Housing Resources Specialist

About Community Housing Network

Community Housing Network (CHN) is a nonprofit organization committed to providing homes for people in need through proven strategies of homeless prevention, housing assistance, affordable housing development, community education, advocacy, and referrals. Since 2001, CHN has served as the leading housing resource nonprofit organization in southeast Michigan and serves thousands of families and individuals annually who are facing homelessness, people with disabilities, low-income households, and other vulnerable Michigan residents.

Community Housing Network is Opening Doors and Transforming Lives through a work environment dedicated to empowering a work/life balance success through our Core Values: Inclusion, Integrity, Innovation and Passion.

Community Housing Network provides excellent employment opportunities with competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefit package. All full-time employees enjoy a rich package of benefits including:

• Health Insurance
• Dental
• Vision
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending
• 401k
• Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Products: Short Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, Pet Insurance, Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, Accident
• Generous Vacation and Medical Leave Time

Community Housing Network is an equal-opportunity employer recognized by the Detroit Free Press as a Top 100 Workplace and honored as a Crain's Cool Place to Work.

Housing Resources Specialist

Department: Housing Resources

Reports to: Housing Resources Supervisor

Employment Status Classification: Full-Time Hourly; Non-Exempt

Salary Range: $18.00 per hour

Job Description Summary:

The Housing Resource Center (HRC) serves as a centralized crisis call center for individuals and families experiencing housing instability. As a Housing Resources Specialist, you will be the first point of contact for callers in urgent need of housing support. This role requires conducting intrusive and intensive screenings to assess eligibility for limited and highly competitive housing programs. You will gather detailed information about the caller's housing history, income, household composition, and other sensitive factors to determine the most appropriate referrals and next steps.

This position is ideal for someone who is compassionate, detail-oriented, and comfortable navigating difficult conversations in a fast-paced, high-volume call center environment.

Essential Functions:

• Conduct thorough screenings via phone or in person to assess housing crisis situations, using a structured and detailed intake process.
• Ask probing and sensitive questions to gather comprehensive information necessary for eligibility determination.
• Evaluate eligibility for limited housing programs, including emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, and subsidized housing options.
• Provide accurate referrals to community resources, affordable housing options, and long-term housing solutions.
• Assist callers in completing applications and gathering documentation for housing programs.
• Document all interactions in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) with precision and confidentiality.
• Schedule follow-up appointments and maintain ongoing communication with eligible individuals.
• Represent the Housing Resources Department and Community Housing Network in community outreach and collaborative efforts.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Successfully complete required trainings enabling you to enter independently in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) utilized to record data for screening and working with clients at Community Housing Network.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Strong communication skills, especially over the phone—able to speak clearly, listen actively, and convey empathy while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Comfort with intrusive questioning—able to ask sensitive, detailed questions about housing history, income, and personal circumstances in a respectful and trauma-informed manner.
• Critical thinking and decision-making—able to quickly assess eligibility and determine appropriate referrals based on complex criteria.
• Emotional resilience—capable of handling high-stress situations and emotionally charged conversations with compassion and composure.
• Data accuracy and attention to detail—must document all interactions thoroughly and accurately in client databases.
• Cultural competence and inclusivity—able to work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
• Time management and multitasking—able to manage a high volume of calls while maintaining quality and responsiveness.
• Tech proficiency—comfortable using Microsoft Office, Outlook, internet-based systems, and call center software.
• Reliable transportation, possession of a valid driver's license, and maintenance of automobile insurance coverage that meets organization coverage limit requirements. (Bodily Injury $100,000 each person and $300,000 each occurrence and Property Damage of $100,000 each occurrence.)

Agency Expectations:

• Commitment to confidentiality, integrity, and adherence to organizational values.
• Adhere to agency policies and procedures.
• Demonstrate exceptional communication and organizational skills.
• Maintain a positive and respectful attitude.
• Demonstrate flexible and efficient time management and ability to prioritize workload.
• Consistently report to work on time and prepared to perform duties of position.
• Have a strong work ethic that equally prioritizes the needs of participants and the needs of the organization.
• Proactively and effectively communicate the knowledge gained from education/trainings/conferences to others in the organization through the use of presentations, emails, and conversations.
• Execute all duties within the framework of Housing First and trauma-informed care principles.
• Prioritize cultural understanding, respect, resilience, adaptability, conflict resolution, and resourcefulness.
• Upholds organizations core values of integrity, inclusion, innovation, passion and vision within our organization and the people we serve.

Travel:

Some travel required within the community to serve individuals to meet them where they are at, community partner locations, shelters, off-site meetings, trainings, or organizational events that would require the use of your personal automobile. CHN reserves the right to require a motor vehicle record check with any employee where driving is an essential function of this position.

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

This position includes in-office work and remote work (from home office).Primary functions of this job are sedentary and does require some physical abilities of bending, lifting, stooping and/or arranging office supplies and may require carrying bags with supplies inside as well as traveling to meet individuals, community partner locations, shelters, off-site meetings, trainings, or organizational events.

Disclaimer:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.