Community Support Specialist - Housing

Burrell Behavioral Health; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a compassionate Housing Specialist to provide essential case management services for individuals facing mental health and substance use challenges. This role emphasizes a holistic, person-centered approach, focusing on empowering clients through skill acquisition and community resource connection. You'll collaborate with clients to develop treatment plans, facilitate recovery efforts, and ensure access to vital services. Join a supportive and mission-driven team dedicated to enhancing client care and advocating for improved mental health resources in the community. This position offers a fulfilling opportunity to make a significant impact in individuals' lives while fostering a warm and welcoming work environment.

Benefits

Paid time off

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Life insurance

Top-notch training

Career mobility

Supportive work culture

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a human services field or equivalent experience required.
• Knowledge of case management methods and community resources essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management and support for individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders.
• Assist clients in finding housing and accessing community resources.

Skills

Case Management

Communication Skills

Crisis Intervention

Holistic Care

Motivational Approaches

Problem Solving

Community Resource Knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Services

Four years of qualifying experience

Job description

Job Description:

Job Summary:

The incumbent of this position is responsible for providing access to services in the community and community support services for individuals with mental illness and/or substance abuse problems onsite and/or within the community. Housing specialist will focus on case management of the homeless and chronically homeless clients in need of permanent supportive housing.

Essential Job Functions:

• Implement and oversee landlord relationships and lease programs.
• Provide case management for those living in permanent supportive housing throughout the community.
• Assist clients in finding and retaining housing, plus identify sources for housing assistance, housing-based education, credit counseling and linkage to appropriate related community resources.
• Provide a holistic, person-centered care with emphasis on personal strengths, skill acquisition and harm reduction, while using stage-wise and motivational approaches that promote active participation by the individual in decision making and self-advocacy in all aspects of services and recovery/resiliency.
• Use interventions, based on individual strengths and needs, to develop interpersonal/social, family, community and independent living functional skills including adaptation to home, school, family and work environments when the natural acquisition of those skills is negatively impacted by the individual’s mental illness and/or substance use disorder.
• Facilitate and support recovery/resiliency through activities including: defining recovery/resiliency concepts in order to develop and attain recovery/resiliency goals; identifying needs, strengths, skills, resources and supports and teaching how to use them; and identifying barriers to recovery/resiliency and finding ways to overcome them.
• Develop, implement, update, and revise as needed, a treatment plan that identifies specific, measurable and individualized interventions to reduce and manage symptoms, improve functioning and develop stability and independence.
• Provide services that result in positive outcomes including but not limited to the following areas: employment/education, housing, social connectedness, abstinence/harm reduction, decreased criminality/legal involvement, family involvement, decreased psychiatric hospitalizations, and improved physical health.
• Work collaboratively with the individual on treatment goals and service including the use of collaborative documentation as a tool to ensure that individuals are active in their treatment.
• Document services that clearly describes the need for the service, the intervention provided, the relationship to the treatment plan, the provider of the service, the date, actual time and setting of the service, and the individual’s response to the service.
• Develop a discharge and aftercare/continuing recovery plan to include, if applicable, securing a successful transition to continued services.
• Contact individuals and/or referral sources following missed appointments in order to re-engage and promote recovery/resiliency efforts.
• Support individuals in crisis situations including locating and coordinating resources to resolve a crisis.
• Maintain contact with individuals who are hospitalized for medical or psychiatric reasons and participate in and facilitate discharge planning for psychiatric hospitalization and for medical hospitalization as appropriate.
• Provide information and education in order to learn about and manage mental illness/serious emotional disturbance and/or substance use disorders including symptoms, triggers, cravings and use of medications.
• Reinforce the importance of taking medications as prescribed and assist the individual to make medication concerns regarding side effects or lack of efficacy known to the prescriber.
• Build skills for effective illness self-management including psych education, behavioral tailoring for medication adherence, wellness/recovery planning, coping skills training, and social skills training.
• In conjunction with the individual, family, significant others and referral sources, identify risk factors related to relapse in mental illness and/or substance use disorders and develop a plan with strategies to support recovery and prevent relapse.
• Make efforts to ensure that individuals gain and maintain access to necessary rehabilitative services, general entitlement benefits, employment, housing, schools, legal services, wellness or other services by actively assisting individuals to apply and follow-up on applications; and to gain skills in independently accessing needed services.
• Ensure communication and coordination with and between other interested parties such as service providers, medical professionals, referral sources, employers, schools, child welfare, courts, probation/parole, landlords, and natural supports.
• Ensure follow through with recommended medical care, to include scheduling appointments, finding financial resources and arranging transportation when individuals are unable to perform these tasks independently.
• Develop and supporting wellness and recovery goals in collaboration with the individual, family and/or medical professionals, including healthy lifestyle changes such as healthy eating, physical activity and tobacco prevention and cessation; and coordination and monitoring of physical health and chronic disease management.
• Assist to develop natural supports including identification of existing and new natural supports in relevant life domains.
• In coordination with the treatment team, improving skills in communication, interpersonal relationships, problem solving, conflict resolution; stress management; and identifying risky social situations and triggers that could jeopardize recovery.
• Provide family education, training and support to develop the family as a positive support system to the individual. Such activities must be directed toward the primary well-being and benefit of the individual.
• Help individuals develop skills and resources to address symptoms that interfere with seeking or successfully maintaining a job.
• Build skills associated with obtaining and maintaining success in school.
• Build personal self-care and home management skills associated with achieving and maintaining housing in the least restrictive setting.
• Represent the agency in a professional manner.
• Demonstrates interest in long term and short-term goals and objectives of the company.
• Other duties as assigned by the Clinical Supervisor, Program Director, Vice President, or Executive Team member.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of case management and rehabilitation methods, principles and techniques as they relate to mental health and/or substance use disorders.
• Knowledge of the problems encountered by persons with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders and how to access the various community resources available.
• Knowledge of the methods and modalities as well as the legal requirements and court procedures related to treating mental illnesses and substance use disorders.
• Some knowledge of supervisory and training techniques and practices used in a substance use disorders/mental health setting.
• Aptitude to evaluate services within assigned program and give input.
• Capable of communicating ideas clearly and effectively verbally and in writing to produce clear and concise reports.

Experience and Education Qualifications:

• A mental health professional as defined in 9 CSR 10 – 7.140 (2) (QQ) (Missouri);
• An individual with a bachelor’s degree in a human services field, which includes social work, psychology, nursing, education, criminal justice, recreational therapy, human development and family studies, counseling, child development, gerontology, sociology, human services, behavioral science and rehabilitation counseling;
• An individual with any four-year degree and two years of qualifying experience;
• Any four-year combination of higher education and qualifying experience, or
• An individual with four years of qualifying experience.
• Qualifying experience must include delivery of service to individuals with mental illness, substance abuse or developmental disabilities.

Supervisory Requirements:

• None.

Employment Requirements:

• Successful completion of background check including criminal record, driving record, abuse/neglect and fingerprint check.
• Completion of New Hire Orientation at the beginning of employment.
• All training requirements including Relias at the beginning of employment and annually thereafter.
• Current driver’s license, acceptable driving record and current auto insurance.
• All community support staff in Missouri shall successfully complete DMH Community Support 101 Training within 30 days of hire.
• Obtain trainings to assist in professional development meeting 36 hours every 2 years.
• First Aid certification within three (3) months of beginning employment and upon renewal date.
• Obtain CPR certification within three (3) months of beginning employment and upon renewal date.
• Medication Training upon hire and annually thereafter.
• Behavioral Management training completed within thirty (30) days of employment or first available class after start date:
• CPI for Residential programs
• Peaceful Intervention or Verbal De-escalation for Outpatient programs
• Completion of “Billing Requirements” within 30 Days of employment.
• Achievement of thirty-six (36) hour training requirements within 2-year period in accordance with 9 CSR 10-7.110 E 1.
• Growth and Development form (CPRC only) within thirty (30) days of employment.
• Privileging and Credentialing form (CPRC only) within thirty (30) days of employment.
• Extensive knowledge of the policies, procedures, and regulations of the program to which the associate is assigned.
• Valid Driver’s license in state of residency with an acceptable driving record is required.
• Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age to operate a company-owned vehicle.
• Must be at least twenty-three (23) years of age to operate a company-owned fifteen (15) passenger van.
• Must have reliable means of transportation in order to transport clients in personal vehicle.
• Proof of valid and current auto insurance is required.

Physical Requirements:

ADA Consideration - Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, or pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Repetitive movements of hands, fingers, and arms for typing and/or writing during work shift.

Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Position Perks & Benefits:

Paid time off: full-time employees receive an attractive time off package to balance your work and personal life.

Employee benefits package: full-time employees receive health, dental, vision, retirement, life, & more.

Top-notch training: initial, ongoing, comprehensive, and supportive.

Career mobility: advancement opportunities/promoting from within.

Welcoming, warm, supportive: a work culture & environment that promotes your well-being, values you as human being, and encourages your health and happiness.

Brightli is on a Mission:

A mission to improve client care, reduce the financial burden of community mental health centers by sharing resources, a mission to have a larger voice in advocacy to increase access to mental health and substance user care in our communities.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Adult & Child Health is a Smoke and Tobacco Free Workplace.