Bilingual Family Navigator

Mental Health Assn of Alameda County • Pleasanton, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Mental Health Association of Alameda County (MHAAC) is seeking a Bilingual Family Navigator to join their Family Education and Resource Center (FERC) program. This program provides advocacy, support, and education to family caregivers of loved ones living with mental health conditions, with an expansion to include supporting those with loved ones transitioning from jail or prison back into the community. All staff members have lived experience caring for a loved one with a mental health condition or Serious Mental Illness (SMI) who has experienced reentry. The FERC program offers a warmline, education, training, support groups, a resource center, assistance with specific forms, support for family leadership development, and collaboration with other programs. The Bilingual Family Navigator will partner with families to improve their loved one's reentry success by providing guidance, explaining available services, navigating resources, and facilitating linkages. They will help overcome the impacts of discrimination and inequality, support families facing barriers to employment, education, housing, and reunification, and assist with navigating the judicial system and understanding mental health diagnoses.

Requirements

• Lived experience as the primary caregiver and/or direct family member of a loved one diagnosed with a mental health condition and/or substance use condition who has reentered their community, navigated support systems and utilized reentry assistance supports.
• HS Diploma or GED.
• Bilingual in Spanish.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience navigating the Alameda County behavioral health care system, justice, reentry, educational, healthcare, or other social service system.
• Demonstrated excellence in service-oriented communication and teamwork.
• Must successfully pass a fingerprint background check by CADOJ and FBI.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office: Outlook (email/calendar); Word (documents).

Nice To Haves

• Associates or Bachelors Degree.
• Certification as a Family Partner, Peer Support Specialist, or related credential.
• Experience facilitating support groups, psycho educational workshops, or community presentations.
• Experience working with underserved communities and diverse populations.
• Experience working as an advocate or case manager.
• Experience working in behavioral health Forensic, or Diversion and Reentry Services.
• Experience delivering services using video-based platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Responsibilities

• Assist families in navigating and linking to support services, public assistance systems, the Alameda County Forensic system, ACCESS and the behavioral health care system, county health care system, legal system, substance use recovery rehabilitation, and other resources.
• Provide strengths-based individualized support, advocacy, and guidance to individuals and families as they care for their Loved One's reentry.
• Support clients by phone, by virtual meetings, by in-person consultation, by attending resource service meetings and service team meetings.
• Participate in reentry outreach.
• Coordinate and collaborate in outreach events, partner with FERC, AAFOP and community partners (e.g. table at health fairs, other public venues, etc.).
• Help remove obstacles to reentry through coordinating linkages, providing warm connections to services, scheduling appointments, coordinating other aspects of a family's needed supports to facilitate their Loved One's safe and successful landing in their home and community.
• Facilitate support groups, workshops, educational presentations, and community discussions focused on mental health awareness, reentry, family support, and resource navigation.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential client records, service documentation, and program data in accordance with agency and funding requirements.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Eligible for first pay increase after successful completion of 3-month introductory period
• Some position eligible for Bilingual Pay Differential for fluency in an Alameda County threshold language
• 100% paid medical and dental coverage for the employee
• 401K Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Generous time-off benefits: 14 paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Years Day
• Vacation leave 2 weeks per year, increases to 4 weeks by year 4 of employment
• Mileage reimbursement for work related travel
• Paid volunteer time-off
• Tuition reimbursement
• On the job training

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED