This position is located in the Lebanon VA Medical Center's (VAMC) Health Care for Homeless Veterans Program (HCHV) Housing and Urban Development- VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program under the technical guidance and instructions of the Coordinator of the HCHV Program.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited: Incumbent is responsible for providing services to identify landlords and safe, clean, and quality apartments in communities Incumbent will work with the Veteran to locate appropriate housing using the HUD-VASH voucher Will provide case management for a brief period of time to those Veterans receiving the HUD-VASH vouchers to assist the Veterans gain more control over their lives to resolve issues which have led to homelessness such as, substance dependence and/or mental illness, thus maintaining the Veteran in their new home Responsibilities for this position are performed in a broad multi-community and rural setting Coordination of services with a wide range of Veterans, community housing authorities and community agencies Utilizes various treatment modalities of individual and group work, casework, community organization, and community outreach activities to alleviate or remove problems that interfere with homeless Veterans' ability to achieve independence and maintain their residence Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery and linking and referring Veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies Engages in coordination with community agencies, organizations, and groups to learn of services or resources available for homeless Veterans as well as provides current information on services and benefits available in the VA's Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Programs Develops working relationships with various community landlords and Public Housing Authorities, serving as a VA liaison or contact person Have contact with family members, police, landlords, Veteran service officers, community outreach workers, and shelter workers Participates in the professional activities of the HCHV HUD-VASH Program, and functions member of the associated multidisciplinary team Completes assignments based on knowledge, demonstrated skill, and proven sound judgment in working with serious and complicated Homeless Veterans experiencing complex mental illnesses and substance dependence which may result in challenging requirements for communication and decision making Observes behaviors that might indicate difficulty adapting or responding to treatment Will handle crisis intervention for any program patient or address other emergency situations without benefit of specific instructions Data analysis and tracks trends of HUD-VASH admissions and discharges then reports data to HCHV Program Coordinator Tracks and distributes all HUD-(ASH) vouchers; completes all housing authority paperwork for each Veteran The work is primarily community-based. Consequently, the incumbent must operate a government vehicle to visit Veterans in the community and periodically transport Veterans in the Government vehicle. Incumbent must pass all VHA requirements to operate a government vehicle prior to transporting Veterans. Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Telework: Available Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist - Housing Specialist/PD02158T 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 all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/06/2023. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 and/or education s described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 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 the rental real estate and public housing field; Experience with Public Housing Authority (PHA) Programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program; Experience working with homeless Veterans; Experience working with Veterans with mental health and substance use disorders; Identify and develop housing criteria, identifies potential barriers to securing desired housing, and helps develop strategies to overcome these barriers; Reviews housing placement progress and provides direct assistance; Participates in outreaches to prospective landlords and property management groups; Collecting data related to screening, referral, admission; Case management, discharge, and case outcomes as related to the housing; Actively participates in committees; Provide training to staff and etc. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related (Transcripts required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate-level education beyond a master's degree. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementPlanning and EvaluatingProblem Solving 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 usually sedentary, but it requires periods of walking, standing, bending or climbing, and employees may carry light items such as books, instruments, laptops, and other similar materials. 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

Contacts

• Address Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 South Lincoln Avenue Lebanon, PA 17042 US
• Name: Tamara Sneed
• Phone: 404-626-7179
• Email: [email protected]