Career pathway
Housing & Homelessness
Support people moving from crisis to stable housing through outreach, navigation and tenancy support services.
About this specialty
This pathway focuses on housing as health. Professionals do street and shelter outreach, assist with document readiness and housing applications, coordinate with continuums of care, and provide tenancy sustaining services so people stay housed after placement.
Communities served: People experiencing unsheltered homelessness, families in transitional housing, and newly housed tenants at risk of returning to homelessness.
Careers to explore
Real roles members move into within this specialty.
Housing Navigator
Guides applications, documents and placement
Street Outreach Specialist
Field engagement with unsheltered neighbors
Tenancy Support Coordinator
Keeps newly housed tenants stably housed
Shelter Case Manager
Day-to-day support in interim housing
Housing Program Supervisor
Leads a navigation or outreach team
Skills you already have
Transferable CHW competencies that carry directly into this pathway.
- Field outreach and engagement
- Trauma-informed communication
- Harm reduction mindset
- Benefits and document navigation
- De-escalation
- Community partnership building
Skills to build
What can help you step into or advance within this specialty.
- Coordinated Entry System and HMIS
- VI-SPDAT and assessment tools
- Landlord engagement and negotiation
- Fair housing and tenant rights
- Housing First fidelity
- Crisis response protocols
Recommended training
Professional development that supports this pathway. More programs are added each cohort.
Housing First & Harm Reduction
Unique Catalyst · 2-day workshop
HMIS Data Entry Basics
Continuum of Care · Online module
Tenant Rights for Navigators
Legal aid partner · Webinar series
Employment opportunities
A sample of the kinds of roles that appear in this specialty. Live postings live in the Career Center.
Housing Navigator
Community services agency · San Bernardino, CA
Full-timeOutreach Specialist
Street medicine team · Field-based
Full-timeTenancy Support CHW
Supportive housing provider · Ontario, CA
Full-time
Mentorship in this specialty
Soon you'll be able to discover members already working in housing & homelessness and request a mentor from within this pathway. In the meantime, explore our mentorship cycles.