Housing Stability Partner

About COTS

For 40 years, COTS (www.cotsdetroit.org) has been committed to serving the most vulnerable members of the Detroit community by providing emergency shelter, supportive housing, and wraparound services for more adults and children daily. COTS supports more than 1,000 heartbeats daily and is on a mission to create opportunities for families overcoming poverty to collaborate, thrive, and succeed in building strong and stable households, neighborhoods, and communities.

Housing Stability Partner description

The responsibility of the Housing Stability Partner is to provide outreach, intensive case management, care coordination and housing-based support services to households in scattered sites.

The individuals served by this position face many challenges including multi morbid conditions, mental illness, substance abuse disorders, and/or other chronic medical conditions alongside a history of chronic homelessness.

Utilizing a “Housing First” approach, the Housing Support Team works closely with tenants to help achieve housing stability and move beyond homelessness. The HSP will also collaborate with community partners to ensure the coordinated delivery of a broad range of services that meet the mental, physical, psycho-social and housing needs of the individuals either through direct service or linage to appropriate resources.

Essential Functions

• Support program participants in reaching their goals through affirmation, encouragement, and engagement.
• Provide ongoing, active outreach and creative engagement to tenants in their homes and out in the community.
• Conduct comprehensive assessments and help tenants develop action plans to achieve goals.
• Work with tenants and property management/landlords to coordinate eviction prevention efforts and develop housing permanency plans.
• Assist tenants in developing basic life skills including tenant rights and responsibilities and maintaining an apartment/house.
• Provide budgeting/financial literacy support.
• Support tenants with conflict resolution among tenants and neighbors.
• Provide crisis intervention as needed.
• Link tenants to employment opportunities and skill development opportunities.
• Assist tenants with accessing needed medical, mental health, substance use, and psycho-social support.
• Exhibit a willingness to create and facilitate opportunities that empower families in poverty to collaborate, thrive, and succeed in building strong households, neighborhoods, and communities.
• Demonstrate a stable, mature, and cooperative attitude within the workplace.
• Demonstrate emotional health and balance to handle multiple, fast-paced projects simultaneously.
• Negotiate and advocate with external community resources.
• Work to build community and provide peer support among tenants including participation in community programming activities.
• Network and engage with community members whose purpose and passion align with the organization’s mission to support their partnership in the most mutually beneficial manner.

Essential Competencies

• Positive and enthusiastic attitude and strong commitment toward helping those in need.
• Interest and experience in working with individuals who are difficult to engage and refer to traditional programs.
• Ability to steward time, energy, and resources well to support productive and efficient operation.
• Maintain positive and productive relationships and lines of communication with all tenants and stakeholders.
• Maintain attention to detail and excellence.
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a collaborative team.
• Strong organizational skills and well-developed interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet assigned tasks and deadlines.
• Demonstrates behaviors that reflect and support the COTS’ Core Values and strategic goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a social or behavioral science or relevant field and/ or at least three years of relevant experience.
• Minimum of one to three years’ experience working with similar populations, including people who are homeless, people with mental illness, chronic health, and/or addiction disorders.
• Training in the use of assertive engagement, motivational interviewing, harm reduction and trauma informed care.
• High competence in the Microsoft Office suite and familiarity with other database/CRM and HMIS systems.
• Ability to travel and drive a vehicle for offsite meetings (mileage reimbursements provided per federal IRS standard.)
• Maintain a belief, understanding, and acceptance of COTS Core Values