TITLE: Shelter Specialist

CLASSIFICATION: Full-Time--Exempt

HOURS: Sunday-Thursday 8:30am-5:30pm

REPORTS TO: Director of Programs

Job Purpose 

Family Promise of Brevard is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to keeping families housed so children can thrive. Family-focused and community-powered, we work on two levels: directly with families through prevention, shelter, and stabilization services, and at the systems level by strengthening how communities respond to housing needs. Our zip code–based approach builds collaboration, addresses service gaps, removes barriers to education and training, and advocates for housing that is safe and affordable. Together, these efforts move us closer to our vision: a Brevard where every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a stronger future. 

Guided by our core values—Accountability, Excellence, Respect, Family-Focused, Forward-Thinking, and Innovation—we seek team members who share this commitment and are ready to make a meaningful impact in the lives of families and the health of our community. 

This role requires a highly skilled professional grounded in trauma-informed practice, strong emotional regulation, and ethical decision-making aligned with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. The Shelter Specialist must be able to navigate complex family dynamics, maintain professional boundaries, and respond calmly and effectively in high-stress situations while prioritizing the safety, dignity, and well-being of families, volunteers, and staff. The Shelter Specialist is responsible for coordinating emergency shelter for families with children experiencing homelessness. This includes assessment, case management, advocacy, and coordination of services to help families stabilize and transition into stable housing within 30 days (about 4 and a half weeks). These services begin before entry, actively occur during their shelter stay, and extend during exit to ensure their long-term housing success. The Shelter Specialist works directly and collaboratively with families, service providers, partner sites, contractors, volunteers, interns, and staff. This position may supervise interns and reports directly to the Director of Programs. 

Essential Job Functions 

Direct Services (40%) 

• Assess families referred to shelter for eligibility, onboarding families as appropriate, and referring out families who may be better served outside of our organization. 
• Together with the family, develop a Family Case Plan with mutually agreed upon SMART goals, using the Generalist Intervention Model (GIM) and Self-Sufficiency Matrix assessment to guide case management toward exiting shelter into housing within an average of 30 days.   
• Monitor families' progress in implementing their Family Case Plan throughout the week and during weekly scheduled meetings to review progress towards housing. 
• Support families in their understanding of the FPOB (Family Promise of Brevard) program guidelines and expectations regarding facility usage, including their facility maintenance chores. 
• Assist families with exiting our program, either voluntarily when housing is secured or involuntarily due to behavioral or medical concerns, while ensuring a warm handoff to the Stabilization Coordinator or community partners.  
• Maintain professional boundaries and model emotional regulation when supporting families in crisis, ensuring interactions reflect the organization’s values of Family Focus, Service Excellence, and Respect. 

Resource Connection and Coordination (20%) 

• Proactively coordinate each week of shelter with host coordinators, static site, van driver, and volunteers to ensure a seamless week of overnight shelter, transportation, and meals for families experiencing homelessness. 
• Respond to urgent family needs outside of normal hours on a limited basis, ensuring emergencies are addressed while maintaining healthy boundaries. 
• Connect families with any necessary community resources to increase stability, such as housing, financial resources, employment support, childcare, healthcare, and educational programs. 
• As needed, work with other staff to deliver resources, referrals, and workshops related to families’ unmet needs. 
• Serve as an advocate for families with community service agencies and network with other agencies to stay informed about resources and services. 
• Leverage cross-sector partnerships by coordinating with onsite and offsite providers and maintaining a current internal resource inventory to support timely, appropriate, and ethical referrals for families. 

Administration (40%) 

• Inventory, stock, and organize supplies for families in the shelter area. Coordinate with other staff, direct supervisor, and community partners when supplies are running low.  
• Ensure the cleanliness and presentation of the shelter area. 
• Input family data into HMIS regularly, maintaining case file records for every family, including documenting all case management activities and services provided. 
• Complete timely entry and exit of families in HMIS, ensuring data quality. 
• Provide quality reports and monthly dashboard data each month, ensuring its accuracy and timeliness for sharing with other departments. 
• Attend training sessions to learn to identify, validate, and collaborate on solutions to meet family and organizational needs. 
• Provide operational support to the programs' team and organization as needed. 
• Provide training and support to volunteers, interns and/or coordinators. 
• Attend weekly 1:1, organizational, and programs team meetings, quarterly staff meetings, and yearly retreat.  

Experience & Qualifications 

• 4–6 years of professional experience in social work, case management, behavioral health, or related human services field required.  
• Direct experience in crisis response, housing instability, or trauma-informed practice strongly preferred. 
• Experience working with homeless or low-income populations preferred. 
• Ability and experience in providing crisis counseling to clients in a social service setting. 
• High level of proficiency in written and oral communications. 
• Capacity to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. 
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of people in individual and group settings. 
• Ability to make decisions, solve problems, delegate tasks and responsibilities. 
• Ability to work well on your own under supervision of the Director of Programs. 
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365 suite and tools 

Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or closely related field required.  
• Master of Social Work (MSW) or related clinical degree strongly preferred.  

Professional Competencies 

• Demonstrates strong emotional regulation and professionalism in high-stress environments, maintaining psychological safety for families, volunteers, and staff. 
• Applies sound clinical judgment grounded in trauma-informed care and strengths-based practice. 
• Upholds the NASW Code of Ethics, including maintaining appropriate professional boundaries, dignity and worth of the person, and commitment to service excellence. 
• Navigates conflict with neutrality, respect, and solution orientation. 
• Ability to balance compassion with accountability in order to maintain a safe and structured shelter environment. 
• Demonstrates cultural humility and ability to work effectively with families experiencing crisis, trauma, and housing instability. 

Working Conditions 

• Working in an office and/or community-based environment 
• Working hours for this position are not limited to an 8-hour workday. Must be available for occasional early morning, evening, and weekend work hours 
• Ability to safely lift and move objects up to 30 pounds 
• Reliable transportation is needed 
• Local traveling up to 15 percent of work week 

Our Commitment to Equity? 

In line with Family Promise of Brevard’s core values, we are committed to advancing diversity, inclusion, equity, social justice, and antiracism throughout our work. We value the different forms of experience and expertise on our team, and we strive to build an organization that leverages each employee’s unique skills and perspectives. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply for this position, even if you have had a less traditional career path or do not think you check every box in the job description.?