Housing and Community Support Specialist

Boston Medical Center (BMC); Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 65,335,000 - 91,608,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston Medical Center's Living Well at Home program is expanding to support individuals facing homelessness with housing case management and stabilization in independent housing. The Housing and Community Support Specialist will engage high-risk patients with behavioral health needs, advocate for services, and help them become housing-ready while connecting to community resources.

As part of an interdisciplinary team, you will monitor progress, develop care plans, and assist with access to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a behavioral health or related field or two years of relevant work experience or lived experience.
• Driver's license and access to a car preferred; will visit communities across Greater Boston.
• Minimum of 2 years healthcare/public health or social services in a community-based setting.
• Experience with homelessness or behavioral health, substance use, and chronic health conditions preferred.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide case management and advocacy to high-risk patients in housing programs.
• Engage and enroll complex patients into services and develop care plans.
• Assist patients in accessing housing opportunities and community supports.
• Coordinate with interdisciplinary team and monitor progress.

Skills

Case management

Communication skills

Cultural competency

MS Office

Bilingual (Spanish/Creole) preferred

Education

Bachelor's degree in a behavioral health or related field

Tools

MS Office

Data tracking

Job description

Position Summary

Boston Medical Center's Living Well at Home Program (LWAH) provides high-quality housing case management services to support clients in obtaining and maintaining tenancy and living healthy lives in independent housing. Boston Medical Center and its affiliated providers and Community Health Centers serve tens of thousands of patients who face housing issues or are experiencing homelessness. New initiatives across the health system have led to the expansion of LWAH services, including the formation of a new Community Support Program for Homeless Individuals.

As part of the LWAH team, the Housing and Community Support (HCS) Specialist will provide case management services to high-risk patients with behavioral health diagnoses who are experiencing long-term homelessness. As a trusted member of the community, the HCS Specialist will help patients access and obtain and stabilizing in independent housing. HCS Specialists are responsible for engaging and enrolling complex patients into services; providing advocacy and case management services; providing specialty services to support a member in becoming "housing-ready" and supporting patients in the process of identifying and obtaining housing opportunities; supporting the development of an interdisciplinary care plan based on identified patient needs; facilitating access to social service resources; monitoring the patient’s progress; and problem-solving with patients to both accelerate and enhance access to housing and community-based supports. As part of an interdisciplinary team, the HCS Specialists provides community-based one-on-one support in collaboration with family, social supports, and their health care team, both pre- and post-tenancy.

Position:

Housing and Community Support Specialist

Department:

Elders Living at Home

Schedule:

Full Time

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in a behavioral health or related field OR Two years of relevant work experience OR Lived experience of homelessness or behavioral health conditions

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations Required

• Driver's license and access to a car preferred. Will be required to complete community visits across Greater Boston region in a timely manner.

Experience

• Minimum of 2 years prior healthcare, public health, or social services work in community-based setting
• Prior experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness preferred
• Prior experience working with individuals impacted by mental illness, substance use disorder, and/or chronic health conditions preferred

Knowledge And Skills

• Basic knowledge of housing systems, and passion for serving individuals who are unhoused through a non-stigmatizing, patient-centered approach.
• Knowledge of community resources and healthcare systems commonly used by the patient population. Preference for individual with knowledge of Boston area resources specifically.
• Understanding of the social determinants of health impacting this patient population and importance in addressing them (housing, food insecurity, transportation, etc).
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to communicate in a courteous, pleasant, and professional manner with families and patients, staff, supervisors, and others.
• Ability to identify, communicate, and problem-solve issues in patient cases to improve overall care in support of patient goals.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of multi-disciplinary team.
• Demonstrated prudent judgement and professional presence and demeanor.
• Ability to adapt to changes in care delivery at local and systems level.
• Reliability, commitment to setting and meeting goals is a must.
• Exceptional organizational skills; ability to multi-task and prioritize tasks.
• Demonstrated oral and written English communication skills.
• Fluency in Haitian Creole or Spanish preferable.
• Understanding of how language, culture and socioeconomic circumstances affect health.
• Desire to work with diverse, multi-cultural and multi-lingual populations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (i.e. MS Word, Excel, Access, Outlook) and web browsers. Proficiency with data entry and data tracking.

SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS (Responsible for on-call, 24 hr. coverage, etc.)

This role requires hybrid working conditions including community based outreach and home visits as well as office based work and some ability to complete work remotely at home.

Compensation Range

$22.84- $31.97

This range offers an estimate based on the minimum job qualifications. However, our approach to determining base pay is comprehensive, and a broad range of factors is considered when making an offer. This includes education, experience, skills, and certifications/licensures as they directly relate to position requirements; as well as business/organizational needs, internal equity, and market-competitiveness. In addition, BMCHS offers generous total compensation that includes, but is not limited to, benefits (medical, dental, vision, pharmacy), discretionary annual bonuses and merit increases, Flexible Spending Accounts, 403(b) savings matches, paid time off, career advancement opportunities, and resources to support employee and family well-being.

NOTE: This range is based on Boston-area data, and is subject to modification based on geographic location.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans