Temporary Housing Retention Specialist UCRT

Days Off: Saturday Sunday

Shift: Day (8:30am - 5:00pm)

Insurance Benefits: Dental Life Long-term Disability Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits:Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Flexible Spending Account (FSA) ORCA card subsidy Paid Time Off (34 days per year) Retirement Plan

This is a temporary position that is expected to last 12 months. We will be hiring for 2 Housing Retention Specialists.

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness DESC is a social services organization supportive housing operator and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion treated with dignity and everyone has a safe stable and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs 19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1750 units several hundred additional scattered site apartments and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment residential crisis stabilization street outreach mobile crisis response and treatment for opioid use disorder.

JOB OVERVIEW:

Are you a creative problem-solver who thrives on direct engagement active teamwork and seeing tangible long-term results Do you want to step away from the burden of traditional high-caseload paperwork and focus on deep impactful one-on-one breakthrough work

The Housing Retention Specialist (HRS) is an innovative high-impact role operating within DESCs specialized Unit Condition Response Team (UCRT). This temporary 12-month position serves as a zone-deployed team designed to step in alongside site-based staff Clinical Support Specialist and Housing Stabilization Specialist during a buildings most critical housing stability milestones. Rather than managing a caseload of individuals the HRS provides intensive short-term side-by-side behavioral coaching to help residents overcome complex tenancy barriers such as severe mental health/substance use issues hoarding behaviors benefits navigation and imminent eviction risks.

Working as part of a dynamic co-deployment team the HRS provides added support to housing staff and tenants by improving apartment conditions strengthening housing retention increasing tenant engagement enhancing inspection readiness building independent living skills and assisting residents with benefit and entitlement navigation that supports long-term housing stability. This position is ideal for an independent resilient professional looking to sharpen their clinical intervention skills work collaboratively in a highly supportive environment and directly prevent possible housing loss in real-time.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as a mobile cross-site specialist within an integrated care team partnering directly with onsite HSS and CSS staff to address high-acuity housing challenges through collaborative multi-person interventions.
• Co-deploy into high-acuity residential units alongside onsite staff to provide a necessary second person for safety pacing and intensive unit remediation support for severe clutter hoarding biohazard concerns or other housing retention crises.
• Deliver focused short-term in-unit independent living skills coaching partnering directly with residents to model organization routine tracking safe household practices and clutter-mitigation techniques that preserve housing stability and lease compliance.
• Utilize trauma-informed harm-reduction and de-escalation approaches to support tenants experiencing extreme clutter hoarding behaviors or other barriers to housing retention while reducing immediate fire life and safety risks.
• In close collaboration with the resident and their site-based HSS/CSS team assist in implementing goals established in the tenants Integrated Service Plan (ISP) and when applicable their Housing Retention and Stability Plan.
• Provide intensive support with public benefits acquisition retention and troubleshooting including Medicaid enrollment and renewal ABD applications and recertifications SSI/SSDI application support appeals document gathering and coordination with benefit specialists and community partners. Assist tenants in addressing benefit interruptions accessing income supports and navigating service systems that are critical to maintaining housing stability.
• Support tenants with budgeting income stabilization planning document management and housing transition planning to strengthen long-term housing retention and self-sufficiency.
• Identify barriers to income and healthcare access and provide hands-on assistance with obtaining and maintaining benefits healthcare coverage and other entitlement programs that support successful tenancy.
• Design and facilitate voluntary activities skill-building workshops tenant meetings and neighborhood outings that reduce isolation promote community engagement and reinforce independent living skills in partnership with onsite staff.
• Complete timely documentation of client interactions assessments and interventions in accordance with agency standards.
• Participate in UCRT staff meetings PSH site care coordination meetings and agency trainings.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to meet Washington Department of Health requirements for registration as a Registered Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) or any other superseding credential
• Relevant bachelors degree in social work psychology or related behavioral science; OR a combination of 1 year* of relevant paid work experience and demonstration of the ability to perform required job duties. *Internal applicants in direct client-facing positions can substitute 6 months of experience in lieu of 1 year.
• Experience working with formerly homeless adults disabled by co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
• Knowledge of local homeless mental health and substance use disorder service systems.
• Knowledge of Washington State public benefit programs including ABD SSI SSDI Medicaid Medicare and other income-support resources.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant intense and/or bizarre behavior.
• Commitment to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across agency programs and of consideration and respect for clients.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Two years experience working with homeless or formerly homeless adults disabled by severe & persistent mental health and substance use challenges.
• Demonstrated professional volunteer or lived experience with hoarding mitigation clutter management or intensive independent living skills coaching.
• Ability to drive an agency vehicle to conduct agency-related business which requires a current Washington State drivers license and insurable driving record.
• Experience assisting individuals with benefit and entitlement navigation including Medicaid SSI/SSDI ABD food assistance or other income and healthcare supports.
• Knowledge of household pests and proper mitigation strategies.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job the employee will be required sit for long periods of time communicate with other employees by talking and hearing required to lift and carry items weighing up to 40 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision distance vision color vision peripheral vision depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committedto diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employmentopportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race creed color sex gender sexual orientation age national origin caste marital status or the presence of any sensory mental or physical disability in any employment practice unless basedon a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.