SSI Social Worker
About The Position
Bay Area Legal Aid (BayLegal) is a non-profit law firm providing free civil legal services to low-income individuals and families in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our services aim to prevent homelessness, increase economic stability, protect consumers, expand healthcare access, and enhance safety for survivors of violence. We serve diverse populations including the working poor, families, foster youth, seniors, immigrants, veterans, individuals impacted by the legal system, and persons with disabilities. Our community-based model involves working directly with clients to protect their rights, resolve crises, and remove barriers to stability. BayLegal also engages in broader advocacy and impact litigation to address systemic issues. The San Francisco Social Security Disability/SSI Advocacy Team is an interdisciplinary legal team of attorneys and social workers dedicated to assisting unhoused San Franciscans with disabilities in obtaining Social Security Disability, SSI, and CAPI benefits. The team conducts community outreach and collaborates with local agencies and healthcare providers to support clients in securing benefits and achieving stability. This position seeks a passionate, self-reflective, and empathic social worker to support unhoused or recently housed San Franciscans with disabilities who are represented by BayLegal in their Social Security disability claims. The social worker will collaborate with attorneys in case assessment and strategy. Key responsibilities include ongoing client outreach (including home visits), supporting clients in connecting to and maintaining healthcare, navigating the homelessness response system, connecting clients to resources (income and health benefits), and supporting clients in attending critical appointments. The role offers the opportunity to build strong rapport with clients over the long duration of Social Security cases. Clients often cope with trauma from housing instability and homelessness, alongside physical and mental health disabilities, substance use, domestic violence, and poverty. The ideal candidate will be skilled in harm reduction, stages of change, and motivational interviewing to help clients navigate these issues, engage with their legal case, and improve their economic and housing stability.
Requirements
- Advanced degree in social work, social welfare, marriage, family and child counseling, counseling psychology, or social psychology or three years of equivalent experience.
- Familiarity with and experience working within the frameworks of harm reduction, stages of change, and motivational interviewing to work with clients.
- An interest in being part of an interdisciplinary team with attorneys to support clients.
- An interest in issues pertaining to homelessness, economic justice, disability, and social determinants of health.
- Comfortable working in a variety of environments, including SRO Hotels, shelters, and health clinics, and environments with pets as the majority of our clients have dogs as support animals.
- Commitment to complying with all BayLegal funding requirements, and firm standards, policies, and practices.
- Current proficiency, and ability to improve proficiency, in technological equipment, hardware, and software necessary to perform duties of the position.
- Must be fully vaccinated or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination by date of hire and be fully vaccinated to be considered. Proof of vaccination required.
- Humility in working with colleagues and clients, and individuals of all identities, experiences, and perspectives.
- Excellent verbal, client interviewing, and organizational skills.
- Strong personal work ethic and ability to organize time, manage diverse activities, and meet critical deadlines with minimal supervision.
- Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to work collaboratively with a dynamic team.
- Curious and self-directed with an ability to anticipate what needs to be done.
- Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects while maintaining a firm grasp of individual project details.
Nice To Haves
- Licensure (e.g., LCSW, LMFT) or progress towards licensure (e.g., ASW, MFT Intern or Trainee).
- In-depth knowledge of, and experience with, social services agencies, housing support services, and behavioral health providers in San Francisco County.
- Experience working in a variety of settings in the field with individuals with physical and mental health disabilities, survivors of domestic violence, and those impacted by complex trauma and homelessness.
Responsibilities
- Support clients in identifying their needs, setting goals, and developing a plan for achieving those goals through appropriate evidence-based clinical practices.
- Travel to and meet clients in various settings, such as home, shelters, street, public benefits offices, medical clinics, and hearings.
- Regularly engage clients through outreach to assess interest in obtaining health care, and help clients identify physical, behavioral health care, and substance use treatment needs, connect clients to care, provide case management to prioritize, set, and follow up on health care appointments – includes accompanying clients to appointments as needed.
- Provide crisis intervention and crisis counseling, develop emergency safety plans, and long-term plans as a team with the client and attorney.
- Help clients connect to housing support services and refer clients for help to maintain housing.
- Support clients' applications for Social Security disability benefits by assisting with some forms, appointments, supporting clients at hearing and other interviews.
- Assist and follow up with applications for other benefits programs, such as County Adult Assistance, CalFresh, and MediCal.
- Develop relationships and engage in collaboration with a range of public and private community partners, including governmental agencies, medical and behavioral health care providers, and community-based organizations, to ensure integrative services and address systemic barriers facing BayLegal's client community.
- Engage as part of a multi-disciplinary team in other tasks and projects that further BayLegal's mission and operations as a non-profit.
- Collaborate with social workers across BayLegal to provide consultation and agency-wide training as needed.
Benefits
- 100% employer covered medical, dental, and life insurance for employees and up to 60% for dependents
- BayLegal student debt reimbursement program
- Long term disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Wage differentials for multi-lingual employees
- Dependent childcare employer contribution program
- Employer paid CA Bar license and/or social work license fees
- 401k retirement plan with BayLegal contribution following first year
- 15 holidays each year
- Vacation (starting at 13 days and increasing with additional years of employment)
- 3 floating holidays each year
- Sick leave
- Parental leave
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
