Case Manager

Summary

The Downtown Women's Center (DWC) seeks a full-time Time Limited Subsidy Case Manager with a proven history of high-quality intensive case management services provision, to provide culturally responsive services. This program is part of our Every Woman Housed initiative to provide case management services and housing navigation, to women from the Skid Row area. The Case Manager will be responsible for engaging participants in services, building a caseload, establishing housing linkages and housing placement. The ideal candidate will also provide direct services and advocacy to link Participants with basic needs, such as medical, and mental health services, job training and public benefits. The level of case management and services will be determined on the Participant's needs. This position is part of an interdisciplinary team and provides innovative services that are at the forefront of homeless services. An ideal candidate is strengths-based, decisive, flexible, and creative. This position will report directly to the Time Limited Subsidy Supervisor.

Essential Functions

• Provide culturally responsive, site dedicated case management services to the most vulnerable women living in the Skid Row area to secure housing, including landlord engagement, identification of housing locations in the community, conducting biopsychosocial assessments, creating individual service plans, including goals to ensure housing stability, and ensuring women are linked to the appropriate services.
• Support Participants with budgeting and connect them to public assistance benefits and/or employment programs and accessing free or low-cost goods/services.
• Provide financial assistance based on the level of care of each Participant, such as moving assistance, rental assistance, utilities etc.
• Collaborate with landlords and DWC Housing Navigation program to assist Participants in locating permanent housing; and accompany Participants when meeting with landlords.
• Develop, establish, and maintain professional working relationships with landlords and property managers, with emphasis on direct contact and negotiation with unit owners.
• Conducts unit inspections as required by the program policies and guidelines.
• Process housing applications including but not limited to project-based Permanent Supportive Housing and PHA (Public Housing Authorities) voucher applications.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of activities and services provided to each Participant using HMIS/Clarity and other tracking systems.
• Provide crisis intervention and group facilitation as necessary.
• Utilize evidence-based practices in service delivery such as intensive case management, Motivational Interviewing, Harm Reduction, Critical Time Intervention, and Housing First practices.
• Work to effectively meet Participants' needs and resolve individual barriers through follow-up, advocacy, and collaboration with DWC staff, and other community service providers.
• Collaborate with community service providers to identify appropriate clients through educational presentations and street outreach, as needed.
• Arrange transportation or provide transportation as needed, to ensure that clients are able to attend appointments.
• Research and provide necessary referrals for linkage with health care, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, food, employment, job training, public benefits and other services as indicated by treatment planning.
• Assist newly housed clients in familiarizing and connecting with community resources including but not limited to, local grocery stores, entertainment, transportation, health care and social supports and services.
• Address client crisis, as needed.
• Participate in weekly individual and group supervision, in addition to other agency meetings and trainings as required.
• Participate in quarterly peer chart reviews by providing and responding to colleague feedback and making necessary corrections in a timely manner.
• Be an ambassador of DWC and its mission and values by participating in community meetings/events.
• Provide weekly, monthly, and as needed written reports to the Program Supervisor as assigned.
• Advocate for racial equity and eliminating systemic barriers to housing retention.
• Other duties as assigned.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Competencies

• Time Management
• Decision Making
• Communication Proficiency
• Collaboration Skills
• Organization Skills
• Attention to Detail
• Flexibility
• Creativity
• Communication Proficiency
• Cultural Humility
• Teamwork

Supervisory Responsibility

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.

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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. This position would also require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand on a stool as necessary.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time, non-exempt position. Days and hours of work are Monday- Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm

Travel

None. This is an onsite only position.

Required Education, Experience, and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in social work or a related field preferred, Master's degree a plus
• Case management experience required.
• Strong knowledge of the complexity of poverty and women's homelessness, multi-culturalism and diversity, trauma, health and mental health issues, substance abuse and older adults; familiarity with permanent supportive housing model and evidence-based practices
• Familiarity with Housing First model, Motivational Interviewing, Harm Reduction, and other evidence-based practices, preferred.
• Experience working in homeless services and familiarity with the Skid Row community strongly preferred.
• Resourcefulness in locating housing (market rate rent and subsidized housing).
• Knowledge of Fair Housing laws, eviction prevention and experience working directly with landlords through property management, real estate, or housing navigation services
• Excellent judgement, active listening, and crisis intervention skills
• Effective crisis management skills and conflict resolutions skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities, including proficiency in balancing direct service responsibilities with data management responsibilities.
• Perficient in HMIS or other database management preferred.
• Ability to be flexible with hours when needed.
• Knowledge of the complex barriers surrounding women's homelessness.
• Knowledge of communities that are disproportionately represented in the homeless population (communities of color, LGBTQ+, etc)
• Computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and Outlook)
• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills and ability to build relationships with women, coworkers, and community partners from diverse backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to establish priorities, implement plans, and meet deadlines.
• Active listening and problem-solving skills, a solution-oriented attitude, and good judgement.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed care.
• Lived experience is a strong plus.
• Oral and written fluency in Spanish and English is a plus.
• Must be a CA resident and live no more than 80 miles from DWC; must be available for in-person meetings at DWC.
• Must provide documentation of a negative TB test result within the last twelve months, on first day of hire.
• You will be required to be up to date on your vaccinations against COVID-19 and provide documentation. If you are fully vaccinated and not yet eligible to receive a booster dose, then you must receive the booster dose within 30 days of becoming eligible and eligibility begins 5 months after receiving the final primary dose. If you are fully vaccinated and have received a booster dose, you are considered up to date with your vaccinations. Unvaccinated individuals must receive their 1st dose before their first day of hire. Partially vaccinated (for 2-dose series) individuals must receive their 2nd dose within 30 days of being hired. The second dose of a two-dose vaccine series is due 4 weeks after the primary dose.

Pay Range

$23.07 - 23.31/hour

Work Authorization/Security Clearance (if applicable)

Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment. DWC does not sponsor employment visas, such as H-1B.

Downtown Women's Center provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants and actively seeks candidates who reflect the rich diversity of the communities that we serve. We are committed to a work environment that embraces and promotes individuality and inclusion. We believe that diversity and inclusion of varied perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences are essential to our organization's effectiveness, and allow us to serve our clients in the respectful, responsive, and understanding way that they deserve. We define diversity in broad terms to include race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental or physical disability, marital status, pregnancy, military and veteran status, medical condition, geography, socio-economic status, and other unique attributes that make us who we are.

Downtown Women's Center complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Pay Range: $23.07 - $23.31 per hour

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