This position shall serve as the Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD VASH) Housing Specialist assigned to the Community Reintegration Service (CRS), and shall work under the administrative and clinical supervision of the Director, CRS, through the HUD VASH Enhanced Team Supervisor. The incumbent carries out all duties related to obtaining secure and stable housing for chronically homeless and/or homeless Veterans through the utilization of the HUD Housing Choice Voucher.

Duties

Schedules, coordinates, and facilitates housing opportunities for HUD VASH participants through housing development activities. Prepares reports, maintains records and databases, as well as performs other related work in conjunction with HUD-VASH Case Managers and the Veterans who are enrolled in the program. Follows up with VASH participants as they search for permanent housing. T Takes Veterans out to see units that are available for rent and report the outcome of these visits weekly. Keeps other staff informed of any new units that are available. Assists HUD VASH participants with housing related issues relevant to obtaining/fulfilling lease requirements such as initial household set up, budgeting, housekeeping, health, safety/security concerns, contacting the landlord about repairs and other problems in the home. Assists, guides, and refers VASH participants to other resources as needed. Prepares materials to mail out/hand out in order to educate prospective landlords of the HUD VASH program; and maintain good public relations with landlords and developers in the community that may be willing to rent to a Veteran with a HUD-VASH voucher. Plans seminars for program participants and (potential) landlords. Assists VASH participants with applications for various rental assistance resources including print and internet resources, as needed. Assists VASH participants in their search to find housing that will meet the minimum qualifications of a Public Housing Administration (PHA) Inspector. Attends briefing sessions with program participants as needed. Participates in the interviewing process of VASH participants to determine eligibility and a needs assessment. Interacts and collaborates with the HUD-VASH Case Managers, Veterans, and PHA staff in order to secure placements expeditiously once the Veteran has received a voucher. Introduces Veterans with HUD-VASH vouchers to landlords and negotiate various aspects of leasing such as security deposits, utility bills, and monthly lease amounts. Counsels Veteran applicants on their eligibility and assists Veterans and landlords in the leasing process at the PHA, as well monitor units under lease. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: May be auhorized - as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Service Representative/PD208860 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time in grade and specialized experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/17/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience in a program of direct social welfare services that required the application of program policy and operations knowledge in providing social welfare services and/or assisting social workers; Schedules, coordinates, and facilitates housing opportunities through housing development activities; Assist program participants with applications for various rental assistance resources including print and internet resources; Maintains regular contact with landlords to ensure that concerns are addressed immediately with the case management; Acts as a liaison between all parties, including but not limited to the PHA, landlords, and veterans/homeless to address housing needs. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week. Preferred Experience: Experience and knowledge of VA Medical Center and community resources to assist HUD-VASH participants. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Interpersonal EffectivenessOral Communication Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items, such as papers, books, or small parts; or driving an automobile. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address VA Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: Gabriella Granderson
• Phone: (281) 928-2981
• Email: [email protected]