Lead Case Manager, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)

St Vincent De Paul Society District Council Of Marin•San Rafael, CA

1d•$38

About The Position

Lead Case Manager, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) open position. About St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin (SVdP): Hunger, poverty, and homelessness hurt everyone. As a charitable social services organization, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County’s mission is to work daily to help individuals and families with food, housing, and crisis assistance to restore dignity and a chance for a better life. We are affiliated with one of the oldest and most effective charitable organizations in the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization of nearly 700,000 people headquartered in Paris, France that helps people living in poverty in 142 countries on five continents. In the US, membership totals 172,000 in 4,600 local communities. However, we are an independent, nonprofit organization that is governed by its own Board of Directors and is solely responsible for its own fundraising and program operations. All of the donations we receive serve the people of Marin. We believe that everyone needs food, housing, dignity and a chance for a better life – no one can do it alone. Our goal is to provide compassionate care and critical services to residents of Marin County who are struggling to make ends meet, but are not receiving the help they need. Here in Marin, since 1946, our key crisis assistance programs support over 8,000 people annually and have grown to include a free dining room, a homeless outreach team, and housing and crisis assistance. If you seek work that is more than just a job but the opportunity to give back to your community, then SVdP may be the place for you. We are looking for staff who are ready for a career with a mission-driven organization, want to be valued, have diverse experience and skills, and want to join a committed and excited community. If this sounds like you, we would love to have you join our team! The Lead Case Manager, PSH helps chronically homeless individuals engage in Intensive Case Management in a meaningful way, whether currently or formerly living in an encampment. This role works with clients to reduce the impact of homelessness, assisting them in meeting their goals to achieve sustainable housing. This role focuses on working with these residents in an ongoing manner to ensure they are linked to mental health and other services, whether housed or not. In addition, this position serves as the primary lead and supervising entity of 2-3 case managers that are part of the Permanent Supportive Housing Team. The Lead Case Manager will support other PSH Case Managers with guiding questions, case conferencing, time punch/PTO assistance through our organization’s punch system, with our company car reservation system, administrative tasks, and supervisions. The Lead Case Manager, Permanent Supportive Housing position must be an energetic self-starter, passionate about helping homeless individuals, have excellent communication skills, be attentive to detail and relentless in driving towards outcomes. This role requires being familiar and comfortable with homeless individuals, street culture, and community resources. The position also must demonstrate an ability to establish trusting, hopeful relationships with the clients and case managers they serve, using a client-centered, trauma-informed approach.

Requirements

Skills and competence to establish trusting relationships with people with histories of homelessness, severe and persistent mental illnesses, emotional dysregulation, and co-occurring substance use disorders.
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills and the ability to formulate critical thinking skills and to write clear and concise case notes and enter them into an online database.
Due to the need to be driving a SVdP vehicle to visit clients and attend appointments on their behalf, one must have a valid California Driver’s License, a driving record acceptable by SVdP’s insurance company, and proof of personal vehicle insurance.
Ability to use de-escalation tactics, mediate conflict resolution, provide crisis intervention as needed, and hold basic counseling skills.
Demonstrated ability to detect behavioral changes within clients that may indicate a future relapse or mental health crisis.
Basic understanding of incidents and systems that may lead to systemic trauma.
Basic understanding of mental health diagnosis, symptoms, and treatments.
Ability to adhere to ethical business practices by striving to perform in a manner that conforms to the highest standards of ethical behavior, integrity, trustworthiness, and honesty.
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of all agency and client related information.
Capable of expressing a professional demeanor, dependability, and good judgment.

Nice To Haves

Two (2) years of experience in mental health treatment or substance abuse treatment, or related social service environments.
An advanced degree or related work experience in the fields of psychology, sociology, or other social sciences.
Experience working with unhoused individuals is strongly preferred.
General knowledge of Co-occurring Disorders.
Credential or other specialized training or education in substance abuse factors and treatments.
Specialized Training in De-Escalation, Trauma-Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, or Dialectal Behavior Training (DBT).
Bilingual proficiency in Spanish preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Assess (using the MAV-SA or other assessment tool) clients along with the following metrics: client strengths and resources, housing needs, cultural identity, behavioral health, medical, social, family support, education and employment history.
Work in partnership with clients to create an individualized plan that articulates the client’s goals for housing, treatment, and documents (in case notes and HMIS/WZRD systems) the specific interventions planned to assist the client to achieve these goals.
Develop and provide (or connect to) high quality interventions and services in support of wellness and recovery.
Provide strength-based case management, skills development, assistance with medical care services and support, therapy, crisis intervention, and peer and family support.
Document clear and concise case notes and client-related expenses in one or more database systems as required.
Identify and then provide the type and intensity of service that the client needs to ensure the best opportunity for achieving success in exiting homelessness. This can mean frequent check-ins, transportation to services, addressing issues related to mental illness and/or substance use, enlisting stabilization and/or crisis services.
Provide housing location services, including but not limited to, determining the characteristics of a unit appropriate for a client (geographic location, community ties, safety, unit accessibility, etc.); locating potential units near public transportation and other amenities; networking and maintaining relationships with landlords; and accompanying client to open houses and housing application appointments.
Assist clients in securing necessary personal documentation and completing required paperwork, including “reasonable accommodation” to qualify for a MHA, or other, rental subsidy or housing voucher.
Directly assist and work in partnership with clients to help them move into housing. This may include arranging for or directly helping the client move their items to the unit and ensuring the client is set up with basic household personal items.
Provide housing stabilization services, such as ensuring the client can maintain a space clean enough to pass inspection, can manage their finances or is connected to a representative payee, and can navigate transportation if necessary to reach appointments related to health and benefits; and intervening with landlords if needed.
Work collaboratively with the client to mitigate tenancy issues early to help retain housing (e.g., resolving roommate or community disputes, setting boundaries around guest behavior, submitting timely rental payments, maintaining cleanliness in and around the unit, avoiding lease violations, etc.).
At move-in, make attempts to meet with the client weekly. After move-in, continue to meet with the client frequently as determined by their needs for clinical and housing support. Once housed, the case manager is responsible for visiting clients at/in their home (if the client permits) at least once per month to discuss client successes and any challenges.
Maintain contact at least once per month with the client’s housing property manager to provide an opportunity to be informed of any housing challenges. Provide each client with skills training to understand their tenancy rights and fulfill their tenancy responsibilities as articulated in their lease.
Independently supervise and manage 2-3 Case Managers on the PSH team using leadership skills and knowledge gathered from experience.
Provide space for individualized supervision (one on ones) weekly for each case manager under the Lead’s supervision.
Support other PSH Case Managers with guiding questions, case conferencing, time punch/PTO assistance through our organization’s punch system, our company car reservation system, administrative tasks, and supervisions.
Provide support and critical feedback for corrective action to case managers who need it.

Benefits

Very competitive compensation package commensurate with equivalent positions in Marin County and the Bay Area. The hiring wage for this role is $38 per hour.
14 annual full day and 3 annual half day paid holidays for FT roles.
Very generous vacation accruals that increase with tenure. Equates to 15 days of vacation accrual in first year, increasing to 25 days accrual by the 10th year of employment.
12 Paid Sick days accrued each year, as well as 3 mental health days.
75% employer-paid medical insurance for employees and dependents with choice of plans, some buy-up options for a small fee
75% employer-paid Dental insurance for employees and dependents
75% employer-paid Vision insurance for employees and dependents
75% employer-paid Chiropractic and Acupuncture coverage for employees and dependents
100% employer-paid Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance for employees
Pre-tax flexible spending accounts – medical and dependent care
A 403B retirement savings account with annual employer contribution
Commuter Programs – pre-tax parking and transit coverage
An Employee Assistance Program
Employer paid onsite parking
Free breakfast and lunch in our dining hall