Housing Liaison

The Department of Housing Services and Housing Authority of Washington County (HAWC) is recruiting for a Rental Assistance Housing Liaison to join our team as we work towards our mission of providing affordable housing opportunities to help break the cycle of poverty and improve the quality of life in Washington County.

The Housing Liaison will work with participants to determine their housing goals, barriers to those goals and strategies to achieve them. This position requires a balance between independent work and collaboration to foster trust with individuals and build cooperative relationships with both housing and service providers.   The Liaison will work closely with the Occupancy Specialists to ensure successful lease up with voucher participants who encounter barriers to their housing.

Our ideal candidates can successfully:

• Use Yardi, Aspire, HCV, Operating System, and Inspection modules with a high level of proficiency.
• Work with participants who have housing barriers to secure permanent housing.
• Calculate subsidy and complete all HCV/rent assistance program processes accurately, including issuance, port-ins, port-outs, terminations, new move-ins, annual and interim reviews, and other procedures.
• Use Microsoft Office software with a high level of proficiency. Create clear and attractive forms using word, excel, or other resources.
• Prepare and deliver group presentation and individual tutorials.
• Handle multiple tasks with frequent interruptions and changes in priorities.
• Accurately complete math computations for adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and computing averages and percentages.
• Read, interpret, apply, and explain rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Plan, organize and prioritize workload.
• Work respectfully and courteously with staff, residents, and the general public.

Why Washington County?
Are you interested in challenging, meaningful, and rewarding work? Join Washington County in our commitment to advancing racial equity. Our Board of Commissioners worked closely with various community stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Resolution. Adopted in February 2020, this resolution commits to the equitable delivery of Washington County’s services, resources, and opportunities for growth and development to every county resident. 

Duties will include:

1. Case management of challenging participants. Assess participant's housing needs, and develop housing plans, provide case management and other community housing resources.
2. Develop trust-based relationships with individuals and families experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
3. Timely and accurate Yardi data entry in compliance with established workflows
4. Maintain current information on housing opportunities, community resources and applicable Fair Housing and Landlord/Tenant laws.
5. Information and referral for community resources. Serve as primary resource to Voucher participants on housing resources in the community, which include a continuum of housing resources from emergency shelters to homeownership programs; Produce and update an accurate list and description of external housing resource information.  
6. Liaison with community resources.  Develop and maintain relationships with case management and other service providers in community; track down and resolve application problems of mutual participant request by agency staff as liaison between Housing Authority and external organizations to ensure and foster positive relationships.
7. Take leadership role in identifying barriers to access for people with disabilities, immigrants, and other voucher participants.
8. Participate in the development and implementation of goals, work plans, performance measures, and continuous improvement of service delivery to assist in attaining the unit/program/department initiatives and goals.
9. Prepare lease-up packets and briefs new clients on occupancy and lease requirements.
10. Counsel tenants and assists in resolution of problems between owners and residents.
11. Proactively manage workload, calendar, and client appointments to help meet the goals of the organization and serve clients effectively.
12.  Work respectfully and courteously with other employees, participants, and the general public. Follow direction, and work well under pressure.
13. Attend all required training and safety meetings; use, maintain and replace assigned personal protective equipment; report all injuries and illnesses to supervisor immediately; complete and submit incident/accident reports as required; report hazardous conditions or unsafe work practices to supervisor; and follow all safety and health guidelines, practices, policies, and procedures.
14. Promote and coordinate Supportive Services Rental Program services with those of other divisions departments, and outside service agencies and organizations, respond to problem situations and technical questions regarding various aspects of housing programs.

Housing Liaison is a working title. The position is classified as a Program Specialist. To see a the full job classification, please click here: Program Specialist.Education and Experience:

• An Associate's Degree in a social service, business administration, or related field; AND
• One (1) year of work experience in program administration, development, evaluation, or coordination, and /or contract administration; OR
• Three (3) years of work experience in program administration, development, evaluation, and/or contract administration.

Additional Licenses, Certificates, Physical Abilities, and Specialty Requirements:

• Must pass a criminal background check.

Washington County is committed to using a Merit-based System in which recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees is based on their relative knowledge, skills, and abilities.
 
Our commitment to you: 
Washington County values a culture of equity, diverse perspectives, and life experiences. Our organization embraces innovation, collaboration and work-life harmony. We offer job stability, a comprehensive benefits package, and an opportunity to serve and support our diverse community. We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity and an inclusive workforce. Women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.
 
 Selection Process: 
 1. Week of January 14, 2024: A minimum qualification evaluation of training and experience of submitted application packets will be performed by Human Resources.
 
 2. Week of January 21, 2024  : A Subject Matter Expert (SME) Panel will perform an evaluation of experience and training taken from your employment application materials including responses to the supplemental questionnaire.
 
 3. Our goal is to schedule oral panel interviews with candidates that successfully passed the SME evaluation step as soon as possible.
 
Please note: candidates that are successful in the evaluation process may have their applications referred for additional vacancies in the same classification, or job family. 
 
Veterans' Preference 
If you are a Veteran and would like to be considered for a Veterans' preference for this recruitment, please review instructions using this link: Veterans' Preference Points. 
 
Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act 
Reasonable accommodation is available to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing this application or participating in the selection process for this recruitment. To obtain confidential assistance please contact Human Resources 503-846-8606, or e-mail: careers@washingtoncountyor.gov  at least 48 hours before any step in the recruitment and selection process for which you feel you need accommodation.
 
Status of Your Application 
You will be advised by e-mail of your status at each step in the application process, from initial application to final employment disposition. Please note that Washington County communicates with all candidates via email. If you "opt out" or "unsubscribe" of email notification from notices in NEOGOV it will impact our ability to communicate with you about job postings.
 
Questions (?) Regarding This Recruitment 
Gregory Garabedian, Talent Acquisition Business Partner
Gregory_Garabedian@washingtoncountyor.gov
   
  Additional Resources: 
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Salary : $4,881 - $5,931