Housing Resource Specialist

AKRON METROPOLITAN HOUSING AUTHORITY

Job Title: Housing Resource Specialist

Reports to: Housing Choice Voucher Manager

Department: Housing Choice Voucher Program

Date: October 2025

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Minimum: $45,400

General Purpose:

The primary purpose of this position is to help participants achieve and maintain stable housing, including in areas of opportunity. This position will also build and maintain strong community and business relationships with Property Owners/Landlords that provide quality-housing opportunities to Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) participants. Through building relationships and coordination, this position will be able to advocate successfully for housing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Determine clients' housing needs and work with the Summit County Continuum of Care (SCCoC), Coordinated Entry maintaining a teamwork approach to housing search assistance.
• Determine and facilitate linkages to services (Job and Family Services, educational, drug and alcohol, mental health, etc.) that promote housing stability and enhance quality of life by making informed and appropriate referrals through AMHA or external agencies to assist clients in obtaining essential household items to include, but not limited to bedding, furniture and linens. quality of life.
• Networks and forms relationships with other housing professionals and service providers in order to keep abreast of services and assistance available to voucher holders.
• Collaborate with Resident Services Department to make sure HCV staff are made aware of services and assistance options available to voucher holders.
• Monitor and track allocation of special funds that support various lease up services.
• Build relationships with property owners/landlords and realtors to develop referral services and recruit additional property owners/landlords in Summit County.
• Educate owners/landlords.
• Create customized plans to address or mitigate barriers that families may face in renting a unit with a voucher, such as negative credit, lack of credit, negative rental or utility history, or to connect the family to other community resources.
• Continually work with HCV and Housing Placement Managers, as well as SCCoC, Coordinated Entry to build community support and overcome opposition of HCV assisted families in communities.
• Assist with data collection, outcomes measurement and program evaluation.
• Miscellaneous
  • Create marketing materials for landlord recruitment, community resources and opportunity areas
  • Conduct inspections and pre-inspections for special purpose vouchers and waivers as necessary
  • Assists in issuing vouchers
  • Provide information on opportunity areas
  • Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Behavioral Competencies: This position requires incumbents to exhibit the following behavioral skills:

COMMITMENT: Sets high standards of performance; pursues aggressive goals and works hard/smart to achieve them; strives for results and success; conveys a sense of urgency and brings issues to closure; persists despite obstacles and opposition. This skill is characterized by the following types of behaviors:

• Takes initiative to make things happen
• Maintains positive "can-do" attitude
• Successfully meets or exceeds goals
• Demonstrates dedication to and understanding of the mission of the organization
• Takes ownership of issues and problems, even when originating in other areas
• Consistently demonstrates effort to meet and exceed internal/external client expectations
• Overcomes obstacles to complete projects/tasks successfully
• Continuously improves own performance standards and results
• Learns and applies new information quickly
• Embraces the use of current technology to increase daily workload performance

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Meets/exceeds the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; identifies, understands, monitors and measures the needs of both internal and external customers; talks and acts with customers in mind; recognizes working colleagues as customers. This skill is characterized by the following types of behaviors:

• Treats customers with courtesy and concern; responds promptly, professionally and politely
• Anticipates what customer wants, and works to provide it
• Initiates action/response to customer complaint/inquiry
• Responds in a timely, effective manner, even if just following-up
• Considers every customer interaction as important
• Always delivers on customer commitments; measures performance
• Translates customer information to others in the organization with a need to know
• Ensures that consultation, products and services delivered address the customer's needs by asking customer for feedback

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION: Ensures important information is passed to those who need to know; conveys necessary information clearly and effectively orally or in writing; demonstrates attention to, and conveys understanding of, the comments and questions of others; listens effectively. This skill is characterized by the following types of behaviors:

• Willingly shares information
• Recognizes important information and ensures that others that need to know are informed
• Clearly and concisely expresses ideas and concepts orally and in writing
• Listens openly and non-judgmentally
• Expresses disagreement tactfully and sensitively
• Summarizes input, then checks for understanding
• Listens without interrupting
• Uses correct grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Maintains eye contact when speaking
• Thinks through main ideas that he/she is trying to express
• Ensures information is accurate; stops rumors from spreading

RESPONSIVENESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY: Demonstrates a high level of conscientiousness; holds oneself personally responsible for one's own work; does fair share of work. This skill is characterized by the following types of behaviors:

• Will not ignore a problem, even if it is not one's direct responsibility
• Anticipates and acts to avoid a future problem
• Reacts quickly and positively to customer and co-worker inquiries
• Puts the highest priority on accomplishing objectives
• Takes responsibility for one's own actions
• Ensures fair share of work is completed
• Appropriately shares credit for work and ideas with co-workers and subordinates

Teamwork: Willingly shares responsibility for work with co-workers, strives to accomplish team goals and objectives. Demonstrates flexibility in balancing job responsibilities and the ability to deal with change. Open to new ideas and approaches.

Minimum Qualifications, Education and Certifications:

Bachelor's Degree preferred and a minimum of two years' experience working in an affordable housing program or related area; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Must have good written and verbal communication skills. Must have a valid Ohio driver's license and be insurable by AMHA.

Computer Skills:

To perform this job successfully, an individual should be competent in the usage of e-mail, internet, spreadsheet and word processing software. Employee must be capable of using common office equipment such as copiers, fax machines and scanners. Must be able to learn other computer software programs as required by assigned tasks.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

Physical demands may include kneeling, reaching, pushing, fingering, manipulating, talking, hearing, sitting for extended periods, crouching, standing for extended periods, stooping, walking, lifting up to 10 lbs. and repetitive motion using a keyboard, telephone and calculator. The visual acuity requirements include viewing a computer monitor and extensive reading.

Working Conditions: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job:

Office environment.

AMHA offers a safe work place culture; comprehensive compensation and benefits program including, but not limited to: Competitive salary; Participation in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System; Excellent medical, free dental and vision plans with minimal out of pocket cost; Basic Life insurance; Fourteen paid holidays; Paid vacation, personal and sick plans.