Veteran's Supplemental Outreach Specialist

Who We Are

The Road Home has been a leader in the fight to end homelessness for 100 years (1923-2023). We provide low-barrier emergency shelters, supportive services, and housing-first-minded rental assistance that helps individuals and families step out of homelessness and back into the community. We are seeking compassionate and empathetic individuals who are interested in making a difference in the lives of others and their community.

Job Summary

The Veteran Supplemental Outreach Specialist will assist guests by performing housing searches and coordinating with other housing departments and programs for guests that are engaged with HUD-VASH services with the local Veterans Administration. This position will work primarily with finding new housing leads and encourage property managers / owners to secure new leases with eligible veterans. The position will be responsible for preparing paperwork and in-person tailored housing searches for all guests. This position requires the ability to communicate with guests who are unfamiliar with the rent processes, lease agreements and property management concerns, and flexibility in personality and schedule, which may entail working late shifts to engage a highly vulnerable population.

*Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions, so please still apply 

*Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Position Status

Part-time

Location

Pamela Atkinson's Resource Center

Reports To

Veteran Outreach Supervisor

Shift

Monday - Friday, 40 hours

Grade and Starting Rate

Grade 6, $18.90/hour

FLSA Status

Non-Exempt

EEO Class

Administrative Support Worker

JOB DUTIES

Administration

• Property manager / owner engagement and cultivation; including but not limited to, calling on open housing units, fostering rapport and positive relationships, education on our program and housing first model, mediate rent and property management issues between tenants and property managers, and maintaining open communication regarding eligibility, rental assistance, client stability, and unit safety.
• Maintain and update a spreadsheet of vacant units around Salt Lake County with contact information and application details
• Perform housing searches for veteran households that are co-enrolled with SSVF and VASH services, advocating on their behalf and helping them navigate the approval process with clear and consistent messaging following a ‘Housing First’ approach
• Provide crisis intervention and engage and encourage housing conversations with clients as necessary; including assessing barriers to housing by helping clients get access to housing related services such as rides to view apartments, assist in filling out apartment applications, etc.
• Working closely with SSVF team members to assist with accessing safe, affordable housing placements for individuals according to their needs; including attending outreach hours to engage co-enrolled veteran households by providing weekly leads for available units, and tailoring housing searches to the specific needs of veterans in the community as needed
• Become familiar with HUD-VASH rental assistance funding source
• Notify and coordinate between HUD-VASH teams, veteran households, and property managers on required documentation and general funding capacity and/or limits
• Complete programmatic requirements daily, including data quality, record keeping, and documentation management
• Use organizational skills and attention to detail to focus on problem-solving, including encouraging VA partnerships to refer households for SSVF co-enrollment and engaging in housing conversations with veterans and their families in crisis
• Develop, foster, and maintain relationships with key partner agencies, landlords and property managers, and the local Veterans Administration
• Attend and contribute to internal and external meetings including but not limited to: Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness Core Function groups, Community Triage Group and Veteran Community Triage meetings, and inter-department collaboration meetings.
• Communicate and coordinate closely with the Veteran Manager and Veteran Outreach Supervisor on all aspects of program operations, team dynamics, and veteran supports and resources; including program fidelity, documentation accuracy, and intra-agency collaborations.

Promoting Best Practice

• Demonstrates awareness and desire to understand diverse populations, including an ability to contribute to the agency’s commitment to enhancing awareness and appreciation of diverse ethnic and cultural heritages
• Ability to contribute to the Agency’s commitment to enhancing awareness and appreciation alongside adhering to and believing in the mission of The Road Home
• Willingness to understand that housing first, harm reduction, low barrier access to resources is best practice and essential to our mission at The Road Home.
• Ability to set and maintain good boundaries, using Trauma-Informed Care as a guideline
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Education and Experience

• Lived, work or volunteer experience preferred OR a degree in a related field
• Experience working with diverse and vulnerable populations.
• Knowledge of homeless populations and housing opportunities preferred.
• Knowledge and experience working with individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders preferred.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse populations. 
• Demonstrated awareness of and sensitivity to diverse populations. Ability to contribute to the agency’s commitment to enhancing awareness and appreciation of diverse ethnic and cultural heritages.  
• Excellent writing and documentation skills. 
• Willing to be a proactive member of a team. 
• Ability to work from a Trauma-Informed Care framework.  
• Familiarity with the Housing First philosophy.  

• Ability to work with community partners. 
• Self-starter and self-directed. 
• Ability to accept direction from Supervisor. 
• Excellent organizational skills and strong computer skills. 
• Must pass a pre-employment background check and drug screen. 

Physical and Equipment Requirements

• Ability to move 25 pounds (files)
• Ability to stand and walk for at least an hour at a time.
• Ability and license to drive a vehicle

Benefits

The Road Home is a 501c3 non-profit social services agency whose mission is to help people step out of homelessness and back into our community.
Come be part of the solution.
We have a robust, reasonably priced, and inclusive benefits plan for full and part-time employees (25-40 hours/week)

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• HSA, FSA, HRA (We reimburse part of your deductible!)
• Retirement Plan (403B with TRH contribution and match)
• FREE Life Insurance for employees
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & 12 Public Holidays)
• One Floating Holiday Per Year
• Free Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Free Training & Development
• Tuition Assistance for a wide variety of classes!

The Road Home is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is essential to The Road Home’s mission of helping people experiencing homelessness move back into housing. We know that having a more diverse team makes our organization stronger and leads to better experiences and outcomes for the people in our programs.