Community Case Manager

Connections for the Homeless; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Connections for the Homeless is seeking a case manager to provide comprehensive case management services for clients at Hilda’s Place and in housing transition. You will coordinate with HP staff, assess needs, and deliver crisis interventions both by phone and in person.

The role involves drop-in staffing, group facilitation, and close tracking of client information across databases and files. Collaboration with health providers and program enrollment support are essential components.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum one year experience providing case management services.
• Strong communication skills with a demonstrated high level of empathy and respect for program participants.
• Computer competency and comfort with data entry.
• Experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness and/or mental illness preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management for Hilda’s Place (HP) clients and communicate with HP milieu staff regarding participants.
• Provide case management services for drop-in clients and for clients who have exited into housing.
• Contact persons referred through the Suburban Cook County call center and internal referrals; perform initial needs assessments.
• Provide basic crisis intervention services over the phone and in person to individuals experiencing acute crisis.
• Provide drop-in milieu staffing and facilitate groups in partnership with participants; track information in databases and files.
• Coordinate with internal mental and physical health providers.
• Develop holistic service plans with participants and set goals.
• Assist enrollment in mainstream benefit programs (Medicare, Medicaid, Link, SSI, SSDI, etc.).
• Refer clients to housing and other programming; maintain relationships with referral sources.

Skills

Empathy

Communication skills

Data entry

Computer literacy

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in social work

Job description

• Provide case management services for Hilda’s Place (HP) clients including communicating with HP milieu staff regarding participants
• Provide ongoing case management services for clients who have exited into housing
• Contact persons referred through the Suburban Cook County call center and persons referred internally; perform initial needs assessments
• Provide basic crisis intervention services over the phone and in-person to individuals experiencing acute crisis
• Facilitate groups for, and in partnership with, participants
• Track all required information in relevant databases, spreadsheets and files

Brief Description

Specific Duties

• Provide case management services for Hilda’s Place (HP) clients including communicating with HP milieu staff regarding participants
• Provide case management services for drop-in clients
• Provide ongoing case management services for clients who have exited into housing
• Contact persons referred through the Suburban Cook County call center and persons referred internally; perform initial needs assessments
• Provide basic crisis intervention services over the phone and in-person to individuals experiencing acute crisis
• Provide drop-in milieu staffing
• Facilitate groups for, and in partnership with, participants
• Track all required information in relevant databases, spreadsheets and files

Case Management

Perform case management duties which include, but are not limited to:

• Partner with participants in wholistic goal-setting and develop service plans for each participant on caseload
• Perform assessments for housing eligibility (VI-SPDAT) for individuals, families and youth
• Facilitate enrollment in mainstream benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Link, SSI, SSDI, etc.
• Assess participants for eligibility for other programming leading to housing (ESG, prevention, RRH, market-rate housing, etc.)
• Coordinate with internal mental and physical health providers
• Provide short-term support services to clients awaiting entry into other programming, including street survival and safety, strategies for reuniting with family or friends, etc.
• Provide referrals for complex client needs such as treatment for substance use disorders, community mental health services, primary health care services, etc.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with referral sources, participants and staff to ensure effective service delivery

Requirements

The following qualifications are requirements for the position:

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or related human services field, or equivalent combination of education and experience required
• Minimum one (1) year experience providing case management services required
• Strong communication skills with a demonstrated high level of empathy and respect for program participants required
• Computer competency and comfort with data entry required
• Experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness and/or mental illness preferred

Other Requirements

• Must submit to a criminal background check and submit to or provide evidence of a recent test for tuberculosis
• NOTE: All questions must be answered and if answered "yes", please provide a narrative for your responses or your application will not be considered for this role. Cover Letter highly encouraged

Summary

For nearly 40 years, Connections for the Homeless has served and catalyzed our community to end homelessness, one person at a time. Each year we provide eviction prevention, shelter, and housing services to 4,000 people from across north suburban Cook County. Beyond providing direct services we also operate a robust advocacy and community organizing program to address the root causes of homelessness. The COVID pandemic accelerated our growth in the depth and breadth of services we offer and the organizational infrastructure to sustain this highly impactful organization. Connections is a radically reshaped organization deeply committed to demonstrating our core values in all relationships with participants, colleagues, donors, partners, and volunteers.

Join our dedicated team at Connections for the Homeless, where we blend a commitment to making a difference with a competitive rewards package. Our full-time employees enjoy a range of benefits, consciously crafted through an equitable lens, to support their well-being and professional growth.

At Connections for the Homeless, we recognize that supporting our employees is essential in achieving our mission. We are ready to invest in you as you make a difference in our community. We can't wait for you to join us!