Community Health Worker, Housing Specialist

About the role

The Community Health Worker (CHW) 1 serves as a liaison between health and social services and the community, identifying health-related issues, collecting data, and discussing concerns with the people served. In this role, you will address members housing concerns and connect them with community resources. This will include helping with completion of applications, identifying housing vacancies, adding members to wait lists. Additionally, you will help members with understanding and utilizing their housing benefits in partnership with the community and including policies related to the Medicaid population.

Responsibilities

• Address members housing concerns and connect them with community resources.
• Help members with understanding and utilizing their housing benefits in partnership with the community and including policies related to the Medicaid population.
• Travel up to 25% to member homes and facilities to conduct in-person assessments and coordinate access to basic needs.
• Support case management functions, addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) needs, improving self-management of chronic conditions, navigating the healthcare system, and promoting prevention and health education.
• Conduct in-person assessments to understand member care needs, preferences, socioeconomic barriers, and evaluate the home environment.
• Aid members in navigating healthcare and social service systems, focusing on housing needs.
• Identify and address barriers to housing, ensuring members can attend their appointments.
• Provide social support to boost members' morale and sense of self-worth, serving as a trustworthy, reliable, non-judgmental, consistent, and accepting team member.
• Support member independence through appropriate education and coaching.
• Conduct research and in-person outreach to locate difficult-to-contact members to increase assessment completion and participation in clinical programs.
• Build and maintain relationships with providers and community resources to support member referrals and implement community assessments to identify resource gaps.
• Work collaboratively with other associates as a member of the care support team.

Requirements

• Reside in the state of South Carolina.
• Have a minimum of two (2) years of experience with community resources, health agencies, or social services (e.g., Area Agency on Aging, DME providers, Meals on Wheels).
• Be proficient in Microsoft Office (Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word).
• Have strong written & verbal communication skills and advocacy for members at all care levels.
• Have a separate room with a locked door that can be used as a home office to ensure continuous privacy while working.

Preferred Qualifications

• Community Health Worker training and/or certificate or willingness to complete within one (1) year.
• Bachelor's degree in social work or related field.
• Familiarity with state Medicaid program guidelines.
• Experience engaging with Medicaid enrollees, including those with physical health and behavioral health needs and varied health literacy.