Street Outreach Case Manager

Street Outreach Case Manager

Reports to Job Role: Director of Street Outreach

FLSA: Non-Exempt

Employee Factor: 40

Level: Team Member

Descriptive Summary

The Street Outreach Case Manager is a member of the street outreach team at the Embry Rucker Community Shelter (ERCS) providing services to the Street Outreach program and Hypothermia Prevention Program. The Street Outreach Worker seeks out and engages unsheltered individuals in Fairfax County and Northwestern County Region. The Street Outreach Case Manager must have strong interpersonal and motivational skills and must be comfortable meeting unsheltered individuals in places not meant for human habitation such as campsites in the woods and parked cars. In addition he/she must possess a patient trauma-informed approach to service delivery. All duties are performed in a professional and timely manner in a fast-paced high-demand environment. The Street Outreach Case Manager is responsible for utilizing a Housing First approach to move unsheltered individuals into permanent housing and will be responsible for meeting or exceeding outcomes as well as other contractual obligations. The Street Outreach Case Manager ensures that all services are equitable and delivered with integrity in accordance with the Agency Mission Vision and Values. A candidate that is bilingual in English/Spanish and has the ability to use ones lived personal experience of housing instability to help assess system barriers is a plus.

Key Performance Indicators

• Actively seeks out identifies establishes contact and builds rapport with unsheltered persons throughout Fairfax Countys North County Region.
• Responsible for maintaining a schedule of regular street outreach stops including mental health drop-in centers campsites and other consumer gathering places while remaining flexible to incorporate new street sites as they are presented.
• Meets unsheltered individuals in places not meant for human habitation such as campsites in the woods and parked cars.
• Responsible for working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary Homeless Healthcare Program (HHP) Team to link unsheltered individuals with a medical home.
• Responds to community requests for assistance in working with people who are unsheltered.
• Advocates for and actively assists individuals in obtaining services (e.g. showers laundry food benefits medical mental health substance abuse housing referrals financial assistance).
• Assesses housing barriers of single adults who are experiencing homelessness to determine housing and service needs.
• Develops housing procurement financial and self-sufficiency case management plan with unsheltered individuals.
• Provides mediation and advocacy with landlords on the households behalf to develop a workable plan to obtain housing.
• Creates and maintains consistent communication channels both verbal and written between several parties (i.e. tenant landlord referral source collaborating agencies debtors and creditors)
• Applies knowledge of residential lease contracts to educate individuals of their rights and responsibilities.
• Makes referrals for credit counseling and other services necessary to assist participants with critical skills related to budgeting managing money accessing a free personal credit report and resolving personal credit problems.
• Documents all services identified and provided referrals made and transportation provided.
• Maintains effective partnerships with OPEH the Fairfax County Health Department the Fairfax County Community Services Board (CSB) Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) Department of Family Services (DFS) the Fairfax County Department of Adult and Aging and Veterans Administration (VA) to ensure participants receive holistic integrated care management across Cornerstones.
• Maintains case and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) files that meet agency and contractual standards.
• Participates in multi-disciplinary meetings case staffing as well as community-wide trainings and meetings.
• Works a flexible schedule that may include evenings and weekends.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as required.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge Skills and Abilities)

• Bachelors degree in an applicable human services field or commensurate experience with homeless and/or at-risk populations.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred.

• Two years of experience in homeless services and/or housing is required.
• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred.
• Lived personal experience of housing instability to help assess system barriers a plus.
• Must be comfortable meeting unsheltered individuals in places not meant for human habitation such as campsites in the woods and parked cars.
• Experience working with vulnerable individuals including people with mental health and/or substance abuse disabilities is required.
• Requires knowledge and belief in Housing First and Rapid Re-Housing philosophy and strategies.
• Knowledge of current social service homeless and housing issues and methods/approaches to address issues.
• Knowledge or understanding of tenants rights and responsibilities strengths based case management trauma-informed care and racial equity.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
• Ability to engage and work collaboratively with others.
• Experience with Microsoft programs including Outlook Word and Excel.
• Ability to use HMIS to establish and maintain case records and to facilitate data collection.
• Ability to schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines.
• Ability to learn process information prioritize competing priorities and make sound and reasoned decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to complete tasks while navigating frequent interruptions.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule including nights and weekends.
• Candidate must be able to lift items weighing 10-20 pounds.
• Candidate must possess a valid drivers license reliable transportation and good driving record.
• Candidate must be able to drive 15-passenger van.

Attitude

• Attentive to constraints of time and funds in setting stretch goals
• Respectful of staff volunteers funders and clients
• Forward thinker considering not just today but what are the implications for tomorrow
• Collaborative leader working with others individually and in teams

Work Environment

• The position is located at the Embry Rucker Community Shelter.
• Participant meetings take place at the shelter in places not meant for human habitation and other areas in the community frequented by unsheltered individuals.
• Travel to other Cornerstones sites and to local and regional meetings is required.
• Some work is performed outdoors in both the winter and summer.
• Occasional driving or personal or Cornerstones vehicle.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Prolonged sitting and a desk and working on a computer.
• Regular in person interaction with the public clients and stakeholders.
• Handle or feel objects tools or controls.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 15 pounds
• Occasional navigation of stairs ramps ladders.
• Noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate
• Must be able to safely operate a company vehicle.