Housing Empowerment Coach- Ryan White

Position Overview

The Housing Empowerment Coach provides, housing-focused support to individuals living with HIV who are receiving services through the Ryan White Program. The primary purpose of the position is to help participants obtain and maintain safe, stable housing thus improving health and safety.

The Housing Empowerment Coach uses a strengths-based, trauma-informed, person-centered, and harm-reduction approach. Rather than providing intensive ongoing case management, the Coach works with participants to identify housing-related barriers, develop practical solutions, connect participants with community resources, and intervene early when housing stability is at risk.

The Coach collaborates closely with Ryan White medical and non-medical case managers, healthcare providers, landlords, housing providers, and community partners to promote housing stability and positive health outcomes.

The position recognizes that participants may require different levels of support. Services are intentionally 'light touch' when housing is stable and may temporarily increase when a participant experiences a housing crisis or significant barrier to maintaining housing.

Essential Skills and Responsibilities

Client Engagement and Support

• Establish rapport and build trusting relationships with clients using trauma-informed, harm-reduction, and strengths-based approaches.
• Conduct regular in-home and community-based visits with participants.
• Conduct regular meetings to track progress and maintain ongoing communication.
• Provide referrals to resources (housing, benefits, etc.) and offer follow-up support.
• Communicate and coordinate with the participant's Ryan White medical and/or non-medical team.
• Participate in interdisciplinary case consultation when housing concerns affect health, treatment adherence, or overall stability.
• Make appropriate referrals to healthcare, behavioral health, substance use, employment, benefits, and other services.

Coaching & Goal Setting

• Assist families in setting and achieving short- and long-term goals through personalized action plans.
• Employ motivational interviewing and case management techniques to identify and overcome barriers.
• Foster family-led decision-making, empowering families to set their own goals.
• Assist clients in locating, securing, and transitioning into permanent housing.
• Work with landlords and property managers to maintain positive tenant-landlord relationships and mediate issues when needed.
• Help clients understand and comply with lease terms and housing responsibilities.

Community Outreach and Service Coordination

• Build and strengthen community connections to facilitate access to culturally appropriate services.
• Coordinate with internal and external agencies to provide holistic, comprehensive support for clients.

Assessment & Documentation

• Conduct comprehensive assessments to identify barriers to employment and services.
• Document client progress, case management activities, and referrals accurately and in a timely manner.
• Ensure compliance with funding and program requirements through clear and consistent documentation.

Program and Resource Management

• Manage financial assistance requests, ensuring accurate and timely processing.
• Collect, verify, and document financial information from clients to support applications for financial assistance, benefits, or grants.
• Work closely with program managers to ensure funds are allocated correctly and efficiently to various projects within a program.

Collaboration and Professional Conduct

• Work transparently with both clients and coworkers to achieve shared goals.
• Demonstrate empathy, respect, and humility in all client interactions.
• Maintain professional communication with clients, providers, and team members.

Core Program Standards

Full-Family Focus: Support all family members, including children and elders.

Family-Led: Families set their own goals with guidance from the coach.

Strengths-Based: Build on existing strengths.

Responsive & Flexible: Tailor coaching to meet each family’s unique needs and goals.

Transparency & Collaboration: Foster trust and clear communication between the coach and family.

Choice: Empower families to determine the level of support they want.

Additional Skills & Competencies

• Reliability: Ability to maintain regular and normal attendance for client care.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to maintain professional relationships.
• Time Management: Ability to prioritize tasks and manage time effectively.
• Technology Proficiency: Experience with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, SharePoint) and online data systems.
• Problem-Solving: Must be sensitive to cross-cultural differences and work effectively to find solutions.

Minimum Required Education and Experience

Education

Completion of 2 years of college or graduation from 2-year school in Social Work, Counseling, Sociology, Psychology, or related field.

Experience

Demonstrate 2 years or more experience. Experience can be combined to a total of two years within the following categories:

1. Additional education in college in Social Work, Counseling, Sociology, Psychology, or related field.

2. Work in the Human Services field.

3. SENDCAA values providing services that are representative of the community we serve, and we identify lived experience as a key skill. To demonstrate experience, employee may choose to self-identify as an individual who has personal lived experience and is willing to publicly identify as an individual who has lived through and identify personal success through poverty, homelessness, disproportionate access to generational wealth, or combination of the three. Demonstrate related skills and strengths, and how your lived experience helps the communities we serve.

Work Conditions

The working conditions and environment and the physical requirements/activities listed below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Please note that this position is not eligible for regular remote or hybrid work due to the client facing nature of the role. In-person interactions with clients and other professionals is required. Occasional hybrid work is allowed based on policy. Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM with flexibility to meet client needs.

Travel: Frequent travel to client homes and across service area in Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Steele, and Traill counties. Occasional statewide travel.

Working Conditions and Environment: While performing the duties of this position, the individual generally has good working conditions. The employee is often exposed to moderate noise from office equipment.

Physical Requirements/Activities: While performing the duties of this position, the individual is regularly required to stand, walk, sit (approximately 50% of the workday), bend, carry, reach with hands and arms, use hands to finger, handle, feel, and use office equipment, and communicate (talk and hear). Occasionally, the employee is required to balance, kneel, push, pull, lift, twist, stoop, or crouch. The employee is required to lift or exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally. Occasionally, the employee is required to lift or exert force of up to up to 50 pounds.

Evaluation & Review

Probationary Period: First 90 days focused on onboarding, training, and skill acquisition.

Annual Review: Performance review based on job duties, progress toward goals, and professional development.

Workplace Policies & Agreements

Review and acknowledge understanding of SENDCAA’s policies, code of conduct, and self-sufficiency procedures annually.

The preceding statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel in this position.