Applicant Support Specialist

Position Purpose:

Are you motivated to help seniors and other low-income homeowners struggling to keep their homes safe, healthy, and well-maintained?  Habitat helps 100+ deserving households get home improvement projects done each year, many of whom struggle through the process and need your help.

Reporting to the Home Preservation Team’s Director, the Applicant Support Specialist, Home Preservation (ASP) works cross-functionally to assist up to 75 low-income homeowners, many of them elders, seeking service through Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley’s (Habitat’s) Home Preservation Programs each year. The ASP provides individualized support by working to mitigate barriers that impede program access. They plan, provide and coordinate support, and provide linkage to other needed services. The ASP assists applicants in successfully accessing Habitat’s Home Preservation Programs and collaborates with other team members to determine when successful program participation is not feasible. 

Essential Functions of Position:

• Work with applicants to determine the nature and degree of assistance they require to successfully navigate the program and their probability of program success.
• Together with the applicant and their support network, develop a plan to maximize program success.
• Implement the plan, which includes identifying service providers, family, and community resources to help assure the timely, and effective mobilization.
• Together with other team members, determine when service is unfeasible.
• Complete all ongoing required Salesforce documentation, reporting and analysis.
• Lead team discussions on applicant progress and lack of progress, and spearhead development of solutions to ensure best support for the participant’s success.
• Maintain location-specific resource directories on service providers and vendors and distribute information applicants and their family or peer support.
• Collaborate with other agencies to maximize use of community services to include providing feedback about the appropriateness of their referrals and Habitat’s capacity to address identified needs.
• Together with other team members, participate in dispute mediation as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Bachelor's degree in social work, health, counseling, psychology, gerontology, or a related field; or five years of experience in providing comparable services can be substituted for education.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute for the degree.
• Ability to pass a Criminal Background Check.
• Sensitive to the needs of and ability to work with elderly and functionally impaired adults from diverse ethnic and minority cultures.
• Computer skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of community and social service resources in Alameda County, Contra Costa County and/or Santa Clara County
• Good communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Must have and maintain valid CA driver license, satisfactory driving record, vehicle, and auto insurance coverage.

Working Environment:

Primary work will be performed remotely, in the field and at either the Milpitas or Oakland Habitat office (post-pandemic).

Note: This document describes typical duties and responsibilities and is not intended to limit management from assigning other work as desired.

Interested candidates must submit both a cover letter and resume to Lucinda Lee O’Sullivan, Director of HR & Operations at hr@habitatebsv.org