Landlord Liaison / Shelter Operations Specialist

Job Overview

POSITION PURPOSE

The Landlord Liaison's primary role is to outreach and build relationships with private market landlords. The Landlord Liaison will identify permanent housing units in the private rental market throughout Washtenaw County, develop partnerships with landlords to overcome barriers that prevent homeless households from obtaining permanent housing, maintain an up-to-date listing of available units and work closely with case managers to ensure clients can access housing. In addition, this position will mediate conflicts, assist with landlord education and provide emergency on-call services for landlords to resolve problems if they arise. The Shelter Operation's Specialist position also takes a hands-on role in the operational needs of our Emergency Shelter Program. This consists of leading shelter turnovers, maintaining an inventory of supplies and donations, and ensuring timely completion of shelter maintenance and repairs.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Landlord Liaison

• Establish relationships with landlords to assist homeless consumers in locating appropriate housing, especially those who have multiple barriers to obtaining permanent housing throughout Washtenaw County with the goal of increasing the number of partnered landlords
• Maintain landlord relationships and keep data base on properties and landlord contacts current
• Become active in the landlord community to identify housing for homeless people with barriers and disabilities
• Develop outreach materials and agreements with landlords that will provide rental units to help homeless consumers access and maintain permanent housing; this may include assistance negotiating lease arrangements
• Actively participate on the Housing Coordinators committee
• Act as a liaison and mediator for housing issues that may arise
• Perform unit move-in and move-out inspections as needed
• Conduct tenant education trainings with consumers related to tenant rights and responsibilities
• Establish working relationships with case managers
• Meet as needed with clients to assist with applications, housing search, or other support services
• Assess a client's needs for tenant assistance funds
• Maintain statistics and provide narrative reports on a monthly basis
• May assist case managers with temporary support services for clients who are not connected to services and are in need of assistance during times of crisis
• Assist case managers with coordination of residential support services to ensure clients maintain permanent housing
• Other duties as assigned Shelter Operations Specialist
• Coordinate with landlords, community partners and service providers to ensure timely completion of shelter maintenance, repairs, and operational needs.
• Facilitate and participant in the cleaning and turnover of shelter units after shelter exits.
• Maintain shelter inventory, including tracking supplies, placing orders, and preparing units for new program participants.
• Conduct routine walk-throughs of shelter units to assess cleanliness, maintenance needs, safety concerns, and potential damages.
• Manage and organize donations and purchased supplies including sorting, storage, and distribution for shelter use.
• Ensure shelter units meet funder requirements and agency standards including maintaining required materials, stocking first aid supplies, and completing routine tasks such as furnace filter replacement.
• Monitor shelter units for compliance with program policies, safety requirements, and habitability standards. Coordinate corrective action as needed.
• Client support as needed

BASIC REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• BSW or similar degree preferred
• Experience with leasing regulations and working with private market landlords
• Ability and willingness to work as part of team and independently with little off-site supervision
• Core competencies include: crisis management, communication, time management and social justice advocacy
• Show demonstrated ability to interact with people of different cultures.
• Continuing search for understanding of racial, gender and class equity.
• Actively support the SOS commitment to diversity in all areas and responsibilities
• Uphold and ensure appropriate enforcement of all agency policies and practices
• Participate in community relations and outreach tasks as directed and required

Pay:

$49,000.00 - $52,000.00 per year

Benefits:

403(b) 403(b) matching Dental insurance Employee assistance program Flexible spending account Health insurance Life insurance Mileage reimbursement Paid time off Professional development assistance Vision insurance

Work Location:

In person