GENERAL DESCRIPTION: St. Joseph Center has been awarded funds to provide intensive case management efforts to individuals involved in the Venice Service Registry. The purpose of the Assertive Case Management Team is to move chronically homeless individuals living on the streets in the Venice community into permanent, supportive housing.

Under the supervision of an agency Program Manager the Mental Health Case Manager will be part of a team that will conduct assertive mobile outreach to chronically homeless individuals on the streets in the Venice Community, and provide them with intensive services intended to engage them in the service continuum and ensure their linkage services that enable them to become housing ready. Once housing ready, the case manger will help clients apply for subsidized housing and link clients to available housing resources by locating suitable units and helping clients to obtain and move into permanent housing. Once clients are housed, the case manger will be responsible for providing ongoing services that will assist them to retain their housing and be good tenants and neighbors. The overall case load for this team will be 40 individuals. Each member will be assigned 10-15 clients depending on other responsibilities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Develop close working relationships with outreach workers, case managers, police and paramedics, the Los Angeles Housing Authority, and collaborative agencies.
2. Locate and focus efforts on specific chronically homeless persons from the Venice Registry that are the considered to be most vulnerable.
3. Conduct initial mental health/substance abuse screenings and housing needs assessments.
4. Present findings to other collaborative agencies in order to develop a service plan of action that will expedite housing opportunities and housing stability;
5. Implement case management service plan goals emphasizing coordinated strategies for addressing mental health/substance abuse issues, relapse prevention, medication management and any other risk factors that could impede permanent housing.
6. Provide ongoing assessment of client progress in attaining goal plans.
7. Utilize a harm reduction model and motivational interviewing when working with clients.
8. Provide therapy to stabilize and connect them with ongoing mental health resources so that they will be able to maintain housing.
9. Provide ongoing case management services that will ensure successful permanent housing, decrease social isolation and prevent relapse risks; advocacy to deter evictions; and linkage and brokerage to any needed services such as medical/dental, mental health, substance abuse, life skills training, self-help, money management, meaningful community activities, volunteer services, job placement, etc.
10. Ensure a smooth transition into permanent housing by assisting clients with benefits and housing application processes and life skills such as budgeting, cooking, accessing community resources, and other skills as needed.
11. Provide crisis management, case management, and other related substance abuse/mental health services to clients on the streets, in service venues, in housing placements, or other locations as appropriate.
12. Provide substance abuse counseling for dually diagnosed populations.
13. Respond to urgent requests for assistance from clients or landlords as needed.
14. Participate in all meetings with collaborative agencies and other community meetings as directed.

QUALIFICATIONS:REQUIRED:
Candidates should possess a Masters degree in psychology, counseling or social work. BBS current intern registration required. Experience providing substance abuse counseling to dually diagnosed clients.
PREFERRED: Strongly prefer CADC certification. Two years experience providing mental health services to individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders is highly desirable. Candidates must also demonstrate experience in performing crisis intervention and the ability to provide mental health assessments using diagnostic criteria from the DSM IV.

The position requires an ability to work flexible hours including some early mornings, evenings.

This position is subject to a background check and DMV check. Qualifications

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Additional Information

Status: Full-Time/ Exempt
Salary: Competitive salary (DOE), health benefits, generous vacation time off
Location: Venice, CA
Employment with St. Joseph Center is contingent on completion of satisfactory background check.
For consideration, please submit cover letter and resume. St. Joseph Center is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. All applicants for employment are invited to voluntarily self-identify their gender, race, ethnicity, and veteran status, by completing the EEO Information. Providing your EEO Information is voluntary and refusal to self-identify will not subject applicants to any adverse treatment. Similarly, applicants who do self-identify will not be subject to any adverse treatment based on the information they provide.