PATH Outreach Worker & Veterans Specialist

About the role

This position provides daily outreach to homeless shelters, feeding programs, and police departments in order to identify and engage in services those individuals who are veterans or homeless and have serious persistent mental illness or co-occurring developmental disabilities or substance use disorders. It also involves providing consultation to community providers, coordinating with local veteran agencies, and assisting consumers with entitlement applications.

Responsibilities

• Provides services up to six hours a day, five days a week in the host settings of emergency shelters and feeding programs in order to identify individuals who are homeless and in need of engagement in mental health services.
• Screens for eligibility for SCCMHA services, interviews consumers and referring advocates regarding presenting problems, history and health care benefit enrollment.
• Links and coordinates services to veterans within the community to help them access veterans services.
• Understands and uses housing first, recovery and welcoming principles in all consumer relations and teaches these principles in community settings.
• Opens an electronic medical record for new or closed consumers and completes the screening form. Provides an appointment for initial assessment.
• Provides community outreach to individuals on the street or other places in the community when requested to do so by the police or other referring agency.
• Identifies chronic homeless individuals in the community who are resistant to engagement in services and provides periodic wellness checks in order to monitor their well being, establish relationships and be prepared to provide intervention when the consumer requests or when mental health consultation is requested from other agencies.
• Works with Housing Resource Center to provide assistance to individuals ready to move from the street or shelter into independent housing either private or subsidized.
• Maintains progress notes in the SCCMHA electronic medical record on a daily basis, enters service activity event data in the SCCMHA record and maintains other contact records as required by Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) Grant.
• Performs related administrative tasks such as completing time cards, travel vouchers, etc.
• Attends in-service training, seminars, conferences, and workshops in order to sustain professional competency.

Requirements

• A minimum of one (1) year of experience in dealing with mentally ill individuals. Experience working with veterans and/or veterans initiatives is preferred.
• A valid Michigan Driver’s license with a good driving record.
• Must be able to apply and obtain a limited licensed bachelor social worker (LLBSW) within thirty (30) days upon offer of employment and obtain a licensed bachelor social worker (LBSW) within one (1) year from start date of position.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree with relevant experience and must be able to apply and obtain a limited licensed bachelor social worker (LLBSW) within thirty (30) days upon offer of employment and obtain a licensed bachelor social worker (LBSW) within one (1) year from start date of position.
• Knowledge of mental illness community housing and other resources, psychology, social work, and mental health programs.
• Ability to function independently and to communicate effectively in both verbal and written format.
• Ability to work in crisis situations with considerable stress.
• Ability to understand individuals from all social, economic and cultural backgrounds.