Homelessness Prevention Case Manager - Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (East Boston, Massachusetts)

Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) is hiring a full-time (37.5 hours weekly) Homelessness Prevention Case Manager. The primary goal of the Case Manager is to help no-, low- and -moderate income Boston individuals and families avoid an homelessness upstream, if possible, through preventing an eviction, or in assisting households to find and suitable affordable apartments in the Boston region, with an additional ability to perform trauma-informed case-management. NOAH is responsible for responding to requests from throughout the City of Boston as referred by the Office of Housing Stability. The Case Manager will be working on these activities 100% of his/her time. The position reports to the Director of Administration.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Complete a full assessment and screening of the client and their case, including obtaining documentation of income and identity and other required paperwork, including a budget and workplan and uploading same into Salesforce; assisting clients in preventing an eviction from their rental home and/or becoming homeless
• Assist clients in landlord and/or property management negotiation or mediation, if required
• As needed, assist clients in applying for and obtaining financial assistance funds to pay back rental funds due so as to remain securely in their unit, if the housing situation is financially sustainable going forward
• Assist clients in becoming up to date in past due utilities payments for electricity or heat
• Assist clients in searching for, screening, and applying for new apartment homes; and enrolling in CHAMP and other government-assisted housing opportunities, etc., as needed
• Assist clients in maximizing their household income through applying for possible benefits and educating clients regarding helpful resources related to affording housing.
• Coordinate reporting activities including information needed for the City of Boston OHS contract (including OHS hotel reports, invoice preparation, client demographics, Board dashboard, etc.)
• Maintain ongoing weekly or biweekly contact with each assigned household to review progress towards the workplan outcomes
• Educate Bostonians at risk of homelessness in the housing search, rental application and/or in eviction prevention processes.

Additional Responsibilities (All Case Managers eventually will be cross-trained in departmental activities):

• Follow all City of Boston/OHS/Mayor’s Office of Housing contract protocols
• Process financial applications for utilities, housing stability and/or resettlement grants
• Assist Boston Office of Housing Stability staff off-site to help emergency victims, as needed, in times of crisis
• Work with rental housing clients, initiating necessary paperwork and assisting them with filling out intake forms and housing applications; interviewing them to determine need and
• Maintain confidential files for each client and keep all databases updated, including Salesforce, in real time
• 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
• Maintain systems for housing search and placement
• Provide tenants’ rights and Fair Housing and Rental Insurance information and advocate for tenants with their landlords; helping report violations to appropriate authorities, including ISD
• Perform benefits screening, budget and income-maximization counseling; help 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, online database management and reporting abilities
• College degree preferred; social work or related degree a ‘plus’
• Ability to speak, comprehend and write English and Spanish fluently
• Good ‘people skills’ and an enthusiastic ‘can-do’ attitude
• Willingness to work diligently on behalf of diverse low- and low-moderate income families and children
• Entrepreneurial attitude and cooperative spirit
• Professional behavior to be exhibited at all times
• Cultural competency; must be 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
• Possess HUD counseling certificate or able to study for and pass the HUD counseling certification exam within first six months of start date
• Knowledge and experience of rental housing counseling field and/or of various local, state and federal rental assistance programs preferred.

Benefits:

• Salary commensurate with experience, ranging from $67,000 to $69,000; the first three months in the position will be a trial period
• Paid time off for vacation, sick time and personal time provided
• Education reimbursement up to $1,500 annually
• Health, vision and dental insurances offered.

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to lmillerfoster@noahcdc.org.

NOAH Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

• Paid time off for vacation, sick time and personal time provided
• Education reimbursement up to $1,500 annually
• Health, vision and dental insurances offered.

Ability to speak, comprehend and write English and Spanish fluently.