Residential Counselor - Swing Shift

DESC; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dental

Life insurance

Long-term disability

Medical (no premiums/payroll deduction

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

ORCA card subsidy

Paid Time Off (34 days per year)

Retirement Plan

SEIU Healthcare 1199NW union

Job summary

DESC is seeking energized Residential Counselors to support residents in Permanent Supportive Housing projects. The role emphasizes assisting with daily needs, safety, and coordination with clinical staff to address mental health and substance use challenges.

You will work with a team to provide on-site activities, maintain building operations, and support leasing and orientation for new residents. A strong commitment to helping homeless populations is essential.

Qualifications

• Basic understanding of homelessness and its challenges.
• Ability to communicate and work with staff from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work with clients displaying a wide range of behaviors.
• Commitment to cooperation across programs and respect for clients.

Responsibilities

• Interact with residents in common areas and general milieu.
• Assist clinical staff in coordinating services for residents; contact outside providers as needed.
• Assist in engaging residents through activities, groups, and community meetings.
• Maintain building operations in the absence of other staff.
• Operate lobby functions: check-in/out visitors, answer phones, monitor security.
• Monitor safety and enforce project rules in all access areas.
• Intervene in crises, respond to emergencies and contact emergency systems.
• Document significant events in daily logs and read logs.
• Assist with room turnovers, new resident leasing and orientation; rent collection and inspections.
• Respond to resident complaints and refer to clinical staff as needed.
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings; assist with other property management duties.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

De-escalation

Team collaboration

Education

BA in social or behavioral science

Job description

• Days Off: Wednesday, Thursday


• Shift: Swing (3:30pm - 12:00am)


• Shift Differential: $0.50 per hour


• Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)


• 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.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs, 19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

JOB OVERVIEW:

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.

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 abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on thebasis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.