Community Housing Coordinator

Type of Position

Full-time, 1-year contract

Hours of Work

37.5 hours/ week, Monday – Friday, may include some evenings and weekends, depending on relevant events

Vacation & Benefits

4 weeks of vacation, plus an office shutdown between December 24th - January 1st

Start Date

As soon as possible

Salary

$75,000/ year, depending on level of experience

Application due: 

Monday, September 4th, 2023 at 5:00 pm *We will be conducting rolling interviews as applications are received.

Location & Office Environment

Ottawa, Ontario

This job is largely a community based, mobile position, and access to a vehicle is a requirement.  The successful candidate will have access to a central City office location, and will be provided with a laptop computer and the necessary software to complete their duties.

Description of Organization

The Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa (ATEHO) is a member-driven coalition of local organizations and individuals collaborating and advocating to prevent and end homelessness in Ottawa. The Alliance aims to achieve an inclusive city where everyone has a secure, appropriate and affordable home.  The mission of the Alliance is to be the lead advocate in mobilizing and facilitating community-wide action to end homelessness in Ottawa, through widespread mobilization, public education and advocacy, and system coordination.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director of ATEHO, the Community Housing Coordinator will work with community partners and the City of Ottawa staff to rapidly rehouse individuals staying in Physical Distancing Centres (PDC), connected with Housing Based Case Managers (HBCM) or PDC Housing Support Staff and develop strategies to create flow within the system (e.g. moving to supportive housing from shelter). 

In partnership and as a co-lead with the City’s PDC Housing Services Coordinator, the Community Housing Coordinator is responsible for supporting the coordination of services between PDC staff and community partner agencies such as housing first agencies, supportive housing providers and community shelters. These services include: linking with current HBCM/PDC Housing support staff to identify housing needs, type and suitability, updating individualized action plans with identified clients for housing options. This also includes working directly with housing providers (e.g. supportive housing networks) to identify suitable and available housing options. Additionally, the Community Housing Coordinator is responsible for identifying barriers to access housing within the system and working with City and community partners to resolve. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

Coordinates and manages communication between community partners and City of Ottawa PDC staff

• Set up twice weekly meetings for reviewing client plans for housing and what steps remain to support their housing plans
• Conducts ongoing engagement with community partners and the City of Ottawa to resolve identified system barriers that slow the housing process
• Identify barriers in the housing system as well as potential solutions and make recommendations to the interim / oversight table
• Works collaboratively with the Housing Services Coordinator and facilitate contacts with community partners to support PDC and HBCM clients
• Provides updates to the oversight table as a consistent communications channel for updates and progress
• Supports HBCM/PDC housing staff with options to support clients
• Identifies common barriers to housing and develops strategies to address them in collaboration with the Housing Services Coordinator and community partners
• Completes a scan of the assessment tools used for move in ready shelters users and action plans
• Develops and/or recommends in partnership with community and PDC lead a consistent tool / process for assessment
• Determines what is required to help clients move into permanent housing as soon as possible

Coordinates missing services that are required to support clients’ housing plans which include:

• Identify gaps in services to support clients being housed and work with community partners and PDC / HBCM staff to address them
• Engages community partners to determine existing housing options and work with PDC staff and case managers to see if these would match client’s identified housing needs

Identifies housing options & strategies to support flow within the housing system

• Develops and manages relationship with social and supportive housing sector 
• Identifies opportunities to create flow; individuals who are no longer in need of supportive housing to create vacancies for those with the shelter system who have been identified as requiring supportive houseing and are document ready to move in  
• Creates and manages list of available housing units
• Defines the type of housing option to support the appropriate matching of clients e.g., unit type and size, rental costs, location, and available date
• Maintains and shares a list of housing options with the other members of the team
• Maintains a record of units available and offered

Coordinates and manages overall process including relationship with oversight table

• Develop evaluation criteria for this prototype
• Supports the development of all project plans including communication plans
• Ensures compliance with client privacy and information sharing processes
• Develop Terms of Reference

*Roles / Responsibilities may include other tasks as required and will need to be reviewed and or adjusted after implementation and evaluation results of phase 1.

To Apply:

We encourage applications from individuals who reflect the broad diversity of communities we work with and disproportionately experience homelessness and housing insecurity, in particular those with lived experience of homelessness, women, First Nations, Inuit, and Metis People, racially visible groups, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ2S+ communities.

If at any stage in the selection process you require special accommodation, please let us know the nature of the required accommodation.

Please send your resume and cover letter to Kaite Burkholder Harris (Executive Director) at [email protected] with the subject line Community Housing Coordinator Application by: Monday, September 4th, 2023 at 5:00 pm.

*Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis as applications are received.

Due to the high volume of applicants, we can neither confirm receipt of nor respond to inquiries regarding your application. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.