Social Worker (Homeless Services Bureau)

bphccareers; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston Public Health Commission seeks a qualified Social Worker for the Homeless Services Bureau to improve health and housing outcomes for shelter guests. This role involves crisis intervention, clinical assessment, referrals, and coordinating care across services.

Requirements include a Master's degree with licensure eligibility (LCSW/LICSW/LMHC) within 6 months; bilingual Spanish is preferred. Experience with diverse populations and housing-related challenges is valued.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required with licensure eligibility within 6 months (LCSW/LICSW/LMHC or equivalent).
• Strong clinical skills and understanding of mental health and dual-diagnosis issues.
• Experience with diverse populations; homelessness and substance use experience helpful.

Responsibilities

• Provides mental health assessment and referrals to shelter guests.
• Performs crisis intervention and safety planning as needed.
• Provides psychosocial assessment, clinical intervention, and care coordination for shelter guests.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Clinical assessment

Case management

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Bilingual Spanish

Education

Master's degree

Job description

The Boston Public Health Commission's Homeless Services Bureau (HSB) provides emergency shelter, job training, behavioral health support, and housing services to unhoused individuals in Boston. The HSB serves close to 5,000 individuals every year and is one of the largest providers of emergency shelter in New England. HSB aims to make homelessness in Boston rare, brief, and one time. It does that by problem-solv­ing with new guests at the front door to try to prevent anyone from entering homelessness to begin with. For individuals who do become homeless and use our shelters, HSB endeavors to help them quickly move out of homelessness and find a safe and stable place to live. After a client is housed outside the shelter, HSB staff provides in-home supports to help individuals avoid someone a return to homelessness. The HSB uses a Housing First and racial justice framework, which is built on the foundation that housing is a social determinant of health, a basic need that everyone deserves, and does not require sobriety. HSB believes that everyone, with the right support, can succeed in housing. HSB fosters evidence-based approaches such as trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and motivational interviewing in the delivery of services, and strives to deliver services that are accessible to all clients.

Reporting to the Clinical Services Administrator, the Social Worker is responsible for improving the health and wellbeing of shelter and former shelter guests, providing crisis intervention, safety planning, clinical consultation, referrals and support, connections to alternative placements, and support to mitigate barriers to housing and housing retention.

DUTIES:

• Provides mental health assessment and referral services to shelter guests.
• Identifies high-risk behaviors in guests and provides crisis intervention and on-going clinical support.
• Provides psychosocial assessment, psycho-educational, clinical intervention, and care coordination services to shelter guests through all phases of treatment and follow-up.
• Assists guests with DMH eligibility applications.
• Participates in screening and evaluating guests for admission to Homeless Services program.
• Provides supervision to assigned staff including hiring, scheduling, monitoring, training, and evaluating all areas of work performance.
• Participates in the development and monitoring of guests' individual service plans.
• Provides case management services to guests as assigned.
• Collaborates with external social services agencies and acts as liaison to hospitals, mental health facilities and inpatient/outpatient programs.
• Responsible for providing referrals to psychiatric care and providing follow-up on hospitalized guests to coordinate appropriate discharge plans.
• Assists in maintaining records and statistical reports.
• Attends assigned meetings, case-conferences, and trainings.
• Provides psycho-educational groups to guests and staff.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Master's degree required. LCSW, LICSW, LMHC or eligible for licensure (within 6 months).
• Strong clinical skills and understanding of mental health and dual-diagnosis issues.
• Experience working with diverse ethnic, racial, and economic populations required. Prior experience with homelessness and substance abuse is helpful.
• Familiarity w/ DMH eligibility determination and services.
• Supervisory experience preferred.
• Knowledge of Boston area social services and mental health agencies.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary team environment.
• Bi-Lingual Spanish speaking preferred.