Job Description
Department: Residential Services
Job Title: Coordinated Entry Specialist
Reports to: Coordinated Entry Manager
Effective Date: 2/5/2024
Level:
Professional
Supervisory/Managerial
Executive
Type of Position:
Full-time
Part-time
Contractual
Intern/Volunteer
Hours per week:
Exempt
Non-exempt
General Description: The Coordinated Entry Specialist will work directly with victim service programs throughout the Western PA Continuum of Care (CoC) to ensure that all survivors of domestic violence who are experiencing a housing crisis are able to access safe, affordable, and permanent housing through the Coordinated Entry System of Western PA. This position will provide technical assistance to victim service providers about Coordinated Entry and work with each agency to address their specific needs and concerns about participating in the coordinated entry system. The Coordinated Entry Specialist will also work to improve relationships among victim service providers and housing/homeless providers across the CoC to better serve the complex needs of domestic violence survivors.
Core Responsibilities:
- Outreach and engagement of victim service providers to educate and encourage participation in the coordinated entry system (CES).
- Partner with the Coordinated Entry Committee, and Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) as needed to problem solve domestic violence cases and give voice to the ideas and needs of victim service providers who are engaging in the coordinated entry system.
- Ensure that consistent linkage and communication exists between domestic violence providers, the coordinated entry system, housing/homeless providers, the individual Regional Homeless Advisory Boards (RHAB’s), and the CoC as a whole.
Day-to-Day Activities:
- Management of the By-Name-List (BNL), including facilitation of regional case conferencing meetings with Assessment Centers and County-Specific Local Housing Options Teams, or similar coalitions.
- Coordinate with participating agencies utilizing the BNL to fill program openings through engagement of prioritized clients to prepare for service inquiries (e.g. document readiness) and referral screening to ensure eligibility requirements are met.
- Provide feedback and support to assessment centers and other local partners to facilitate diversion and to assist low-prioritized households to exit the BNL through other housing intervention/assistant modalities and referrals to mainstream services.
- Provide transportation assistance, as time permits, to reduce barriers to access to housing intervention enrollments.
- Conduct community outreach, marketing and training to housing, homeless and other human service providers, first responders, police, health systems, county and municipal governments, consumers, and the public.
- Build relationships with landlords and help strengthen local/regional landlord lists and bridge barriers to households in connecting with landlords/properties (e.g. apartment searching, viewing units, completing applications), as time permits.
- Conduct Coordinated Entry intakes, as needed to fill gaps in coverage during CE business hours, with individuals fleeing domestic violence and/or presenting at a domestic violence center.
- Monitor the coordinated entry process to ensure individuals anonymously included on the CoC’s prioritized waiting list have equal access to housing/ homeless assistance resources throughout the CoC.
- Expand CES operations to include and incorporate trauma-informed and victim-centered policies and practices.
- Serve as liaison between victim service providers, PCADV (and potentially other funders such as Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency), and the coordinated entry system.
- Interpret and enforce CES Written Standards, policies, and procedures.
- With support from PCADV, facilitate regular meetings among domestic violence providers to focus on continual quality improvement, training, peer learning, and problem solving around coordinated entry.
- Participate in the Western PA CoC Coordinated Entry Committee.
- Participate in all Regional Homeless Advisory Board (RHAB) meetings throughout the CoC.
- Participate in all coordinated entry By-Name-List “scrub” calls.
- With support from PCADV, provide technical assistance and training to domestic violence providers on coordinated entry, housing issues and resources, and services/systems access to increase housing advocacy knowledge among domestic violence programs.
- With support from PCADV, provide technical assistance and training to non-domestic violence providers related to victim-centered and trauma-informed practices.
- Maintain relevant records and documentation and prepare reports as needed.
- Collaborate and train other agency staff on housing/homelessness related topics, as needed.
- Perform all work in a culturally responsive manner consistent with One by One’s mission and philosophy.
- Collaborate with staff members about service provision and establishment of related policies and procedures.
- Complete and maintain required documentation, both in web-based software and paper files.
- Respond to consumer grievances with the CES promptly and courteously.
- Review and distribute monthly CES reports to all partners and funders.
- Attending staff meetings and in-service training.
- Perform other duties as assigned as allowed by funding streams.
- Comply with the CoC Program Interim Rule.
Education and/or Experience:
Bachelor's degree in social work, Human Services, or a related field and/or equivalent experience is preferred, but experience will be considered in lieu of education.
1-2 years of relevant experience required, Bi-lingual and or Bi-Cultural preferred
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:
PA Act 33/34 certifiable
FBI Clearance
Valid driver's license
Must complete 65 hours of training within the first month of employment
Must maintain a minimum of 10 hours of continuing education
Job Scope:
Work involves a variety of complex duties and responsibilities in the Continuum’s efforts to connect people experiencing homelessness to healthy, safe, affordable, accessible, and sustained housing.
This position requires considerable judgement and discretion in task fulfillment, and strong interpersonal and communication skills. This position requires proficiency in entering and analyzing data in Microsoft Excel and Google Suite including using a shared drive and creating and editing Google forms. Coordinated Entry Specialists use meeting formats to conduct virtual meetings.
Quality performance of responsibilities has a distinct impact upon outcome achievement, funding, and reputation of the One-by-One Continuum of Care. Overall job effectiveness is tied to the Specialists ability to establish and maintain credibility and good rapport with consumer’s, community partners, volunteers and other staff.
Coordinated Entry Specialists are CoC representatives and are to abide by agency policies, state, federal, and local laws, CoC policies, and agency-of-hire policies in their relationships and contacts throughout their appointment. Specialists, therefore, are expected not to engage in activities on or off duty that jeopardize their credibility as staff members or activities that make the CoC or agency-of-hire vulnerable.
The Western PA CoC is committed to inclusive excellence by advancing equity and diversity in all that we do. A personal and professional commitment to creating inclusivity and culturally relevant services are a core value to our advancement of housing and homelessness interventions.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Contract
Pay: $17.00 - $20.52 per hour
Expected hours: 37.5 per week
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Life insurance
- Parental leave
- Retirement plan
Schedule:
Ability to Relocate:
- New Castle, PA 16101: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in New Castle, PA 16101