempt


Direct Reports:
None


Last Revised:
March 6, 2024


Job Summary:

The Housing Specialist is responsible for using a developmentally appropriate strengths-based approach to engage in partnership with youth to assess, plan, implement, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the options and services needed to meet their health and human service needs while helping to maintain a supportive and respectful environment for all youth that present for an intake, and/or participate in case management services.

The assessment is to be used to gather information, prioritize needs, and identify barriers through General Case Management, Housing Navigation, and Diversion Case Management (DHS involved and at-risk youth and families).

The Housing Specialist will work collaboratively with Clinical and Program Staff to link youth with clinical and supportive services inside and outside of The Attic, maintaining ongoing follow-up with youth about benefits of services and changing needs.

A primary focus of case management at The Attic will be on Homelessness Prevention and Remediation, assessing each youth for housing insecurity and homelessness from the initial intake and creating individualized support plans that promote independence and self-sufficiency.

The Housing Specialist is a full-time exempt position.


Duties and Responsibilities:
Intake / General Assessments

• Assist in Identifying new youth in the space and review prescreening assessments for severity to determine timeline for completion of full assessment and immediacy of referral needs.
• Assist with linking new youth with case managers to schedule a meeting with all newly prescreened youth by the youth's third visit, to provide a more thorough assessment.
• Assist with completing full needs assessment for all existing youth who have not yet completed a full assessment as a backup to case managers.
• Act upon a youth's critical needs appropriately and immediately.
• Orient youth to The Attic's programs and services.
• Assure that basic safety, nutrition, and hygiene needs are being met; support youth with items as needed from agency's food cupboard, clothing closet, and toiletry supplies.
• Identify the type of case management that best addresses youth's presenting situation and needs.
• Link to internal supportive services, and monitoring of progress for youth with no initial housing concerns or crisis.

Case Planning

• Maintain case load of youth with housingspecific needs, including youth assessed to be primarily lowneed or shortterm crisis.
• Coordinate grant funded financial support for qualified youth attaining housing.
• Develop a comprehensive youthdriven plan with both shortterm and longterm goals and keep the plan up to date and relevant about housing.
• Empower youth and young adults to become involved in their own planning and goal setting.
• Complete a timeline and measures for each goal.
• Monitor progress towards goals in meetings with youth, Attic staff, and referral sites in the community.
• Refer and link youth with safe and appropriate resources to assist them with meeting goals.
• Coordinate and support in the delivery of services to youth within The Attic through collaboration and referrals to the program specialists (health and wellness, Ed/Voc, job developer/coach, housing support specialist) and the counseling department.
• Coordinate and support in the delivery of services to youth outside of The Attic through collaboration and referrals to community agencies, services, resources, and supports.
• Work with youth and young adults to develop and strengthen their support systems and the development of permanent connections.
• Facilitate the youth's attainment of all legal identification documentation needed for the acquisition of community support and services.
• Maintain contact, followup, advocacy, and support of youth faced with housing insecurity and homelessness by tracking information in citywide database, and participation in housing and youth homelessness committee meetings.

Record Keeping and Reporting

• Report critical incidents immediately to your supervisor.
• Maintain client files to include notes regarding contacts and conversations with youth and collaborative persons or entities, progress towards goals and documentation of any incidents relative to youth navigating services, or which impacts the youth's life.
• Collect data necessary to meet funding requirements and statistical reports from various funders; work with supervisor to develop internal process that is most efficient in reporting qualitative and quantitative data, and least disruptive to work.
• Complete documentation and reports in a timely manner as per specific program service requirements and protocols.
• Input data in corresponding databases on a consistent and timely basis as required.

General Responsibilities:

• Work with Clinical and