Housing Support Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

SUMMARY: Assist mental health consumers in maintaining stable independent housing. Provide mental health support services with focus on skills development, symptoms management, wellness and recovery. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES are outlined below. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities and/or special needs to perform essential functions.

Direct Service and Case Management

1. Provides and/or arranges for clients to receive the following: counseling and training, support and assistance with managing daily living skills, managing psychiatric symptoms, and working toward goals.
2. Assists clients in identifying and accessing medical, educational, social, prevocational, and rehabilitative or other community services.
3. Supports clients in the following areas: daily living skills, social skills, grooming and personal hygiene, housekeeping, meal preparation, shopping, medication compliance, money management, conflict resolution, compliance with house rules and managing psychiatric symptoms.
4. Assists with planning and implementing individuals’ care plans in conjunction with other staff, County teams, doctors, families and/or other local service providers.
5. Informs individuals of personal rights and responsibilities, as well as agency confidentiality and grievance procedures. Ensures that services are compatible and coordinated with clients’ freedom of choice.
6. Assists individuals in getting to appointments and activities on and off-site, based on the needs and goals of clients. 
7. Monitors clients’ progress and level of functioning to enhance stability.
8. Initiates meetings with tenants at least once a month and maintains bi-weekly contact in-person or by phone to monitor situation. 
9. Provides crisis support services as necessary.

Teamwork and Collaboration

1. Maintains cooperative and professional working relationships with clients, colleagues, coordinators, doctors, and all others contacted during the course of work in order to meet treatment goals and seek cost effective and efficient services. 
2. Engages clients, families, and other support people in the development of cohesive treatment.
3. Gives input to management on improving the quality of programs and assists in monitoring program effectiveness and conducting tenant satisfaction surveys.
4. Performs assigned tasks for program activities as an integral part of the team.
5. Consults and collaborates with supervisor, housing management staff, and case coordinators as appropriate.

Documentation and Communication

1. Required and mandated to report any “suspected abuse of dependent adults and elders” directly to law enforcement, Adult Protective Services or the Ombudsman/Advocate and Department of Social Services, and any other agency, as appropriate. Mandated to comply with suspected abuse reporting policies and procedures. 
2. Monitors clients’ progress and participation toward plan goals and objectives and collects and reports outcome data. Documents coordination services in progress notes and completes annual assessments and care plans. 
3. Keeps clear, accurate, and professional records in all client files and staff logs and maintains any other written or electronic communication that may be required.
4. Communicates with clients’, staff and colleagues to explain procedures and ensure support for clients in crisis.
5. Meets individual billing expectations for units of service and works collaboratively to meet program requirements including documentation deadlines or timelines.
6. Assists management with compiling data for required reports and complying with mandated reporting procedures.
7. Handles all communication (written, verbal, and in-person) in a professional manner. Appropriately handles any noted dangerous behaviors or dangerous conditions.

Professional Development 

1. Attends agency, County or other mental health provider training sessions, meetings, or workshops. Attends a minimum of 20 hours of orientation and continuing education classes.

Information and Resources 

1. Assists clients with identifying and accessing off-site resources, such as medical or dental appointments, specific to clients’ personal needs, goals, and care plans.
2. Maintains familiarity with and knowledge of Santa Cruz County Mental Health services and community resources.
3. Provides information to clients, families, other agencies and the community regarding health care issues including prevention, early detection and remedial care. 
4. Uses equipment and materials in a safe and acceptable manner, follows established safety procedures and all CAL-OSHA standards, uses appropriate safeguards and observes rules of safety in all on-the-job activities.
5. Takes preventative measures and creates intervention methods for clients or conditions that seem to pose a threat of danger or crisis. 

Maintenance and Repair

1. Ensures maintenance and repair of supported housing units including monthly inspections and reports any concerns to Housing Management.
2. Ensures maintenance and repair of company vehicle as needed.
    

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty to a satisfactory level. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

1. B.A. or B.S. in social work or a related field, OR
2. High school diploma or equivalency, AND
3. Two years experience working in mental health, AND
4. Must obtain 20 hours of continuing education per year in subjects related to    mental health, aging, housing, or recovery.

KNOWLEDGE

1. Knowledge of and ability to conform to all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations.
2. Knowledge of and ability to recognize early warning signs of increased symptoms and possible decompensation.
3. Knowledge of and compliance with Front St. Inc./Front St. Housing Inc. Employee Handbook, including but not limited to personnel policies and procedures, issues of confidentiality and issues of privacy.

SUPERVISORY SKILLS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Ability to communicate with staff and residents, and to direct the work of others as applicable.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

1. Read, speak and understand English with enough ability to read, analyze, and interpret regulations, work with the client caseload, and document all work.
2. Ability to write general correspondence, performance documentation and procedure associated with projects being managed.
3. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from managers, clients, family members, customers and the general public with awareness of multi-cultural considerations.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

1. Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as conversion from billed minutes to hours, proportions, and percentages associated with completing the requirements of the position.

REASONING ABILITY

1. Ability to carry out instructions delivered in written, oral, or diagram form.
2. Ability to apply good judgment, problem-solving techniques, and common sense to all aspects of the job. 

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

1. Must be able to adjust tasks in accordance with changing deadlines and priorities.
2. Must be able to complete tasks and meet deadlines, problem solve, and manage multiple projects.
3. Must maintain cooperative and professional working relationships with all stakeholders.
4. Must have adequate computer skills to utilize e-mail, word processing programs, and electronic health records.
5. Must demonstrate multi-cultural competence and sensitivity.
6. Must be able to incorporate a trauma-informed approach to care with clients.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Must be 21 years of age or older.
2. Valid California Driver’s License and company vehicle insurance eligibility and approval. Enrollment in the Department of Motor Vehicles Employer Pull Notice Program is required.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:  Physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

1. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
2. Employee is regularly required to sit or stand for extended periods of time.
3. Employee may occasionally use hands and fingers for cooking and cleaning.  The employee is frequently required to reach with hands and arms, stand, walk and stoop, and may be occasionally required to kneel, crouch, or crawl.
4. Employee may be required to lift up to 25 pounds.
5. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
6. All staff to be in good health, and physically, mentally and occupationally capable of performing assigned tasks.
7. Frequently works in an office environment, out-of-doors, and in the homes of tenants.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. 

1. Noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.
2. Job may require working with scented personal care items and/or hazardous household cleaning chemicals.
3. During the course of the job, the employee will be interacting on a daily basis with individuals diagnosed with a severe psychiatric disability.  The actions of the residents may at times be unpredictable.  Staff may experience verbal abuse and at times may be physically threatened.