Displacement Prevention Navigator (Independent Contractor (Non-Employee)
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Job Location:
Austin, TX - USA
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
30+ days ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
About El Buen Samaritano
For over 35 years El Buen Samaritano (El Buen) has been a trusted community resource for families in Central Texas. Serving more than 30000 individuals annually through culturally relevant food access health literacy education and economic mobility programming El Buen is a welcoming space where families grow into their own power and unleash their potential.
Austin Housing (City of Austin) creates and preserves housing opportunities to stabilize communities. Austin Housing has partnered with El Buen Samaritano to implement the Displacement Prevention Navigator Program and manage recruitment training and support of Navigators helping residents in neighborhoods at-risk of displacement.
Opportunity Overview
El Buen seeks a community-based Independent Contractor to serve as a Displacement Prevention Navigator. The Navigator provides frontline housing stabilization support to households at risk of displacement through proactive engagement culturally responsive intake and assessment navigation to resources documentation timely triage and escalation of urgent housing risk and structured follow-up.
This is a flexible community-facing contract ideal for individuals with strong neighborhood ties lived experience or established trust in communities experiencing high displacement risk. We strongly encourage applicants who have lived in worked in organized in or provided informal support within priority neighborhoods even if their experience has not been in a formal housing or nonprofit role.
The Displacement Prevention Navigator functions as a housing-focused Community Health Worker (CHW) within El Buens Community Health Worker model and provides culturally and linguistically appropriate navigation outreach assessment referral and follow-up grounded in trauma-informed person-centered practice.
This role is especially well-suited for trusted community members peer leaders parent leaders promotoras church leaders grassroots volunteers and others with strong relationship-based experience supporting families through housing instability benefits access school systems healthcare access or other community-based systems.
Scope
The Navigator provides housing stabilization navigation and referrals while connecting participants to El Buen and partner resources (health food access education and economic supports). The Navigator works collaboratively with staff and community partners to strengthen participant outcomes and contributes to data collection and reporting aligned with program requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Housing Stabilization & Navigation: Assessment Referrals and Follow-Up
Preference will be given to contractors who reside in have lived in or have demonstrated experience working in:
Qualifications
This is an independent contractor engagement not an employment position. Contractors are responsible for their own taxes and benefits. Compensation will be based on an agreed hourly or monthly rate and is contingent on satisfactory completion of services and documentation.
Background check and Safeguarding certification arerequired.
To Apply
Submit a cover letter resume and complete a brief statement of interest highlighting your connection to priority neighborhoods and experience supporting families at risk of housing instability.
If your experience comes primarily from community leadership caregiving outreach church or school support mutual aid or other informal but relevant roles please describe that in your statement of interest. We value lived experience neighborhood trust and relationship-based support as important qualifications for this role.
Term:12 months with potential renewal
Estimated Level of Effort:Up to 40 hours per month
Location:El Buen Samaritano headquarters and community-based outreach in priority Austin neighborhoods.
Please no phone calls or recruiters.
For over 35 years El Buen Samaritano (El Buen) has been a trusted community resource for families in Central Texas. Serving more than 30000 individuals annually through culturally relevant food access health literacy education and economic mobility programming El Buen is a welcoming space where families grow into their own power and unleash their potential.
Austin Housing (City of Austin) creates and preserves housing opportunities to stabilize communities. Austin Housing has partnered with El Buen Samaritano to implement the Displacement Prevention Navigator Program and manage recruitment training and support of Navigators helping residents in neighborhoods at-risk of displacement.
Opportunity Overview
El Buen seeks a community-based Independent Contractor to serve as a Displacement Prevention Navigator. The Navigator provides frontline housing stabilization support to households at risk of displacement through proactive engagement culturally responsive intake and assessment navigation to resources documentation timely triage and escalation of urgent housing risk and structured follow-up.
This is a flexible community-facing contract ideal for individuals with strong neighborhood ties lived experience or established trust in communities experiencing high displacement risk. We strongly encourage applicants who have lived in worked in organized in or provided informal support within priority neighborhoods even if their experience has not been in a formal housing or nonprofit role.
The Displacement Prevention Navigator functions as a housing-focused Community Health Worker (CHW) within El Buens Community Health Worker model and provides culturally and linguistically appropriate navigation outreach assessment referral and follow-up grounded in trauma-informed person-centered practice.
This role is especially well-suited for trusted community members peer leaders parent leaders promotoras church leaders grassroots volunteers and others with strong relationship-based experience supporting families through housing instability benefits access school systems healthcare access or other community-based systems.
Scope
The Navigator provides housing stabilization navigation and referrals while connecting participants to El Buen and partner resources (health food access education and economic supports). The Navigator works collaboratively with staff and community partners to strengthen participant outcomes and contributes to data collection and reporting aligned with program requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Housing Stabilization & Navigation: Assessment Referrals and Follow-Up
- Conduct culturally responsive housing stability assessments and displacement risk screening
- Provide trauma-informed person-centered navigation that recognizes the impact of trauma and supports participant choice dignity and self-determination
- Provide cultural mediation and language access support including interpretation/translation as needed to reduce barriers and support successful system navigation
- Connect households to rental assistance utilities assistance home repair programs legal aid benefits food access health services education and workforce resources
- Provide warm referrals and structured follow-up until the case is resolved the participant declines further contact or the household becomes unreachable after documented attempts
- Track workflow status of applications and referrals and support households through completion whenever possible
- Document client encounters and outcomes in designated data systems
- Follow same-day escalation protocols to the Contract Manager (or designee) for urgent housing risks including eviction notice or filing imminent lockout utility disconnect notice with imminent shutoff unsafe housing conditions posing immediate health or safety risk domestic violence or safety concerns impacting housing stability and heightened vulnerability requiring immediate stabilization
- Support workflow processes and escalate urgent or complex cases consistent with program protocols and supervisor guidance
- Within 24 hours of identifying urgent risk document the risk indicator actions taken and recommended next steps in the designated system and notify the Contract Manager through the agreed communication channel
- Maintain organized case records consistent with program documentation standards to support compliance and audit readiness
- Lead at least one Community Resource Fair during the contract term
- Participate in outreach events in priority neighborhoods
- Build awareness of displacement prevention resources through proactive community engagement
- Represent El Buen with professionalism in community settings and support culturally grounded outreach that builds trust and reduces barriers to access
- Participate in at least two (2) outreach activities per month (event tabling partner meeting canvass or neighborhood activation) unless an alternate plan is approved by the Contract Manager based on program needs
- Maintain accurate and timely documentation to support program reporting and audit readiness
- Submit monthly activity summaries (# of households/individuals served intakes/assessments closed-loop referrals trends barriers and follow-up needs)
- Accurately collect and enter data aligned to program measures to demonstrate effectiveness and support continuous improvement
- Participate in evaluation and quality improvement activities as requested including data integrity checks and process improvements
- Protect client confidentiality and use only El Buen-approved tools and systems
- Complete required onboarding and program orientation within two weeks of contractual agreement signature
- Complete Community Health Worker (CHW) certification training if not already certified; El Buen will pay for certification
- Maintain CHW certification in good standing including continuing education/CEUs as required by the certifying body and applicable to the contractors certification timeline
- Engage in CHW learning that strengthens trauma-informed culturally grounded and equity-based practice and supports consistent navigation quality
- Participate in ongoing learning opportunities
- El Buen will provide onboarding program training and support on navigation workflows documentation expectations referral pathways and housing stabilization resources. Applicants do not need prior experience with every system or resource in order to be considered.
Preference will be given to contractors who reside in have lived in or have demonstrated experience working in:
- Dove Springs (78744)
- Montopolis (78741)
- Colony Park (78724)
- Project Connect Transit Corridors
Qualifications
- High school diploma or equivalent required
- At least one (1) year of experience supporting families or community members in accessing resources navigating systems or resolving barriers related to housing stability essential needs healthcare education or economic wellbeing
- Certification as a Community Health Worker (CHW) OR must obtain CHW certification within six (6) months of contract start
- Demonstrated ability to engage participants with empathy and cultural responsiveness and to provide trauma-informed person-centered support
- Experience may be gained through formal employment community-based work mutual aid grassroots leadership promotora or CHW activities school or church-based support caregiving coordination or other lived and applied community experience
- Strong organizational and time-management skills; able to manage multiple cases follow-up timelines and documentation deadlines
- Strong documentation and organizational skills including ability to use data collection systems to track assessments encounters referrals and outcomes
- Comfort learning and using data systems (e.g. Apricot Salesforce or similar) to track assessments referrals and outcomes; prior experience is helpful but not required
- Ability to work under pressure and maintain professionalism when assisting participants in crisis
- Ability to work flexible hours including occasional evenings/weekends
- Reliable transportation to conduct outreach and attend meetings/events in priority neighborhoods
- Ability to meet program requirements related to transportation and outreach travel
- Motivational interviewing or client-centered counseling experience
- Experience organizing or supporting community outreach events (resource fairs tabling canvassing or neighborhood activations)
- Experience coordinating referrals with multiple partner agencies and documenting follow-up to resolution
- Experience in nonprofit public health or community-based settings
- Experience with housing stabilization displacement prevention eviction prevention rental assistance and/or benefits navigation
- Strong ties to East or Southeast Austin communities especially Dove Springs Montopolis Colony Park and nearby Project Connect corridor neighborhoods
- Experience serving diverse communities low-income or displacement-impacted households
- Spanish-English bilingual applicants with deep neighborhood trust lived experience and strong relational skills are encouraged to apply even if they do not meet every preferred qualification
- Commitment to Quality: Maintains accuracy thoroughness and compassion in service interactions and documentation
- Client and Community Focus: Demonstrates cultural humility empathy and participant-centered engagement aligned with El Buens mission
- Professionalism and Ethical Conduct: Adheres to confidentiality safeguarding and accountability expectations
- Communication Skills: Communicates clearly and sensitively across cultural contexts; provides cultural mediation as needed
- Teamwork and Collaboration: Coordinates respectfully with staff and partners to support warm handoffs and shared problem-solving
- Continuous Learning and Growth: Participates in CHW training and continuing education that strengthens trauma-informed culturally grounded practice
- Judgment Risk Awareness and Escalation: Identifies urgent housing risks and follows same-day escalation protocols
This is an independent contractor engagement not an employment position. Contractors are responsible for their own taxes and benefits. Compensation will be based on an agreed hourly or monthly rate and is contingent on satisfactory completion of services and documentation.
Background check and Safeguarding certification arerequired.
To Apply
Submit a cover letter resume and complete a brief statement of interest highlighting your connection to priority neighborhoods and experience supporting families at risk of housing instability.
If your experience comes primarily from community leadership caregiving outreach church or school support mutual aid or other informal but relevant roles please describe that in your statement of interest. We value lived experience neighborhood trust and relationship-based support as important qualifications for this role.
Term:12 months with potential renewal
Estimated Level of Effort:Up to 40 hours per month
Location:El Buen Samaritano headquarters and community-based outreach in priority Austin neighborhoods.
Please no phone calls or recruiters.
Required Experience:
Senior IC
About Company
El Buen Samaritano works to help Austin Texas families access health, workforce development, youth education, and essential needs.
