Residential Counselor - Night Shift

DESC; Washington; On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical (no premiums)

Dental

Life

Long-term Disability

Employee Assistance Program

Flexible Spending Account

ORCA card subsidy

Paid Time Off (34 days/year)

Retirement Plan

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW union

Job summary

DESC is seeking a Residential Counselor for night shifts in Seattle, WA to support residents in Permanent Supportive Housing projects. You will assist with daily needs, safety, and coordination of services for individuals facing homelessness and complex behavioral health and substance use conditions.

Key responsibilities include crisis intervention, on-site activity coordination, and documentation of events.

Qualifications

• Understanding of homelessness and homeless adult population.
• Ability to communicate with staff from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work with clients displaying challenging behaviours.
• Commitment to cooperation and respectful care across programs.

Responsibilities

• Interact with residents in the general milieu and common areas.
• Assist clinical staff in coordinating services to residents; contact residents' outside service providers as necessary.
• Engage residents through creative strategies that build trust and confidence.
• Initiate and promote on-site activities, therapeutic support groups, outings and community meetings.
• Manage building operations in the absence of other staff as assigned.
• Operate lobby office functions: check visitors in/out, answer phones, monitor security systems.
• Maintain safety by monitoring access areas and enforcing rules.
• Intervene in crises and contact emergency response if needed.
• Document significant events in a daily log and read logs daily.
• Assist with room turnovers, new resident leasing and orientation; rent collection and inspections.
• Respond to resident complaints.
• Collaborate with clinical staff and visiting providers; refer residents to relevant staff.
• Handle maintenance requests and coordinate with teams.
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings.

Skills

Homelessness knowledge

Staff communication

Crisis de-escalation

Team collaboration

Education

BA degree in social or behavioral science

Job description

Residential Counselor - Night Shift

Seattle, WA (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=424+Minor+Avenue+North+Seattle+WA+USA+98109) -Canaday

Job Type

Full-time

Description

• Days Off: Wednesday, Thursday
• Shift: Night
• Shift Differential: $1.00 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.

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 abilit