Engagement Specialist

Miami Valley Housing Opportunities; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Miami Valley Housing Opportunities seeks an Engagement Specialist to provide direct client services to residents with behavioral health, substance use, or co-occurring disorders. Under supervision, you will deliver mental health and recovery-focused interventions to formerly homeless individuals, maintain documentation, and support housing stabilization.

You will engage clients with empathy, lead monthly tenant meetings, and coordinate community resources, while ensuring compliance with program

Qualifications

• Requires experience in homeless outreach, housing services for formerly homeless individuals, or related area.
• Knowledge of state and local behavioral health service resources and regulations.
• Ability to work odd and irregular hours and to work with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain professional rapport with residents using recovery experience to offer hope and support.
• Provide community-based services including assessment, coordination, linkage, symptom monitoring, advocacy and skill development.
• Conduct visits to ensure lease and program compliance; engage with property management for wellness checks and work orders.
• Lead monthly tenant meetings and organize educational/recreational activities.
• Maintain accurate documentation and HMIS data; complete progress notes and service logs.
• Provide crisis intervention and trauma-informed care; refer to community resources as needed.
• Assist clients with housing stabilization, entitlements and ongoing follow-up per service plans.
• Advocate for participants to access services specified in their action plans.
• Perform outreach to engage participants who miss appointments or case management sessions.

Skills

Empathy

Crisis intervention

Documentation

Trauma-informed care

Housing stabilization

Advocacy

Group facilitation

Communication skills

HMIS data entry

Education

Education in Mental Health or Social Work or related area

Tools

Database software

Spreadsheet software

Job description

The Engagement Specialist provides direct client supportive services to residents who have been diagnosed with behavioral health, substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. The Engagement Specialist will assist tenants with housing stabilization, independence, recovery and resiliency. Perform other duties as assigned.

SUMMARY

The Engagement Specialist is an individual in recovery with a lived experience and journey in receiving services and supports from mental health, substance use disorder, and/or housing/homeless service providers. Under general supervision of the Supportive Services Manager, provides ongoing intensive mental health, chemical dependency and trauma related interventions to formerly homeless persons with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance abuse. Completes and maintains progress notes, service logs, and other pertinent documentation according to agency and regulatory service standards.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Establish and maintain a professional rapport with the population housed; utilizing personal experiences with recovery to offer hope, encouragement and reassurance. Role modeling and providing support while maintaining appropriate boundaries.
• Provides an array of community based services that address the individualized mental health needs of persons who have a severe and persistent mental illness, chemical dependency and who were formerly homeless. Services include, but are not limited to, ongoing assessment of needs, coordination of services, linkage, symptom monitoring, advocacy, and skill development. Services may be provided face-to-face or by telephone.
• Provides and/or ensures the provision of all necessary community support services as identified on the individual service plan.
• Initiates appropriate action and crisis intervention with individuals/clients or situations through prompt utilization of community resources. Takes appropriate action to deal with emergencies and provide crisis intervention.
• Ensures the engagement of clients by providing services in a trauma sensitive manner.
• Ensures compliance with productivity and documentation/record keeping standards as set by the agency in accordance with funding and accreditation requirements.
• Promotes recovery and increases the client’s capacity to positively impact his/her own environment by assisting clients in the development of interpersonal and community coping skills, and self-management techniques.
• Provides assistance to clients in maintaining housing, entitlements and other basic resources, and establishes and maintains regular contact and follow-up requirements as specified in Housing Stabilization Plans/ Service Plans.
• Advocates for participants so they can obtain services specified in their action plan.
• Provides outreach in order to engage participants who do not follow through with appointments and case management.
• Conducts visits in the client’s unit to ensure compliance with lease and program rules. Enlist the support of property management as appropriate for wellness checks and work orders.
• Lead/Co-Lead monthly tenant meetings. Provide groups, activities, and services including educational and recreational activities. Activities can be on site or off site.
• Keep and maintain accurate and up to date client files. This includes data in HMIS and client’s physical file.
• Participate in on site and off site trainings and meetings, as needed.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Personal Characteristics

• Knowledge of agency policies, procedures, goals and objectives with a willingness to respect, understand and promote the mission, values and goals of the agency.
• Knowledge of state and local rules, regulations and laws pertaining to the provision of agency services.
• Knowledge of major mental disorders and of community resources for services to individuals with mental disorders.
• Knowledge of the principles of social work and or counseling; first aid and CPR administration.
• Ability to change conduct as a result of feedback from supervision.
• Ability to effectively and professionally interact with professionals of many disciplines and with a variety of individuals from varying educational, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Ability to prepare meaningful, concise and accurate documentation.
• Ability to gather, collate, classify information about people, data and things.
• Ability to work with and handle sensitive and confidential inquiries.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and independently.
• Creative and flexible problem solving skills.
• Computer skills; database and spread sheet software capabilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

A completed education in Mental Health, Social Work, or another related area is preferred. A minimum of 2 years of previous experience in homeless outreach, housing service for formerly homeless people, or related area is preferred. Familiarity with state and local behavioral health service community is required. Employee must be willing to work odd and irregular hours. Employee must be capable of working with minimal supervision.

Certifications, Licenses, Registrations

Valid Ohio driver’s license with less than six points and proof of automobile insurance, adhering to the minimum requirements of Ohio’s Financial Responsibility Act.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

Where duties require the incumbent to provide transportation to the clients, possession of a valid operator’s license appropriate to the vehicle to be operated at time of appointment and maintained throughout employment. Must possess and drive a motorized vehicle. The employee must pass a criminal background inquiry and be able to work closely with law enforcement personnel.

Miami Valley Housing Opportunities is an equal opportunity employer and affirmatively seeks diversity in its workforce. All interested and qualified parties are afforded equal opportunity with respect to employment, compensation, benefits, training, transfer, and promotion without discrimination, without regard to race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.

This position description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of Miami Valley Housing Opportunities. Since no position description can detail all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time in the performance of a job, duties and responsibilities that may be inherent in a job, reasonably required for its performance, or required due to the changing nature of the job shall also be considered part of the jobholder’s responsibility.

The position works 2nd shift
Hours of work will be 3:30 p.m. to Midnight