Search Services Advocate

Description

Rosie’s Place was founded in 1974 as the first women’s shelter in the United States. Our mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives.

Over the years, we have become much more than a shelter. We are a multi-service community center that not only provides meals and shelter but also creates answers for thousands of women a year through wide-ranging support, housing and education services. Rosie’s Place relies on the generous support of individuals, foundations and corporations and does not accept any city, state or federal funding.

The Housing Search Services Advocate plays a key role in supporting Rosie’s Place guests in navigating the complex housing landscape of Greater Boston. This role combines direct service, case management, advocacy, and collaboration with internal and external partners to help guests secure and maintain stable housing. The Housing Search Services Advocate will conduct intakes, develop individualized housing search plans, assist with applications, provide ongoing support, and connect guests with wraparound services across Rosie’s Place departments.

• Conduct housing intakes and readiness assessments for guests referred to the program
• Collaborate with guests to develop individualized Housing Search Action Plans, outlining goals, barriers, and steps toward housing stability
• Conduct walk-in housing search clinics to provide immediate assessment, guidance, and resource navigation
• Carry and manage an active caseload, providing ongoing support and follow-up
• Assist guests in completing housing applications, gathering documentation, and preparing for landlord interviews
• Provide education on tenant rights, budgeting, and maintaining housing
• Maintain consistent, trauma-informed, and strengths-based engagement with each guest in prioritizing their needs and setting achievable goals
• Coordinate closely with Advocacy, Stabilization, Legal Advocacy, Workforce Development, and Behavioral Health programs to provide wraparound support
• Make referrals to external partners for additional support, i.e. Furniture bank, movers etc.
• Build and maintain relationships with landlords, property managers, housing authorities, and community partners
• Stay current on affordable housing programs, eligibility requirements and market trends
• Maintain accurate guest records in Salesforce, a database to track guest support
• Ensure confidentiality when handling all aspects of guests’ information
• Participate in weekly supervision, program meetings, and monthly staff meetings
• Intervene in guests’ crises and emergencies in a dignified and respectful manner
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Director of Housing Search Services

Requirements

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow, and excel professionally. We know people gain skills through a variety of professional, personal, educational and volunteer experiences. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. We want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. This said, we are most likely to be interested in your candidacy if you can demonstrate the majority of the qualifications and experiences listed below:

• Bilingual abilities in Spanish or Haitian Creole in addition to English are strongly preferred
• Strong commitment to social justice and the mission of Rosie’s Place
• 2 years of experience in housing search, case management, or advocacy preferred
• Experience with crisis intervention with people who have experienced trauma, homelessness, mental health challenges, and/or substance use disorders
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to exercise sound judgement and think quickly on your feet
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work well, and effectively communicate with other departments
• Strong customer service mindset with effective and diplomatic, yet supportive communication style
• Dependable, flexible and able to work effectively in a collaborative way in a team setting
• Proficient computer literacy, including the ability to…