Homeless Prevention Specialist
- Employer
- LifeStream Behavioral Center
- Location
- Eustis, Florida
- Salary
- Open
- Posted
- Oct 25, 2016
- Closes
- Dec 24, 2016
- Industry
- Healthcare
- Category
- Healthcare, Personal Care
- Hours
- Full Time
FUNCTION: The Homeless Prevention Navigator works cooperatively to assist homeless individuals to access services and benefits to overcome their homelessness. The Homeless Prevention Navigator works with homeless individuals to help them develop and fulfill individualized treatment plans leading to stable income and permanent housing. The Homeless Prevention Navigator works closely with the individual, the individual’s family, LifeStream staff, and other community organizations to meet those needs and to allow the individual to live as independently as possible within the community.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Perform intake and ongoing assessment, including social history.
- Work with individuals to develop long and short-term goals.
- Inform individuals of all available services.
- Assist individuals in accessing services and benefits, including ACCESS, SOAR and others for which client may be eligible.
- Coordinate all services and resources available to homeless individuals.
- Link individuals to appropriate services.
- Maintain up-to-date and accurate case notes, including daily log.
- Work with individuals to develop individualized service plans for accessing needed services including treatment for medical, social service, housing/shelter needs and employment services as well as mental health and substance abuse problems.
- Maintain regularly scheduled meetings with individuals to review and update service plans, provide encouragement and monitor progress
- Maintain individuals’ files including participation agreement, release forms, service plan and up-to-date progress notes.
- Enter all required data and updates into Homeless Management Information System.
- Maintain individuals’ confidentiality at all times.
- Work as part of a team, meeting regularly to share information, strategies, mutual support, and ideas with a primary goal to address the long-term needs of homeless individuals including access to permanent housing.
- Work cooperatively and collaboratively with other staff, volunteers and colleagues from other agencies.
- Attend scheduled meetings and other meetings as called.
- Update skills by taking advantage of available training.
- Other duties as assigned including crisis intervention and back-up support for The Open Door walk-in and community response calls
KNOWLEDGE AND JOB SKILLS: Ability to make clinical and administrative decisions. Ability to develop and maintain community network of resources. Good clinical skills with the ability to make clinical decisions about the individual’s stability are basic. Time management skills are fundamental. Good verbal and written communication skills are vital to this position. Good handwriting and documentation skills are essential. Professional telephone skills are essential. Computer knowledge is vital to the satisfactory performance of this position.
CORE COMPETENCES:
- Age Specific: Assessment, Interpretation, Intervention, Knowledge, Developmental Stages, Enhancement of Family Involvement
- Basic Job Readiness: Courtesy, Flexibility, Reliability, Responsiveness
- Personal Effectiveness: Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Self-Management, Thinking Skills
- Organizational/Management: Compliance, CQI Commitment, Leadership, Linking/Networking, Management of Information, Organizational Participation, Safety
- Performance Specific: Assessment, Crisis Management, Customer Focus, Empowerment/Advocacy, Medication Management, Psychosocial Interventions, Treatment/Service Planning.
JUDGMENT: Sound clinical judgment as demonstrated by the ability to make on the spot decisions based on the individual’s current statues, past functioning level and potential strengths and weaknesses is essential to job performance. The ability to determine appropriate resources to meet the needs of the individual.
JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Education: Bachelor’s Degree with major course work in the human services field. SOAR Certification required within the first 2 months of hire.
- Experience: A minimum of one (1) year experience in Behavioral Healthcare is required. Equivalent training and experience on a year-for-year basis in a related field will be considered.
- Personal Qualities: Patience and high tolerance for frustration is essential. Initiative, dependability and accuracy are important. The ability to analyze situations and mange them in a proactive manner is helpful. Must be able to work with a minimum of direct supervision.
- Supervisory Responsibilities: None.
- Special Factors: Must be able to meet deadlines. Must be able to document accurately and remain current with all documentation. It is important for a person in this position to enjoy working with difficult clients and act as a role model whenever possible. Attends clinical supervision with clinical supervisor on a monthly basis. Able and willing, to work flexible hours. Must have reliable transportation and be willing to drive as a part of their basic job duties.
- Essential Functions: Advocates in the client’s best interest. Assesses needs and develops a plan to meet those needs. Links clients to needed services. Monitors and evaluates service provision and client’s progress. Convenes/attends staffing as necessary for assessing and coordinating services for clients. It is essential for this position to communicate and liaison with the client, family and service providers. Completes required agency, funding, legal, statistical and fiscal documentation in an accurate and timely manner.
- Staff Development: Completes all administrative and competency requirements as set forth in the Individual Training Plan. Required to have twenty (20) hours of staff development training per year.