Housing Placement Specialist

Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) founded in 1978, is a community-based organization committed to providing quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to diverse communities, specializing in service to Latinos in Washington State. Sea Mar proudly serves all persons without regard to race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay for services. Sea Mar's network of services includes more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics and a wide variety of nutritional, social, and educational services. We are recruiting for the following position:

Sea Mar is a mandatory COVID-19 and flu vaccine organization

Position Summary

This position is responsible for the coordination of housing placement for clients with chronic conditions and behavioral health needs. As a member of the Housing/Homeless Outreach Teams, the Housing Placement Specialist will participate in daily huddles, identify the client’s needs according to protocols, and provide point of care services. This position will provide support to the Homeless Outreach and Housing teams. The position will take their direct referrals for housing placement and collect all documents needed to complete client’s applications to all qualified housing placements, lists, subsidies, etc. This position will actively monitor those lists, applications, etc. for progress towards acceptance and update the client and the Sea Mar outreach and housing staff when the status has changed so that the client can be placed in housing as quickly as possible. The Housing Placement Specialist is responsible for enhancing quality and client-centered care at Sea Mar Community Health Centers.

Duties and Responsibilities

As a mission-driven organization, the core values of, and the services offered at Sea Mar are based on the belief that everyone deserves to be respectfully treated in a way that preserves dignity and enhances self-worth. Sea Mar is an advocate for its clients and aims to achieve industry-leading, client-centered, culturally-aware services. Sea Mar employees serve as an extension of this mission and demonstrate their commitment to an excellent client experience by:

• Understanding and empathizing with client needs

• Surpassing client expectations

• Demonstrating a high level of integrity

• Exhibiting compassion and commitment

• Advocating for social justice

Job Description

• Taking pride in individual work as well as that of the team

• Continually learning to stay current with industry standards, best practices and technology

As a Sea Mar employee, the individual in this position commits to adherence to these values to their utmost ability and endeavors to strengthen and embody this mission daily. The following is a list of duties and responsibilities for the Behavioral Health Housing Placement Specialist: Client Care Coordination

o Housing Placement Specialists will be the primary staff responsible for identifying eligibility requirements that apply to any referral from an outreach programs. Once the eligibility housing, subsidy, voucher, etc. eligibility match is identified, the Placement Specialist remains the primary staff facilitating the completion of that application process. That process includes, gathering all required documentation, including birth cert, social security card and photo identification. It also includes proof of income, proof of homelessness and other related demographics information.

o Assist the client with the housing application process, facilitate land lord tenant communication and in the case that the client is not eligible for any supported housing case management, the Placement Specialist would provide that service as well.

o Housing Placement Specialists will additionally be responsible for monitoring any completed application for a subsidy, voucher, low income unit to assure that the application is proceeding and that as soon as the client is approved, the next steps in the process are completed timely so that the client is placed in housing.

o Develop a housing stability plan for any referral. This plan would include address issue that would impede access to housing such as criminal history, legal issues, past debt and past evictions and credit history.

o Develop relationships with housing providers including public housing agencies, veterans’ housing assistance programs, and private owners/managers. This position will also facilitate landlord-tenant communication as needed.

o Work with the care team to identify gaps in care and work to resolve them using process improvement strategies.

o Provides interventions and/or referrals to other providers to assist consumer in meeting treatment and level of care needs. Interventions may include individual, family, and group modalities, and may include counseling, case management, vocational rehabilitation, system coordination, consumer advocacy, and crisis management.

o The position will provide education, links and referrals to mainstream benefits, community resources and support services including treatment and skills training.

o Will be responsible for monitoring, compiling and submitting data, reporting, and paperwork for the program.

o Advocate for client services with housing, community, social service, and medical providers.

o Participate and coordinate care plans for client’s who have been living without shelter.

o Connect clients to Sea Mar and non-Sea Mar resources as appropriate and track all resources available to clients. These services may include but are not limited to insurance enrollment, preventive health services, behavioral health, medical, and care management.

o Assist clients with ongoing self-management goal setting based on mutual goal setting and with emphasis on client decision-making utilizing motivational interviewing skills.

o Follow up with patient to evaluate their condition and address barriers to care plan.

o Participate in group visits and planned visit events providing care coordination support.

o Disseminate information regarding care for chronic illnesses and/or mental health and behavioral issues to the homeless outreach teams.

o In consultation with the Manager of homeless services, organize, design and develop program structure.

o Exhibit excellent customer service skills by using active listening skills, greeting patients in a welcoming manner, making them their only priority when providing services and assist in meeting the client’s needs.

o Other duties as assigned by the Behavioral Health Supervisor or Community Support Services Program Manager.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Must be able to work independently, prioritize workload, and meet deadlines.

• Must have critical thinking skills and maintain confidentiality.

• Excellent organizational skills and ability to handle a variety of tasks simultaneously.

• Knowledge of medical terminology and/or behavioral health topics.

• Strong decision making and prioritization skills.

• Ability to work respectfully and professionally with the community, patients, families and staff.

• Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment with a diverse population

. • Sympathetic, mature, responsible, and reliable.

• Strong client engagement, interpersonal, and communication skills and ability to establish a therapeutic relationship with the client.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of the Trauma Informed Approach and motivational interviewing skills a plus.

• Coordination experience focused on people who have serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders.

• Knowledge of and proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

• Knowledge of community resources.

• Ability to work in a fast paced community health care setting

. • Ability to think analytically and problem solve in a multidisciplinary team and independently.

• Ability to deal effectively with difficult people and situations.

• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse communities.

• Ability to manage time effectively and prioritize tasks.

• Ability to analyze client care data.

• Ability to identify client learning needs and to assess client's knowledge, skill level and readiness for learning.

• Ability to maintain the privacy and security of sensitive and confidential information in all formats including verbal, written and electronic; and adhere to policies and procedures related to local, state, and federal privacy requirements.

• Excellent communication and customer service skills.

• Critical thinking skills.

• Ability to understand and implement process improvement activities. Reasoning Ability Must be able to work independently, have good problem solving skills and be open to change processes.

Education, Certificates, Licenses and Registrations

• Peer Support Certification

• Possess or obtain an Agency Affiliated Credential • BA/BS/BSW in health related field with one year of experience working with the homeless population preferred. Three (3) years of experience in resource facilitation and working with the homeless population may substitute for education.

• This position must obtain Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR within 90 days of hire date and is required to maintain current BLS CPR throughout employment.

• Valid WA State Driver’s License and proof of liability insurance. Medical Screening Requirements • Pre-hire and annual employee health screening required.

• Annual influenza and COVID 19 vaccine required. Only exception is for employees with a medical or religious exemption approved by Administration. Employees with an approved medical or religious exemption must wear a mask at all times during the flu season.

Work Environment

This position entails sitting and working at a computer for long periods of time, and working in a shared space with ambient noise and other distractions, and other conditions typical of an office environment. While performing the duties of this job, this employee is regularly required to communicate by telephone. This position also entails working in a fast paced behavioral health clinic setting requiring much walking, standing, and sitting repeatedly. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk, stand and stoop and occasionally required to kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 20 plus pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close, distance, color and peripheral vision including the ability to have depth perception and adjust focus.

Supervision

This position has no supervisory responsibilities. This position will be supervised by a Behavioral Health Supervisor with onsite support from the Community Support Services Program Manager.

Hourly - Hourly Plan, 23.88 USD Hourly

What We Offer:

Sea Mar offers talented and motivated people the opportunity to work in a dynamic and growing community health organization. Working at Sea Mar Community Health Centers is more than just a job, it’s a fulfilling career with opportunity for advancement. The fringe benefits surpass most companies. For example, Full-time employees working 30 hours or more, receive an excellent benefit package of:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Prescription coverage
• Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
• Paid-time-off starting at 24 days per year + 10 paid Holidays.
• We also offer 401(k)/Retirement options and an exciting opportunity to work in a culturally diverse environment. 

Sea Mar is an equal opportunity employer.

Please visit our website to learn more about us at www.seamar.org. You may also apply thru our Career page at this link.