Summary The Housing Specialist will function as a Social Service Representative operating within the Community Outreach Division (COD) within the Chalmers P Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic - Columbus VA, in Columbus, OH. The core responsibilities will center on securing housing for veterans entering the program throughout the Columbus, Ohio catchment by providing program support to the HUD-VASH clinical team, supervisor, and coordinator. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION VETERAN HOUSING SUPPORT - LIAISON SERVICES - 80% Act as a liaison between all parties, including but not limited to the VA, Public Housing Authorities/PHA, landlord, and Veteran, to address housing needs. Regularly provides education and training to Veterans, local landlords and community organizations interested in HUD-VASH/Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV). Participate in Veteran Service Organization Workgroup (VSOW). Provide aid and consultation to HUD-VASH staff and Veterans on PHA document completion. Serve as the point of contact and liaison to ensure that housing packets are complete, and vouchers are processed and issued. Assist Veterans with the housing search process. Troubleshooting, problem solving, and providing appropriate intervention between HUD-VASH staff and PHA staff to resolve/prevent voucher terminations. Assist Veterans with their move into housing. Conduct walkthroughs of apartments, using the HQS form and any local requirements. Provide support to HUD-VASH clinical staff related to HUD-VASH program record Management. Provide support to clinical staff regarding document completion and submission related to HUD regulations and HCV voucher maintenance. Tracks document submission to the PHAs and monitors timeframes for completion. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND TRAINING - 20% Conduct outreach to landlords and property managers to increase awareness and utilization of HUD-VASH vouchers. Provide education to potential landlords regarding voucher processes. Develop and provide guides and reference materials regarding HUD-VASH. Provide formal HCV/HUD-VASH training sessions related to staff. Provide regular consultation with all VAMC services and CoC stakeholders. Serve as the VAMC Subject Matter Expert on HUD-VASH and HCV. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00AM - 4:30PM Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. AD-HOC - Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work physically active, occurs in the clinical environment and in the community while serving Veteran populations with complex needs. While the work does not normally require physical care for a veteran, except in an unexpected emergency situation, the work may involve some walking, standing, bending, or carrying light items. Competent automobile driving skills are required. The position requires the transportation of Veterans as part of normal work requirements. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-8 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING: THERE IS AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. PLUS SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) - A Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: "Possess a current and unrestricted, valid state-issued Driver's License." (Note: We may not accept pictures. Please Do Not submit a copy of your license. This requirement will be verified if interviewed.) PLUS THERE IS A BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: You must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in major fields of study such as: social welfare, sociology, psychology, public administration, philosophy, education, anthropology, history, economics and/or English. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED) PLUS SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Possess two (2) years of experience as a social welfare worker or social work assistant in a voluntary, public, social, or health agency. One (1) year of this experience must have been in a medical setting and equivalent to the next lower grade in Federal service. Specialized experience includes assisting clients/patients with the enrollment process for housing programs, serve as liaison with multiple parties to address housing needs, interacting with clients/patients and with both clinical and non-clinical staff, orienting new clients/patients by providing education, resources and information about programs available, assist clients/patients with their move into housing, conduct walkthrough of apartments, providing support HUD-VASH clinical staff related to HUD-VASH program, conduct outreach to landlord and property managers to increase awareness and use of HUD-VASH vouchers. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Work is physically active, occurs in the clinical environment and in the community while serving Veteran populations with complex needs. While the work does not normally require physical care for a veteran, except in an unexpected emergency situation, the work may involve some walking, standing, bending, or carrying light items. Competent automobile driving skills are required. The position requires the transportation of Veterans as part of normal work requirements. The staff person, as part of their expected duties, will need to maintain an active unrestricted driver's license This transportation will be provided in approved government vehicles. The incumbent must meet the minimum VA and VHA medical requirements for the operation of vehicles as outlined in VA Handbook 5019, Part IV, Appendix A. The work is primarily performed in community and office settings. The Housing Specialist will be required to walk around the Medical Center and/or travel via government transportation to case management meetings in the home, meetings with the PHA, and meetings in the larger community, often with landlord or homeless service providers. The Housing Specialist may also be required to provide transportation to Veterans and the Veteran's family for some community-based appointments, medical, court or other justice contacts, or to obtain needed documentation or identification. The Housing Specialist may also provide community outreach involving additional community contacts. 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 IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible for bargaining unit participation.
