Case Manager

Friendship Shelter•Laguna Woods, CA

12h

About The Position

Friendship Shelter is hiring five Case Managers across its Regional Care Coordination, Friendship Shelter Care Coordination, and Permanent Supportive Housing programs. Applicants apply to one of these programs. Case Managers work collaboratively with clients, colleagues, healthcare providers, housing partners, and community organizations to coordinate services around each client’s goals and needs. They are expected to uphold the organization’s values by treating clients with dignity, respect, compassion, and empathy; building collaborative relationships; promoting equity and inclusion; maintaining professionalism and accountability; and approaching challenges with integrity and a solutions-focused mindset. Regional Care Coordination Case Managers serve participants experiencing homelessness in South Orange County through the county’s Homeless Service System. They manage caseloads of approximately 15–20 participants and provide outreach and engagement, intensive case management, disability benefit application assistance and advocacy, housing navigation, financial assistance to secure permanent housing, and referrals to community resources, including shelter and interim housing. They also provide CalAIM community support services, including Housing Navigation, Housing Stabilization, and Enhanced Care Management. Friendship Shelter Care Coordination Case Managers provide supportive services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, with the goal of resolving homelessness and supporting long-term housing stability. They manage caseloads of approximately 15–20 participants and provide outreach and engagement, intensive case management, connection to Coordinated Entry, housing navigation and sustainability services, financial assistance for interim or permanent housing or to resolve housing barriers, and referrals to resources such as shelter, healthcare, behavioral healthcare, substance use disorder treatment, and benefits advocacy. They also provide CalAIM Housing Navigation, Housing Stabilization, and Enhanced Care Management. Permanent Supportive Housing Case Managers manage caseloads of approximately 15–20 participants. Their primary goals are to support housing retention and increase participants’ independent living skills. They conduct regular home visits, build trusting relationships, assess needs, create housing stability plans addressing risks of housing loss, provide individualized support toward plan goals, connect participants with community resources, and review and adjust plans and contact frequency as needed. Most of this work takes place in participants’ homes or neighborhoods. This role also provides CalAIM Housing Stabilization and Enhanced Care Management. Across programs, Case Managers provide ongoing in-person services and coordinate care through appointments, assessments, care plans, coaching, education, referrals, and communication by mail, email, text, and phone. The role includes driving clients to appointments, maintaining accurate documentation and database records, helping clients maintain housing and develop independent living skills, responding to crises, and representing the organization in meetings and forums. Driving is an essential function, and employees may drive up to 50% of the time.

Requirements

Case management experience.
Experience working with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, substance use disorder, or other disabling conditions.
Valid driver’s license and a vehicle with valid registration and insurance.
Ability and willingness to drive clients and use a personal vehicle during work hours; driving may account for up to 50% of the role.
Desire to be part of a team passionately committed to ending homelessness.
Comfort working in Housing First, trauma-informed, and harm-reduction settings.
Ability to navigate Orange County social services, including Medi-Cal, CalOptima, food stamps/GR, ID services, Social Security, and other social-service or behavioral-health providers.
Strong organization and attention to detail, with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to understand and follow specific instructions and procedures.
Conflict-management and decision-making skills.
Good interpersonal skills and effective verbal and written communication.
Basic computer skills, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, Outlook, and web browsers.
Ability to perform essential job functions in shared office spaces and in the field, including standing for extended periods and walking, bending, stooping, or climbing for 66% or more of the workday.
Ability to lift and/or push up to 25 pounds for 33%–66% of the time may be required.

Responsibilities

Provide regular in-person client services, including assessments, care-plan development, service coordination, coaching, education, and referrals.
Support client engagement by scheduling appointments, sending reminders, coordinating transportation, driving clients to appointments, and addressing barriers to participation.
Collaborate with internal and external members of clients’ care teams to coordinate services, facilitate case conferences, and make referrals.
Maintain timely and accurate case notes and client data for funding compliance, Medi-Cal billing, and project tracking.
Build positive relationships with staff, partner agencies, and community volunteers to improve service delivery.
Assist clients with housing-related tasks and provide advocacy and support to help them maintain housing.
Enter and update information in HMIS, CalOptima Connect, and other required databases.
Work with the team to resolve housing barriers and respond to client crises as needed.
Represent Friendship Shelter at county-wide meetings and other forums as required.
Teach and assist clients with independent living skills, including budgeting, household care, and personal care.
Connect clients with resources that support housing stability, including employment, income benefits, medical care, mental health services, and legal aid.
Participate in team and agency staff meetings.
For Regional Care Coordination: provide outreach and engagement, intensive case management, disability-benefit application assistance and advocacy, housing navigation, housing-related financial assistance, and referrals to shelter, interim housing, and other community resources.
For Friendship Shelter Care Coordination: provide outreach and engagement, intensive case management, Coordinated Entry connections, housing navigation and sustainability services, housing-related financial assistance, and community-resource referrals.
For Permanent Supportive Housing: conduct regular home visits and assessments, create housing stability plans, provide individualized support toward plan goals, and review and adjust plans and contact frequency to address housing-retention needs.
Provide applicable CalAIM community support services, including Housing Navigation, Housing Stabilization, and Enhanced Care Management, as specified for each program.