Rapid Rehousing Coordinator

ABOUT CARPENTER’S SHELTER:

Since 1988, Carpenter’s Shelter has met the immediate needs of people experiencing homelessness in the City of Alexandria. Through the operation of emergency shelter, day shelter, and winter shelter as well as rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing programs, Carpenter’s Shelter identifies housing solutions and supports sustainable independence for more than 1,000 individuals and families each year.

Title: Rapid Rehousing Coordinator

Reports to: Senior Director of Programs

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The Rapid Rehousing Coordinator provides day-to-day program leadership and coordination for Carpenter’s Shelter’s Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program. The Coordinator is responsible for ensuring households receive timely, housing-focused services designed to help them obtain permanent housing and maintain housing stability in accordance with Housing First principles.

The Rapid Rehousing Coordinator oversees program implementation, staff performance, participant flow, housing placement activities, documentation, data quality, grant compliance, program expenditures, and achievement of established performance outcomes. The Coordinator maintains current knowledge of the contracts, grants, regulations, policies, procedures, and funding requirements governing the RRH program and ensures these requirements are incorporated into daily program practice.

The Coordinator works closely with Case Managers, Housing Search/Landlord Engagement staff, Finance, Data/Quality Assurance, shelter programs, community partners, landlords, and the Senior Director of Programs to reduce barriers to housing and support timely transitions to permanent housing.

The Coordinator provides leadership to ensure consistent implementation of Housing First, low-barrier, harm-reduction, client-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approaches and ensures services are provided in accordance with Carpenter’s Shelter’s mission and SEED Values.

The Coordinator also ensures that RRH assistance remains individualized, flexible, and focused on resolving the immediate housing crisis; participant choice and self-determination are respected; and services are not used as unnecessary preconditions for housing or financial assistance except where specifically required by an applicable funding source.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Coordination & Implementation

• Provide day-to-day leadership and coordination of Carpenter’s Shelter’s Rapid Rehousing program.
• Ensure RRH services are implemented consistently with Housing First, low-barrier, harm-reduction, client-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed practices.
• Coordinate participant flow from referral and enrollment through housing search, lease-up, stabilization, and successful program exit.
• Ensure households are promptly connected to assigned Case Management and Housing Search/Landlord Engagement services and that services remain focused on resolving barriers to permanent housing.
• Monitor program capacity, referrals, enrollments, households searching for housing, households housed, and program exits to support appropriate utilization of available resources.
• Identify operational barriers affecting enrollment, housing placement, service delivery, or housing stability and develop timely solutions in collaboration with program staff and the Senior Director of Programs.
• Develop, implement, and monitor program workflows, procedures, tools, and internal systems that promote consistent and effective service delivery.
• Participate in annual program planning and establish program goals, priorities, and performance objectives in collaboration with the Senior Director of Programs.
• Develop and implement improvement strategies when program performance is below established expectations.
• Coordinate with the City of Alexandria’s Coordinated Entry System and other designated referral processes to support timely referrals, eligibility review, enrollment, case conferencing, and appropriate movement through the local homeless-response system.
• Ensure the level and duration of RRH financial assistance and services are individualized and adjusted, within funding requirements, based on each household’s strengths, needs, housing barriers, and progress toward housing stability rather than applying a one-size-fits-all service package.

Staff Leadership, Supervision & Development

• Provide direct supervision, coaching, and support to assigned Rapid Rehousing staff.
• Conduct regularly scheduled one-on-one supervision meetings, performance evaluations, and professional development activities with direct reports.
• Establish clear expectations for caseload management, participant engagement, housing-focused services, documentation, communication, follow-through, and accountability.
• Review caseloads and housing progress with staff regularly to identify barriers, prioritize households requiring additional intervention, and maintain momentum toward permanent housing.
• Facilitate regular RRH team meetings, case conferencing, and coordination between Case Management and Housing Search/Landlord Engagement functions.
• Ensure staff receive required onboarding, grant-specific training, HMIS training, and ongoing professional development.
• Address staff performance concerns promptly and collaborate with the Senior Director of Programs and Human Resources when additional coaching, performance management, or corrective action is needed.
• Promote a collaborative, accountable, solution-focused workplace culture consistent with Carpenter’s Shelter’s SEED Values.
• Coach staff on housing-focused case management, progressive engagement, participation choice, landlord communication, housing barrier resolution, and strategies for helping households sustain housing after time-limited RRH assistance ends.

Housing Placement & Stabilization

• Ensure households receive individualized, housing-focused services designed to rapidly identify and secure safe and appropriate permanent housing.
• Monitor progress toward housing goals and established timelines from program enrollment through housing placement.
• Support staff in addressing complex housing barriers, including income limitations, rental history, credit, previous evictions, criminal history, documentation barriers, and other challenges affecting housing access.
• Coordinate with Housing Search/Landlord Engagement staff to expand housing opportunities and strengthen relationships with landlords and property managers.
• Monitor housing search activities and landlord engagement efforts to ensure households receive active assistance locating available units.
• Promote appropriate use of financial assistance and supportive services to help households obtain and maintain housing.
• Ensure households receive appropriate housing stabilization services following placement, including connections to community resources, benefits, employment, behavioral health, healthcare, and other supports when needed.
• Support staff in developing appropriate transition and exit plans as households move toward independence from RRH assistance.
• Promote coordination with shelter programs and other referring partners to support timely transitions from homelessness to permanent housing.

Grant, Regulatory & Policy Compliance

• Maintain current working knowledge of the contracts, grants, regulations, funding requirements, agency policies, standard operating procedures, and other requirements governing the Rapid Rehousing program.
• Review applicable grant agreements, contracts, program guidance, policies, procedures, monitoring guidance, and funding requirements and remain informed of changes affecting program eligibility, documentation, financial assistance, or service delivery.
• Translate grant, contractual, regulatory, and agency requirements into clear program procedures and staff expectations.
• Ensure RRH staff understand and consistently follow applicable program policies, eligibility requirements, documentation standards, allowable-cost requirements, and funding restrictions.
• Monitor compliance with participant eligibility, enrollment, reassessment/recertification, financial assistance, rental assistance, case management, documentation, and other applicable program requirements.
• Identify potential compliance concerns and promptly communicate them to the Senior Director of Programs and other appropriate leadership.
• Develop and implement corrective actions when compliance or documentation deficiencies are identified.
• Participate in grant monitoring, audits, file reviews, corrective action activities, and other compliance reviews.
• Ensure requested documentation for monitoring and audits is accurate, complete, organized, and submitted within established deadlines.
• Identify when program policies or procedures need to be developed, clarified, or revised based on changes in funding requirements, monitoring findings, or program operations.

Program Performance, HMIS & Quality Assurance

• Monitor program performance against established agency, contract, and grant goals, including enrollment, housing placement, time from enrollment to housing, exits to permanent housing, housing stability, participant engagement, and other established performance indicators.
• Maintain routine program dashboards, caseload reports, or other management tools to track progress toward established goals.
• Review program data regularly and use findings to identify trends, service gaps, barriers, and opportunities for program improvement.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and complete documentation in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and other required program records.
• Ensure staff are appropriately trained and supported in HMIS and other required documentation systems.
• Conduct or oversee routine quality assurance reviews of participant files, eligibility documentation, financial assistance records, HMIS data, case notes, service documentation, and other required records.
• Monitor timeliness and quality of required participant assessments, housing plans, case management contacts, recertifications/reassessments, and program exits.
• Identify documentation, data quality, or performance concerns and establish corrective action and follow-up expectations.
• Ensure required statistical, programmatic, grant, and contractual reports are accurate and completed within established deadlines.
• Track and analyze housing outcomes beyond placement, including successful exits to permanent housing and returns to homelessness when data are available, and use findings to strengthen housing stabilization and program practice.
• Ensure corrective actions resulting from quality assurance, monitoring, or performance review are assigned, tracked, completed, and rechecked for sustained improvement.

Financial Assistance, Budget & Grant Spenddown

• Monitor RRH program expenditures and utilization of rental assistance, financial assistance, supportive services, and other program resources in collaboration with the Senior Director of Programs and Finance.
• Maintain awareness of approved grant budgets, spending categories, allowable costs, grant periods, and expenditure deadlines.
• Regularly compare program spending and household utilization against approved budgets and established service targets.
• Develop and monitor grant spenddown and household-service plans to ensure available funding is used appropriately and within required grant periods.
• Identify potential underspending, overspending, or spending-pattern concerns early and develop corrective strategies in collaboration with the Senior Director of Programs and Finance.
• Review program requests for participant financial assistance to ensure requests are adequately documented, programmatically appropriate, and consistent with applicable funding requirements.
• Coordinate with Finance to resolve payment, documentation, reconciliation, or other financial-assistance issues.
• Provide accurate and timely program information for grant applications, renewals, budget development, reports, monitoring activities, and audits.
• Promote flexible and individualized use of RRH financial assistance within applicable funding requirements, providing the level and duration of assistance necessary to resolve the household’s housing crisis and support housing stability, with assistance adjusted based on the household’s needs and circumstances.

Community, Landlord & Organizational Collaboration

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with the City of Alexandria, Continuum of Care partners, landlords, property managers, housing providers, nonprofit organizations, and other community resources.
• Coordinate with referring shelters and community partners to support efficient program enrollment and transitions into permanent housing.
• Work collaboratively with Carpenter’s Shelter program leadership, Finance, Development, Therapeutic Services, Data/Quality Assurance, and other departments to address participant and program needs.
• Support landlord engagement strategies designed to increase access to housing opportunities for households experiencing barriers to rental housing.
• Represent Carpenter’s Shelter at appropriate Continuum of Care meetings, housing-related workgroups, case conferences, landlord engagement activities, and other community meetings as assigned.
• Communicate significant program, staffing, financial, compliance, or performance concerns to the Senior Director of Programs in a timely manner.
• Identify recurring system-level barriers affecting RRH participants and bring data, trends, and proposed solutions to the Senior Director of Programs.

Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain professional boundaries, participant confidentiality, and ethical standards in accordance with Carpenter’s Shelter policies, Code of Ethics, and SEED Values.
• Review and approve assigned staff timesheets, leave requests, and other administrative documentation.
• Maintain flexibility to respond to urgent program needs when necessary.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, human services, public administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• At least three years of experience working in homeless services, housing programs, case management, or a related human-services setting.
• Demonstrated supervisory, team-lead, or program-coordination experience, including experience providing staff coaching, accountability, and performance feedback.
• Knowledge of or demonstrated ability to quickly develop proficiency in Rapid Rehousing, Housing First, housing-focused case management, landlord engagement, and homeless-services program requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and implement grant requirements, contracts, policies, procedures, and program guidance.
• Experience monitoring program performance, documentation, compliance, and outcomes.
• Ability to analyze program data and financial information and use findings to guide program operations and improvement.
• Strong organizational, project-management, problem-solving, and time-management skills.
• Ability to establish priorities, manage multiple deadlines, and follow through on assigned responsibilities with limited supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to develop effective working relationships with diverse populations, staff, landlords, community partners, and government representatives.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Ability to learn and effectively utilize HMIS and other required data-management systems.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to pass required background checks.
• Flexibility to work outside normal business hours when program needs require.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social work, human services, public administration, or a related field.
• Experience administering Rapid Rehousing or other federally, state, or locally funded housing programs.
• Experience with HMIS, housing-focused case management, rental assistance, and landlord engagement.
• Experience with grant compliance, program monitoring, audits, quality assurance, and corrective action.
• Experience managing program budgets, financial assistance, or grant spenddown.
• Knowledge of the Alexandria/DMV homeless-services and affordable-housing systems.
• Lived experience of homelessness or a direct personal connection to homelessness.

SALARY: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­$65,000–$72,000 plus benefits (medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 403(b), PTO, Sick Leave, holidays)

ADA STATEMENT: Carpenter’s Shelter will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: Carpenter’s Shelter is an Equal Opportunity Employer and agrees not to discriminate against any employee or job applicant because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, age, gender, physical or mental disability or any other characteristic protected by law. Successful candidates must be committed to working with a culturally diverse population.

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Long Term Disability and life insurance

Paid time off

Sick leave

Holidays

403(b) retirement plan

Proficient in English