Summary

The Housing Specialist position is located within the Homeless Program. The Housing Specialist works directly with the HUD VASH Program under the direction of the Homeless Program Manager and provides housing services for homeless Veterans in the HUD VASH program as well as other assigned homeless Veterans This position supports HUD VASH Veterans as an active member of the Housing First teams.

Duties

Help

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

The incumbent is responsible for completing the following duties/responsibilities:

• Provides housing related case management services for homeless Veterans and their families along with seeking to recruit and retain landlords who rent to Veterans in the HUD VASH program.
• Case Management and housing support services include but are not limited to duties such as:
• create housing lists for veterans,
• conduct housing seminars, and
• serve as a housing resource person for veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless,
• providing case management services for Veterans in the initial phases of VASH program,
• completing assessments and housing stability plans when assigned, and
• conducting home visits with Veterans in continuing case management phases to assist Veterans in maintaining housing
• Direct housing search activities include, but are not limited to:
• driving Veterans to or meeting Veterans at housing units both for viewing and walk-through purposes,
• contacting and recruiting landlords, and
• providing housing lists to Veterans.
• Coordinates care including serving as an advocate on behalf of the veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery and linking and referring veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices, and/or community agencies.
• Provide wellness/prevention education along with housing and tenancy education and will facilitate Patient/family support groups as appropriate.
• Demonstrate the ability to function independently and to work across different agencies such as the Veterans Administration, Vet Centers, and Community Based Outpatient Clinics( CBOC's) in the Lexington VA catchment area.
• Participates in Homeless Program team meetings and HUD- VASH Program conference calls and attends training offered by the HUD-VASH program.
• Responsible for following local policy and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the HUD-VASH Program. This includes following policies and documentation requirements as required for Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and Joint Commission (JC) accreditation.
• Takes responsibility for improving professional skills, participating in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars and institutes, and participating in training programs of other disciplines as requested.
• Performs accountability functions:
• document all contacts with patients/families in the medical charts;
• completes Homeless Operation Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) database entries as assigned in accordance with VA Central Office timelines, and
• completes statistical and other reports in accordance with VA Medical Center and respective professional discipline service policies.
• Performs any other duties which are in the best interest of patient care and deemed necessary by the supervisor.
  

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 31100-F; Social Work- Housing Specialist

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• 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).
  
  

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• 
  
  United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education: Candidates must have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• 
  
  Licensure: Social workers at the GS-11 level must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/
  
  

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: GS-11

Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:

• Experience and Licensure.
  
  

Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level.

NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c.

OR

(2) Education.

In addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. Full Performance Level Assignment. This is the full performance level. Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work.

• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
• Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
• Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
• Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.
  
  

Basis for Selection: Selections for positions will be based on the objective evaluation of the candidates' total qualifications for the position. "Qualifications" means the combination of experience, training, education, skills, knowledges, abilities, personal characteristics, and merit factors deemed to be pertinent to successful performance.



Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.