Vancouver is hiring a homeless resource manager to oversee the city’s response to homelessness.
This newly created full-time position will be under the direction of the city manager’s office and pay between $93,765 and $121,884 annually. It’s paid for through the general fund and is a two-year position that could possibly be extended.
According to the job description, the homeless resource manager will lead efforts to combat the impacts of homelessness by working with community partners, stakeholders, members of the public and government officials; adopt plans, strategies and best practices for enhancing homeless response systems; and be the city’s policy and technical expert and primary point of contact for the homeless response system.
“It’s going to be an amazing opportunity for someone to do all this stuff that’s designed to make our community better,” said Peggy Sheehan, the city’s community development programs manager.
She said the idea for the position and a larger Homeless Assistance Response Team came out of a conference held last year in Long Beach, Calif., about police response to homelessness. The conference discussed how a city’s response to homelessness requires more than police officers; it’s a multifaceted, multidepartment issue. For now, the homeless resource manager is the only position the city is hiring.
Cities around the country, including Seattle, Portland and Detroit, have hired similar individuals or teams tasked with addressing homelessness, which Sheehan described as a current “best practice.”
Sheehan said the city spoke with people about how other cities provide homeless services and reviewed job descriptions for similar positions before creating one specific to Vancouver. She expects the city to receive applications from around the country since it’s a high-level, well-paid position, though she added that many local people are also passionate about addressing homelessness. The role requires experience working with homeless people and developing policy.
The homeless resource manager would take on some responsibilities currently held by other staff such as Sheehan, including leading the monthly homeless ideas group meeting held at City Hall.
“They’re going to lead the city in managing our response to homelessness,” Sheehan said.
The city will begin reviewing applications next week.
