Description

The Stabilization Case Manager is part of the Stabilization Team, responsible for maintaining contact with families that have been placed into alterative, permanent housing, market rate or affordable. From a trauma-informed perspective this person exhibits trauma awareness and strength-based approach to case management tasks and client relationships with an emphasis on personal safety for both clients and fellow staff, providing a predictable environment for clients that generates a sense of efficacy and personal control over their lives. 

Essential Functions:

• Manage a case load of participant families as assigned by Assistant Program Director or Designee.
• Assess each family as they are newly placed and assigned, determining areas where they need the most support, in various areas such as permanent housing, employment, financial management, education and health.
• Through regular visits, phone calls, and letters case managers will work to enable participant families to remain stable in their housing, as well as work to increase their income and towards becoming more self-sufficient. 
• Maintain regular communication with all assigned families; monthly visits on the phone or in office, with home visits at least every 3 months. 
• Educate participant families on practices of applying for housing and maintaining themselves on waiting lists for affordable housing
• Ensure that families in market-rate housing remain on lists for Section 8/public housing openings.
• Assist participant families in housing search activities, applications and follow up.
• Closely monitor housing opportunities, aggressively pursuing all leads and applications for housing.
• Inform participants of new housing opportunities on a timely basis.
• Review participants’ applications for accuracy and completeness, forward applications by deadlines, and track applications in logs. 
• Hold families accountable for their role in their own housing and stability.
• Work closely with families whose housing is at risk, due to payment or other concerns.
• Attend Housing Court with families facing eviction.
• Notify families regarding fuel assistance notification and other benefits and following up to assist families with these applications as needed.
• Maintain up-to-date electronic records in DHCD’s ETO ASIST program as well as NSCAP’s Engage program, including Participant Touchpoints, and housing related efforts. 
• Maintain accurate, detailed and up-to-date case files, electronic and hard copy.

Essential Responsibilities: 

• Professional conduct: adhere to codes of conduct, especially client confidentiality.
• Cultural competency: provide services to families, considering cultural differences.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues inside and outside the agency to ensure comprehensive service provision for participant families.
• Cultural competency, considering cultural differences when providing services to families.
• Attending meetings and workshops for professional development related to rehousing work with participant families.
• Other related duties as assigned by the Assistant Program Director.

Qualifications:

• BA or two years of experience in human services
• Adherence to professional codes of conduct, especially client confidentiality.
• Sensitivity to and knowledge of issues affecting families of low income.
• Knowledge of affordable housing resources
• Familiarity with Windows-based operating systems/programs such as MS Word, Excel, etc.
• Availability of own transportation for client visitation, valid driving license, good driving record.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English preferred

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands and fingers, handle or feel and talk or hear clearly.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds.

The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, kneel, crouch, lift or crawl.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Work Environment: 

The Stabilization Case Manager works at a computer performing tasks such as note taking on two different databases; writing letters to clients or other regional collaterals roughly 60% of the time. Regular visits to clients’ homes require time in a vehicle, driving oneself, riding with co-workers or riding in the program van. Occasionally case managers require items weighing up to 20 pounds. May work long hours in an emotionally stressful environment.