Position: Home & Housing Specialist
Reports to: Data, Media and Communications Team Lead
Department: Family Supports
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Position Summary
The Home & Housing Specialist will assist families in their individual person-centered approaches to plan and secure housing for and with their family member with a disability. They may do this on their own with a family, or in collaboration with the other Family Support facilitator involved. Tapping into a combination of existing and typical community options, personal assets, ideas, and creativity, the Specialist will bring their passion for “home” and housing, and dynamic interpersonal skills to this role.

Guided by the principles of Imagining Home, the Specialist will work collaboratively with each family and support them as they become ready to move forward with creating a home of one’s own for their family member, delving into what captures “home” for each person and helping to build sustainable, reliable and relevant plans of home and support. Sustainable plans that are rooted in companionship often look towards housemate situations. The Specialist will assist the team and families to evolve our understanding and support, to bring about this role in situations where it is desired.

The Home and Housing Specialist will also take a lead role in developing and co-facilitating monthly Imagining Home group meetings with interested families, ensuring rich and relevant material for each meeting.

In addition to direct work with families and facilitated group meetings, a key to this role will be leveraging community capacity and leadership. Under the direction of families, Imagining Home’s guiding principles and the team lead, the Specialist will keep a “finger on the pulse” of current and emerging housing issues, seeking out allies, collaborators, innovative opportunities and solutions, that address housing issues that affect families.

Research, grant writing, evaluation and ongoing reporting in professional and public formats will be important elements within the scope of this role. Some of this time will be allocated to support the work and direction of the Intentionally Build Communities incorporated family group, and where necessary with municipalities, The Region, local organizations and businesses.

A final core focus will be to use various methods to share our learning with interested partners and stakeholders in order to advance more individualized, sustainable home and housing models.

Responsibilities
- Provide individualized support to each family to guide them through the decisions and resources to secure housing that will best suit them
- Facilitate monthly group meetings and manage expectations from a diverse population
- Provide information and options for housing including details regarding type, location and social aspects of home choices
- Work collaboratively with DFR facilitators to assist families to be in a position to move forward on their established housing plans
- Collaborate with families involved in the housing groups, helping to build capacity and leadership that will ensure a strong and sustainable group into the future
- Work in conjunction with the long-term planning and facilitation supports available to each person
- Assist in developing a Home & Housing Resource kit of information suitable for future families to begin the same kind of creative process on their own
- Maintain a pulse and communicate pertinent housing developments, initiatives, incentives and policies to staff and families
- Plan and engage in conversations with realtors, bankers, and other resources to secure housing solutions
- Connect and collaborate with community members, organizations and local government to further housing initiatives
- Develop and maintain a “Brain Trust” of community members skilled and willing to provide assistance to family plans
- Design and keep current an affordable housing interactive resource
- Keep up to date on tools and resources that will continue to support our work in housing
- Collect, organize and provide and interpret data, evaluation measures and reporting to other parts of the organization
- Engage in grant research and proposal writing
- Demonstrate a positive, supportive and professional relationship with all staff, families, volunteers, other providers, and the community
- Maintain strict confidentiality regarding Durham Family Resources’ business, its policies and procedures
- Perform all duties and responsibilities in a manner consistent with DFR’s Mission, Values, Vision and Principles of Family Support
- Other duties, relevant to the position, shall be assigned as required
- Co-facilitate the Housemate Working Group

Skills & Qualifications
- Post-secondary education with a focus on housing, urban planning/development or community development
- Minimum 2 years of experience helping people develop and secure housing, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
- Experience working with people living with a developmental disability and their family, or other marginalized community members an asset
- Thorough understanding of the issues of poverty, being under-housed and discrimination that this community faces and how these issues affect the lives of people
- Strong communication, presentation and group facilitation skills, including excellent written communication skills
- Knowledge of existing housing options (including local by-laws, zoning and renovation options an asset)
- Experience working with Municipal and Regional representatives in a positive and creative way an asset
- Ability to make and sustain relationships with families, community members and groups as well as real estate agents, financial institutions, mortgage specialists, etc.
- Strong computer proficiency in Microsoft 365, Zoom and Teams (flyer and poster graphic skills to assist families)
- High attention to detail
- Excellent multitasking and time management skill with ability to set priorities and meet deadlines

Working Conditions
- 35 hours week; additional hours and flexible working schedules will be required
- Travel required throughout Durham Region

Please submit cover letter and resume to hr@dafrs.com. This posting will remain active until a suitable candidate has been selected.