Program Specialist, Office of Housing Services

City of New York•Long Island City, NY

About The Position

The Bureau of Mental Health’s mission is to improve mental health and wellness for people in New York City, and to eliminate racial and other long-standing societal disparities by providing services, resources, and opportunities to providers that are grounded in accurate, data driven information that fosters community participation, thus reducing the stigma around mental health. This includes procuring and monitoring more than 500 contracted programs that provide mental health treatment, psychiatric rehabilitation, supportive housing, care coordination and advocacy services and operating court-mandated Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT), Single Point of Access (SPOA) for mobile treatment and care coordination and NYC Supportive Treatment and Recovery Team (NYC START) for people with first episode psychosis. The Office of Housing Services is responsible for developing new supportive housing opportunities and monitoring service delivery at more than 200 scattered sites and single site supportive housing dwellings. Supportive Housing programs serve individuals and families coming from chronic homelessness who have a mental illness and or a substance use disorder. In addition, the Office of Housing Services promotes the development of regulatory, legislative, and systemic enhancements to supportive housing within the context of the larger NYC mental health delivery system and homeless services system. Position Summary: The Program Specialist works in the Office of Housing Services to provide oversight, consultation and technical assistance to public and voluntary agencies providing supportive housing services by contract or in agreement with NYC DOHMH.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited graduate school of social work as evidenced by a master's degree or certificate and four years of full-time paid experience in public health, medical or psychiatric social work, at least two years of which must have been in a supervisory, administrative or consultative capacity.
Within 18 months of the date of appointment, all candidates will be required to obtain a certificate as Certified Social Worker (CSW) issued by the New York State Department of Education.

Nice To Haves

Possess exceptional written and verbal communication skills, strong analytical and problem- solving skills and the ability to manage competing priorities and track progress to adhere to set timelines.
Have experience managing the social services within a supportive housing program.
Have experience serving homeless or formerly homeless person and persons with a serious mental illness and/or a substance use disorder.
Have experience working with young adults who have had episodes of homelessness.
Possess strong computer and data management skills, including software such as Microsoft Excel and Word and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

Manage oversight of programs in assigned portfolio and provide coverage as needed.
Conduct ongoing site visits to assess and review the quality of program services and provide technical assistance. This includes observation and assessment in person, by telephone and in writing of a program’s quality, effectiveness, and outcomes to inform both policy and programmatic decisions.
Address and respond to questions, concerns and complaints from agencies, programs, consumers, and the public.
Review and discuss programmatic audits and fiscal issues as necessary.
Refer, provide and/or coordinate meetings and trainings to address program needs.
Review and negotiate program budget for optimal program performance.
Develop, evaluate, and revise scopes of service for programs to ensure alignment with Bureau expectations and goals including recovery-orientation, competency in serving individuals with co-occurring disorders, and alignment with relevant State and Federal standards and statutes.
Assist in the negotiation of contracts or MOUs between the Department, public and voluntary agencies.
Act as liaison to government and interagency committees and represent DOHMH professionally at meetings, conferences, and workgroups.
Draft reports and correspondence on behalf of the Office and assist with the preparation of reports on agency functioning and service delivery as requested.
Undertake and /or participate in special projects to evaluate and improve the quality of services, operations and needs of the public.
Develop and implement surveys, questionnaires, or other surveillance methods, identify potential data sources, and analyze new and existing data sets to inform program planning and evaluation activities.

Benefits

Loan Forgiveness: As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal/state loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs that lessen your payments or even fully forgive your full balance. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website (https://studentaid.gov/pslf/)
Benefits: City employees are entitled to unmatched benefits such as: o a premium-free health insurance plan that saves employees over $10K annually, per a 2024 assessment. o additional health, fitness, and financial benefits may be available based on the position’s associated union/benefit fund. o a public sector defined benefit pension plan with steady monthly payments in retirement. o a tax-deferred savings program and o a robust Worksite Wellness Program that offers resources and opportunities to keep you healthy while serving New Yorkers.
Work From Home Policy: Depending on your position, you may be able to work up to two days during the week from home.
Job Security - you could enjoy more job security compared to private sector employment and be able to contribute to making NYC a healthy place to live and work.

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