Position Overview
UCHC housing counselors work under the guidance of the Director of Housing Placement and Rental Assistance and work with other team members to find safe, affordable housing for Detroit residents at risk of homelessness due to changes in their circumstances. This position will require developing comprehensive affordable housing lists of single and multifamily dwellings and establishing relationships with landlords and property-management companies.
Responsibilities:
- Visit Detroit neighborhoods to further develop housing inventory.
- Locate and secure appropriate rental housing units available to low-income families and individuals and those at risk of homelessness.
- Interview participants to determine the appropriateness of potential referrals, both from the perspective of the individual need and the resource referral criteria.
- Establish ongoing working relationships with landlords and property-management
companies, residential service providers, and vendors.
- Meet with UCHC staff, landlords, and service providers to help resolve conflicts that might arise with referred participants.
- Compile, maintain, update, and distribute comprehensive housing inventory that
identifies available housing units and vacancies among residential programs.
- Maintain and monitor a registry of clients in need of receiving services.
- Network with other housing-service providers, including members of the Rental
Assistance and Housing Relocation Counselor team, to ensure that the housing needs of low-income families and individuals at risk of homelessness are adequately addressed.
- Assist in coordination of supportive services and identify gaps and needs at the program level.
- Maintain inventory of program resources.
- Work collaboratively with internal and external partners.
- Maintain all required documentation in an orderly and timely manner.
- Participate in all team and staff meetings.
- Participate in program and operational planning as needed.
Qualifications:
- Experience related to resource development or housing advocacy.
- An associate’s or undergraduate degree, a high-school diploma, or a GED will be useful for the reporting and communications components of this position.
- Knowledge of housing, employment, and other human services.
- Communication skills: Ability to work effectively with both private and public-sector managers and direct service staff.
- Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedural manuals.
- Ability to effectively present information and respond to inquiries, etc.
- Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete personal variables that reflect client needs and capacity.
Physical considerations:
- A valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle will be useful for this position.
- The housing counselor may need to enter properties that do not yet comply with ADA accessibility standards. Accommodations can be made to enable the selected candidate to perform the essential functions of this position.
Specifics
- This is a full-time position.
- Salary is commensurate with experience. UCHC offers generous medical benefits and time off.
- Willingness to maintain a flexible schedule of both in-office and work-from-home
conditions.
- Schedule: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. or 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday, though some additional time may be required, depending on court filings.
