Residential Counselor - Swing Shift

Downtown Emergency Service Center; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Long-term disability

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Orca card subsidy

Paid Time Off (34 days per year)

Retirement Plan

Job summary

Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) in Washington state is seeking Residential Counselors to support residents of permanent supportive housing. You will assist individuals with daily needs, focusing on those living with serious mental illness and substance use disorders, guiding them toward stability and independence.

You will coordinate with clinical and maintenance staff, document events, maintain safety, participate in meetings, and help with leasing, turnovers, and inspections while

Qualifications

• Understanding of homelessness and the needs of adults experiencing homelessness.
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse staff.
• Ability to work with clients displaying challenging behaviors.
• Respect for clients and commitment to coordinated care.

Responsibilities

• Interact with residents in the milieu and common areas.
• Assist clinical staff in coordinating services to residents and contacting outside providers as needed.
• Assist in engaging residents through strategies that build trust.
• Manage building operations in the absence of other staff.
• Handle lobby operations, visitor check-in/out, and monitor security.
• Maintain safety by monitoring access areas and enforcing rules.
• Intervene in crises and respond to emergencies.
• Document significant events in daily logs and read them daily.
• Assist with room turnovers, leasing, orientation, and inspections.
• Respond to resident complaints.
• Collaborate with clinical and maintenance staff and refer residents as needed.
• Respond to maintenance requests and participate in staff meetings and trainings.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Crisis communication

Team collaboration

Education

BA degree in social or behavioral science

Job description

Description

Days Off: Sunday, Monday

Shift: Swing

Shift Differential: $0.50 per hour

Insurance Benefits: Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage), Dental, Life, Long-term Disability

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs,19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

JOB DEFINITION:

We are looking for energized and passionate Residential Counselors to manage basic day-to-day operations at our Permanent Supportive Housing Projects. Residential Counselors assist the individuals living in our supportive housing with their daily needs, with special emphasis on challenges related to severe and persistent mental illness and substance use disorders.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Interact with residents in the general milieu and common areas.
• Assist clinical staff in the coordination of services to residents; contact residents' outside service providers as necessary.
• Assist clinical staff in engaging residents through creative, resourceful strategies that build trust and confidence.
• Assist clinical staff in the initiation, facilitation and promotion of on-site activities, therapeutic support groups, outings and community meetings.
• Manage all building operations in the absence of other project and clinical staff as assigned.
• Operate all functions in lobby office, including checking visitors in and out, answering telephones and monitoring security systems.
• Maintain safety and security by monitoring all general access areas and enforcing project rules.
• Intervene in crises, respond to emergencies, and initiate action as required, including contact with emergency response systems.
• Write significant events involving residents and building operations activities in a daily log; read log daily.
• Assist with room turnovers, new resident leasing and orientation; rent collection and facilities inspections.
• Respond to resident complaints.
• Work cooperatively with clinical and maintenance staff sited at the project and with visiting providers; refer residents to clinical and other staff as necessary
• Initiate appropriate response to maintenance requests.
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings.
• Assist with other property management functions as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Basic understanding of homelessness and various characteristics of homeless adult population.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds.
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behaviors.
• Subscription to philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for clients.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• BA degree in social or behavioral science.
• Residential property management experience.
• Experience with the challenges of mental illness and substance use.
• Current Washington State Driver’s License, insurable driving record, ability to drive agency van and transport tenants.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit, communicate with other employees, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 40 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on thebasis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply