Senior Housing Officer (Coordinated Entry)

Overview:

The mission of the Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH) is to make Boston a more equitable and inclusive city where all residents can thrive. MOH oversees programs that create and preserve affordable housing, support homeowners and renters, provide housing and services to homeless individuals and families, and develop city-owned property. MOH seeks to carry out its mission through a lens of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and addressing the effects of systemic racism in our city.

The Supportive Housing Division at the Mayor’s Office of Housing is responsible for leading the collaborative effort to end homelessness in Boston.

Reporting directly to the Assistant Director of Data, Funding, and Performance or designee, this Senior Housing Development Officer (SDO) will spearhead the Coordinated Entry System in Boston; the system that streamlines and centralizes the process of accessing housing and services for individuals experiencing homelessness. Coordinated Entry System aims to provide standardized assessment, prioritize individuals based on vulnerability and need, offer referrals and navigation assistance, collect and analyze homelessness data, and facilitate housing placement.

The SDO is also responsible for managing the Coordinated Entry contracts that fund programs run by partner agencies, including those funded through the City of Boston and the City of Boston’s Continuum of Care (CoC) grant. The incumbent will liaise with the CoC Governance Board and lead various working groups to ensure efficient allocation of CoC resources and to assist in achieving an effective and equitable Coordinated Entry System.
 

Responsibilities:

• Drive the implementation of the City of Boston’s strategic plan to end homelessness in partnership with the Boston Continuum of Care’s community of providers and leadership structure.
• Convene and coordinate Boston’s extensive provider network in order to improve coordination and support housing-centered efforts.
• Partner with people with lived experience of homelessness on work related to system design and improvement, resource allocation, and other strategic efforts.
• Broaden the scope of homeless assistance programs by researching best practice models, conducting educational meetings, translating best practices into local policies, monitoring system implementation, and making appropriate adjustments to optimize program effectiveness for all eligible program types.
• Facilitate/Coordinate case conferencing and housing navigation meetings as needed to:
     ○ Identify system level barriers in the housing navigation process.
     ○ Build an action-oriented culture of urgency
     ○ Hold the team accountable for meeting the needs of each client, the landlords, and the rehousing system.
     ○ Create opportunities for peer learning and problem solving.
• Support the work of Coordinated Entry and Continuum of Care leadership bodies, as needed, to ensure stakeholder input is incorporated into policy and implementation decisions; prepare periodic reports and updates to track progress of strategic goals and system performance; participate in the annual CoC funding competition.
• Oversee project compliance, continuous quality improvement, data collection, and performance outcomes for priority initiatives within the Boston CoC HUD program or other designated projects.
• Understand other City and State department roles, identify cross-functional support, and engage necessary departments, such as Boston Public Schools, the MA Department of Mental Health, Boston Public Health Commission, and Boston Housing Authority among others, to accomplish goals.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve technology challenges; oversee the development of tech-based tools and improvements to enhance the referral process.
• Manage contracts related to homelessness initiatives that sit in the Mayor’s Office of Housing Supportive Housing Division. Ensure data management and data quality are meeting system objectives and funders’ and/or City’s expectations.
• Oversee and manage program activities, encompassing policy development, planning, budgeting, contracting, monitoring, providing technical assistance, and preparing HUD reports and applications.
• Assist in preparing and submitting the Annual HUD Notice of Funding Opportunity (NoFo) application for CoC funds.
• Assist the Mayor’s Office of Housing Supportive Housing Division team in responding to emergency constituent assistance requests from multiple sources as needed.
• Supervises consultants, contractors, and staff as needed.
• Perform related work as required.

Minimum Entrance Qualifications:

• Minimum of four (4) years of experience in policy development; program evaluation and design; stakeholder management, or related professional experience is required, including two (2) years in a project or program management capacity. Additional experience preferred. Appropriate educational substitutions may be made.
• Degree in public policy, social work, business or public administration or related fields preferred.
• Familiarity with HUD regulations, specifically the Continuum of Care program, the HEARTH Act.
• Understanding of housing issues and programs including those that serve people experiencing homelessness (specific program knowledge preferred but not required).
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, and Google suite required; Salesforce and HUD reporting systems preferred.
• Willingness to work evenings and weekends throughout the city.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by the job.

Homelessness disproportionately affects people of color, people with disabilities, and other populations; we strongly encourage applications from people who are
members of marginalized communities. Preference will be given to candidates who have lived experience relevant to the work.

Boston Residency Required. 

Terms:

Union/Salary Plan/Grade: SEIU/N-24

Hours: 35 per week