ACT Housing Specialist

The Guidance Center Inc•Leavenworth, KS

13d•$28 - $30

About The Position

The Guidance Center (TGC) is the Community Mental Health Center and Certified Behavioral Health Clinic serving Leavenworth, Atchison, and Jefferson counties in Kansas. We provide high-quality care to all individuals, regardless of their financial circumstances. Joining the team at TGC offers you the chance to make a meaningful impact on the most vulnerable members of our community. At our center, we offer a unique combination of counseling, case management, psychosocial, and medication services, all under one roof. We are deeply committed to our clients and are dedicated to implementing a comprehensive model of care. The Guidance Center (TGC) is currently seeking an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team Housing Specialist to be the newest member of our innovative interdisciplinary team. The Housing Specialist will serve a targeted population of persons at risk for or experiencing homelessness. This person will primarily be assessing and obtaining affordable housing as an integral part of keeping persons out of the state hospital and/or nursing facilities for mental health. This position may include participation in a rotating on-call schedule to support team and client needs outside of standard business hours.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required. Degree in Social Work, Psychology, or human service field preferred. Equivalent work experience in the human services field, or a combination of work experience in the human services field and education, with one year of experience substituting for one year of education, may be considered.
Required: 6 months of volunteer or paid experience working with individuals in the community.

Nice To Haves

experience working with individuals with mental health issues.

Responsibilities

Meet with referred clients to assess housing needs, strengths, barriers, and accurately budget based on income.
Network and maintain positive working relationships with local landlords, property managers, housing authorities, social service organizations and state agencies and internal collaterals. Maintain an updated list of landlord contacts in centralized database and share resources and housing leads with other agency providers.
Establish and maintain partnerships to coordinate care with the Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACT) and Kansas Homeless Coalition (KHC) in response to emergency housing requests.
Transport and accompany clients to apartment viewings and other appointments as appropriate.
Remain update to date available housing programs including Rapid Re-Housing assistance and/or other subsidized housing programs.
Advocate on behalf of clients to help them move forward out of homelessness.
Complete thorough assessments to identify strengths, needs, barriers, and goals.
Participate in the creation and/or implementation of treatment plans.
Coordinate and collaborate with the ACT department and community providers in support of clients.
Create and accept internal and external referrals for resources and services and maintain communication with providers.