Summary In the role of Homeless Program's Social Services Representative (Housing Specialist), the incumbent will work independently as a subject matter expert in coordinating and developing housing resources throughout the Dayton VA Medical Center (VAMC)16-county catchment area and will be a Point of Contact for Dayton VAMC and the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families (SSVF) agencies Healthcare Navigator. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: Case Management - 60% Responsible for responsible for managing an independent caseload of Veterans as assigned to assist Veterans with securing or retaining stable, permanent housing. The majority of these Veterans and cases will have complex circumstances that require greater support and expertise of a housing SME with specialized skill and judgement for all phases of lease up and housing retention. Works with the Veterans in identifying resources for financial assistance to obtain and maintain housing, utilities, furniture, food, and other necessities to ensure stable housing. Independently work with high-risk Veterans when engaging in housing search and retention services and provides crisis intervention seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint without direct supervision while in the community. Establishes and maintains effective working relationships and communication with Veterans, VA providers and representatives of community agencies. Independently utilizes high level of knowledge, sound judgment, skill, supportive problem solving or crisis intervention techniques in addressing the complex needs of homeless Veterans and coordination of housing resources for this Veteran population. Serves as an advocate on behalf of homeless and at-risk Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery, referral, and linkage of Veterans to VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies. Community Outreach - 25% Responsible for performing job duties independently in the community without immediate supervision of Homeless Programs Manager or HUDVASH Supervisor. In performing community outreach duties, the incumbent will engage with and educate landlords, and community resource providers about VA healthcare services, HCHV Outreach services to homeless Veterans, as well as the HUD-VASH Section 8 Voucher Choice Program. Assist Homeless Programs staff as they outreach to prospective landlords and property management groups on behalf of Veterans in HUD-VASH. This includes educating individuals and organizations on benefit of leasing to HUDVASH program, and the role of the VA Case Manager in helping to promote housing stability for program participants. Use independent judgement in facilitating identified interventions as identified by the Homeless Programs clinicians. Coordinates outreach and case management services to provide immediate and appropriate care for Veterans. Program Development - 15% Responsible for assisting Homeless Program Manager with program development, including making recommendations to leadership for changes within program procedures or policy to improve the overall quality of service delivery. Actively participates in program planning and development by providing input as well as appraisals of the effectiveness of the program and service delivery specific to housing attainment and retention. Assist the Homeless Programs Manager and HUD-VASH Supervisor in administrative functions of the program, such as preparation of housing reports, development of landlord housing stock spreadsheets, compiling statistical data relating to homeless Veterans and other duties as assigned. Actively participates in local Continuum of Care (CoC) Meetings with VA Homeless providers and the community; provides education and training to VA and community providers on services provided by the Homeless Programs, details of the housing search process, as well as availability of VA and community resources to assist homeless Veterans. NOTE: Operation of a motor vehicle is required. This position requires significant travel in a government vehicle and transporting Veterans in a government vehicle. The incumbent will be required to perform most of their job duties in the community and will be required to utilize a GSA vehicle while performing such duties. The Social Services Representative will successfully complete all facility requirements to drive a GSA Vehicle and transport Veterans. This includes all required physicals, including a pre-employment physical. In addition, the incumbent will successfully complete all facility required TMS and other trainings to drive a GSA Vehicle and transport Veterans. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Service Representative/PD91997-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized 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. Physical Requirements: This position requires frequent travel (approximately 75%) and operation of a Government-owned vehicle. The incumbent must be able to safely operate a motor vehicle and perform duties such as prolonged driving, walking, standing, and lifting light to moderate items. A valid, unrestricted driver's license and a safe driving record are required. A physical exam may be required. 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial 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 period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/14/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): This position has an occupational requirement. Candidates must meet one of the following Education or Specialized experience requirements. Education: Graduate education is not creditable for positions above the GS-07 level. Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression. Specialized experience is 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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. 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/. Physical Requirements: The work is active and is performed in a clinical setting as well as the community and serves a Veteran population with complex needs. The care does not usually require physically caring for a Veteran. Normal safety precautions and practices are required for working in a healthcare environment. This position requires emotional ability to deal effectively with multi-tasking and high volume of patient flow. The position requires sitting, bending, stooping, and walking consistent with the delivery of services in the office, hospital, and community. The position may entail lifting of no more than 25 pounds on an occasional basis. Whenever possible, carts and dollies will be utilized as an alternative to lifting. In carrying out responsibilities, it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the Veterans, family members, representatives of community health, welfare agencies, legal and law enforcement agencies, along with community social services agencies. Operation of a motor vehicle is required. This position requires significant travel in a government vehicle and transporting Veterans in a government vehicle. The incumbent will be required to perform most of their job duties in the community and will be required to utilize a GSA vehicle while performing such duties. The Social Services Representative will successfully complete all facility requirements to drive a GSA Vehicle and transport Veterans. This includes all required physicals, including a pre-employment physical. In addition, the incumbent will successfully complete all facility required TMS and other trainings to drive a GSA Vehicle and transport Veterans. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information 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. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about 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/. VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the @context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.
