Street Outreach Case Manager

Who We Are:

Liberation Programs is one of Fairfield County's leading behavioral health organizations specializing in treatment for all types of substance use disorders including alcohol, opiates, depressants and stimulants. Our goal is to help individuals and families overcome addiction in order to restore their lives and ultimately strengthen our communities. Liberation provides services for youth, adults and families that include two inpatient treatment programs, outpatient and intensive outpatient services, health education for older adults and people living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, treatment and resources for adolescents and their families, education and prevention efforts in the community, and permanent supportive housing for families. In operation since 1971, the agency has sites in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport and served more than 2,400 individuals in our last fiscal year.

Job Purpose / Function

The Street Outreach Case Manager position is situated within the Harm Reduction Department at Liberation Programs. This department was established by Liberation to bridge the gap between harm reduction and traditional addiction treatment approaches, and assists the organization in offering low-barrier, culturally competent, trauma informed outreach to people who use drugs, in an emotionally safe environment, while delivering practical interventions.

The Street Outreach Case Manager will personally deliver street-based outreach services and case management to a caseload of up to 20 people, by engaging in and building effective relationships with households experiencing unsheltered homelessness and by assisting them in achieving permanent, sustainable housing and accessing services to address needs and barriers. They will be involved in community canvassing, ongoing individual assessment, including working during non-traditional hours – including those living with serious mental health conditions and substance use disorder.

An effective Street Outreach Case Manager will be grounded in harm reduction theory and practice, as well as maintaining a comprehensive working knowledge of the homeless services and housing systems, and of relevant community resources to ensure that those served are connected to housing opportunities as quickly as possible – and that necessary supports are put in place to sustain their housing.

Major Duties and Responsibilities.

• Provide street outreach through canvassing, with designated times outside of normal business hours, in collaboration with agency partners – with the aim of building trust, completing enrollment, providing connections to relevant services, and establishing a pathway to housing.
• Provide ongoing case management services, including connection to mainstream benefits,
• Collect required identification and assist in replacing lost documents. Work with households to collect all personal identification and documentation, income verification, homelessness verification, and disability verification (all when applicable and appropriate) and upload them into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
• Provide ongoing assessments of participants’ needs for service, and documenting and monitoring using an individualized service plan.
• Link participants to agencies that can assist with identified needs and coordinate, advocate and monitor on-going service provision. Services include financial entitlements, housing, residential support, clinical / medical treatment, vocational assistance, legal assistance, rehabilitative services, substance use disorder treatment, and veterans’ services.
• Provide case management training and support to the Outreach team members at Liberation involved in Harm Reduction / Homeless Outreach.
• Advocate for appropriate policies to benefit those using substances and experiencing homelessness.
• Work with existing housing partners and agencies to build support for harm reduction practices and policies across the sector – to secure stable housing for people experiencing homelessness who struggle with alcohol or drug use.
• Link those struggling with alcohol use disorder to the Managed Alcohol program.
• Work with the Liberation Outreach Team to support people in need of substance use services to link quickly into existing programs.
• Work with local LMHA to connect those struggling with mental health disorders into care and treatment.
• Support the client in obtaining income through workforce development referrals, or connection to a SOAR specialist.
• behavioral health services, and other identified needs (such as childcare, SNAP, etc.).
• Actively participate in the local CAN housing solution meetings to advocate for housing opportunities for the client.
• Coordinate housing searches, landlord recruitment, and relocation assistance and identify housing options in the community through cultivation of relationships with landlords.
• Providing information, referrals, and coordinating efforts to participating households for needed services such as, but not limited to repairing credit and referrals for health, mental health, substance abuse services and social services sources. Encouraging early linkages to family and community support systems.
• Assist the client through the lease signing, tenant rights and responsibilities, and understanding of lease compliance.
• Comply with all HMIS training requirements including HMIS, maintain organized files and adhere to timely data entry into HMIS, Smart Sheet, and Ddap.

Skills / Experience Required.

• Must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience working with a homeless population and/or lived expertise.
• Bachelor’s degree in social work and/or equivalent related field experience required.
• Must have experience and be comfortable with a harm reduction approach, delivering harm reduction services and supplies, (including safer injection and safer smoking kits) and be able to embrace “meeting people where they are” without judgement or expectation.
• Must have excellent communication skills.
• Must be able to deliver services respectfully and ensure all participants are treated with respect and dignity and feel supported.
• Highly motivated, creative problem solver
• Knowledge of, or ability to quickly develop competency with, issues related to homelessness, effective intervention techniques, and basic understanding of mental health and substance abuse issues.
• Project a professional demeanor and exercises mature judgment
• Knowledge of community resources
• Must be able to work effectively with populations that have experienced vulnerability, trauma, economic poverty, incarceration, substance use, developmental delays, compromised mental wellness, brain injuries, literacy and numeracy issues, and/or other conditions or situations that have impacted housing stability
• Strong organization skills and ability to coordinate and complete multiple tasks simultaneously
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including telephone communication.
• Ability to work independently and with a group, and maintain good working relationships with organizational staff and partners
• Must have a valid driver's license, insurance and be comfortable driving a large van.
• Familiarity with local support services, resources and recovery community preferred.
• Driver’s license and daily use of a reliable and properly registered and insured motor vehicle
• Strong computer skills
• Must adhere to all professional standards and ethical practices, including creating and maintaining healthy boundaries and professional relationships with clients, co-workers, and others

Most employees of Liberation Programs are funded by a variety of grants, governmental programs and endowment sources. Continued employment is contingent upon continued receipt of those funds.

Full-time, 40 hours per week, hours must be flexible.

What We Offer:

• Competitive Compensation
• Medical/Dental/Vision
• Company Paid Basic Life Insurance
• Company Paid Short Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Health, Dependent Care, Parking and Transit
• 401K with Match
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Generous Paid Time Off Policy
• HRSA Student Loan Forgiveness Participant
• Supportive Work Environment