Recovery Housing Navigator & Coordinator

Position Summary

The Recovery Housing Navigator & Coordinator provides individualized, person-centered housing navigation and recovery support to eligible Travis County residents, with a focus on people with opioid use disorder (OUD), including individuals receiving Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) and transition-age youth (TAY). The position assesses needs, identifies appropriate recovery housing, coordinates referrals and warm handoffs, assists with placement and related documentation, administers eligible short-term housing assistance, and follows participants after placement to promote housing stability and sustained recovery.

The Navigator also develops and maintains strong working relationships with recovery residences and community partners, keeps accurate and current provider information, identifies system barriers, and helps strengthen a coordinated, MOUD-supportive recovery housing network.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Client Assessment, Navigation, and Placement

• Receive and respond to self-referrals, walk-ins, and referrals from healthcare and treatment providers, recovery housing providers, criminal justice partners, youth-serving organizations, homeless service providers, community organizations, and other appropriate sources.
• Complete timely, individualized assessments of each participant's housing needs, recovery goals, treatment preferences, strengths, barriers, cultural context, communication needs, and desired supports.
• Explain recovery housing options, admission requirements, costs, program expectations, available supports, and participant rights in clear, understandable language so participants can make informed choices.
• Identify recovery housing options that align with each participant's goals and support needs, including options that affirm and support appropriately prescribed MOUD.
• Coordinate referrals and facilitate warm handoffs to recovery residences, treatment and healthcare services, recovery supports, benefits, and other community resources.
• Help participants obtain identification, income verification, clinical or treatment documentation, medication information, and other materials required for housing applications or admission.
• Coordinate transportation assistance, when appropriate, for housing tours, appointments, warm handoffs, and entry into recovery housing.
• Maintain contact after referral and placement, document outcomes, troubleshoot barriers, and coordinate additional services to support housing retention and recovery stability.
• Provide age-appropriate recovery housing navigation and recovery support to eligible TAY participants with OUD.
• Coordinate with youth-serving organizations, recovery housing providers, treatment providers, educational programs, employers, and other partners to connect TAY participants with housing, supportive services, education and employment resources, life-skills development, and other stability supports.
• Use developmentally responsive engagement practices that promote participant voice, choice, safety, healthy relationships, and increasing independence.
• Establish and maintain a coordinated referral list of recovery residences operating under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or other formal agreement with Communities for Recovery.
• Maintain current information for each participating residence, including availability, costs, admission requirements, services, policies, populations served, accessibility, and MOUD-supportive options.
• Confirm that participating residences maintain naloxone on site, cooperate with referral coordination and consent-based follow-up, and agree to support continuation of appropriately prescribed MOUD.
• Clearly communicate that participating residences may not deny admission, discharge, penalize, discriminate against, or require tapering or discontinuation solely because a participant receives appropriately prescribed MOUD.
• Maintain regular communication with providers and partners to support placement and retention, resolve coordination issues, identify access barriers, and improve the recovery housing system.
• Coordinate connections between eligible recovery residences and TROHN, Oxford House, or another Travis County-approved accrediting or recognizing organization when a residence is pursuing formal recognition.
• Represent the referral list accurately: inclusion is not an inspection, certification, endorsement, or guarantee by Communities for Recovery or Travis County, and each residence remains responsible for applicable legal, health, safety, and operational requirements.
• Administer financial assistance according to written eligibility criteria, documented participant need, available funding, approved uses, and organizational controls.
• Assess and document requests for eligible expenses, which may include application and move-in costs, application fees, transportation, initial housing or program fees, short-term recovery housing scholarships, and other reasonable short-term expenses that directly support placement or retention.
• Before authorizing payments to support a participant's placement or continued residence, verify that the residence is accredited by the Texas Recovery Oriented Housing Network (TROHN), chartered or formally recognized by Oxford House, or recognized by another recovery housing organization approved by Travis County.
• Coordinate eligible, non-capital accreditation-related scholarships for recovery residences when authorized. Ensure funds are not used for construction, renovation, repairs, property acquisition, furnishings, equipment, or other capital expenses.
• Maintain complete and accurate records of eligibility determinations, approvals, payments, supporting documents, remaining balances, and participant outcomes.
• Deliver services at the Recovery Community Center and in community settings such as recovery residences, healthcare and MOUD programs, youth-serving organizations, and partner locations.
• Provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and person-centered services that respect identity, lived experience, participant choice, and multiple pathways of recovery.
• Assess preferred language and communication needs; coordinate interpretation, language assistance, disability-related accommodations, and accessible documents when needed.
• Communicate through appropriate participant-selected methods, including in person, telephone, text, email, virtual meetings, or coordination through referral partners, consistent with consent and confidentiality requirements.
• Ensure that lack of a phone, computer, internet connection, transportation, or technology skills does not prevent an eligible participant from accessing services.
• Assist participants with electronic applications, virtual appointments, online resource searches, and access to housing, employment, education, healthcare, and recovery support resources.
• Use the organization's Recovery Data Platform to document intake, assessments, referrals, service activities, financial assistance, housing placement, follow-up contacts, barriers, and outcomes accurately and on time.
• Obtain and document participant consent before sharing information; comply with confidentiality requirements, organizational policies, grant conditions, and applicable law.
• Monitor referral and placement patterns, provider responsiveness, housing retention, unmet needs, and systemic barriers; communicate trends and improvement opportunities to program leadership.
• Participate in staff meetings, supervision, training, case consultation, community meetings, outreach activities, and program evaluation or quality-improvement efforts.
• Maintain professional boundaries and perform other related duties that support program goals and contract requirements.
• At least two years of relevant experience in recovery housing, housing navigation, peer recovery support, substance use services, behavioral health, homelessness response, case management, care coordination, or a closely related field.
• Working knowledge of recovery housing models, OUD, MOUD, harm reduction, multiple pathways of recovery, and person-centered service coordination.
• Demonstrated ability to assess needs, develop individualized service plans, coordinate complex referrals, complete warm handoffs, and follow through across multiple systems.
• Ability to work respectfully and effectively with people from varied cultures, identities, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, recovery pathways, and life experiences, including people impacted by homelessness or the criminal justice system.
• Strong relationship-building, organization, problem-solving, written communication, and documentation skills.
• Ability to explain complex housing requirements, costs, policies, and assistance options in clear and accessible language.
• Comfort using electronic records, email, text, virtual meeting platforms, web-based applications, and standard office software; ability to provide non-digital alternatives when needed.
• Ability to manage sensitive information, exercise sound judgment, maintain professional boundaries, and comply with confidentiality and financial-control requirements.
• Ability to travel throughout Travis County and work occasionally outside standard hours to support scheduled placements or warm handoffs.
• High school diploma or equivalent. Relevant college education, professional credentials, and directly related experience may strengthen a candidate's qualifications but are not required unless mandated by the final contract.
• Current Texas Recovery Support Peer Specialist (RSPS), Peer Specialist Supervisor (PSS), Certified Peer Specialist, community health worker, housing navigator, case management, or comparable credential.
• Three or more years of experience with recovery residences or housing navigation, including direct knowledge of admission practices, funding barriers, placement coordination, and housing retention.
• Experience administering participant-assistance funds, reviewing eligibility documentation, reconciling payments, or working under government grant requirements.
• Experience serving transition-age youth and coordinating education, employment, benefits, healthcare, treatment, and life-skills supports.
• Familiarity with TROHN standards, Oxford House, recovery residence accreditation or recognition processes, and the Travis County recovery and housing service network.
• Bilingual or multilingual ability, especially English and Spanish.
• Personal lived experience of recovery, substance use challenges, housing instability, or supporting a family member is valued when paired with the ability to use that experience appropriately and maintain professional boundaries.

Transition-Age Youth Services

Recovery Housing Provider Coordination

Recovery Housing Assistance Fund

Accessible and Person-Centered Service Delivery

Documentation, Quality, and Collaboration

Minimum Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

Core Competencies

Person-centered engagement • Housing navigation • Recovery-oriented practice • MOUD affirmation • Cultural humility • Youth-responsive coordination • Warm handoffs • Provider relations • Financial stewardship • Accurate documentation • Confidentiality • Collaborative problem-solving

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

This position works in an office and a variety of community-based environments and requires regular local travel. The employee must be able to use a computer and telephone, communicate with participants and partners in person and remotely, manage documents, and remain mobile between service locations. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Equal Opportunity and Inclusion

Communities for Recovery is committed to an inclusive workplace and encourages applications from people with diverse identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences. Employment decisions are made without unlawful discrimination.