Description

The Opportunity: Community Support Specialist

Job Type: Full-time, On-Site

Pay: $55,000/ year

Who We Are || VOAMASS gives members of the community who need help the most the services, support, and self-esteem they need to create a fresh start. At VOAMASS, our dedicated teams are committed to serving the whole person.

As a Community Support Specialist (CSS), you’ll have a dynamic and critical role providing intensive case management services with the goal of increasing the likelihood of the client’s ability to sustain positive change. Employing VOAMASS’s Integrated Care Model, the Community Support Specialist plays an essential role—providing services for clients in our Community Mental Health Clinics, residential treatment programs, and with our community-based clients. As a Community Support Specialist, you will deliver services on a mobile basis to best support a client’s treatment plan and to help them attain the skills and resources needed to maintain community tenure.

In this role, you will provide specialized case management for clients experiencing the following significant life challenges:

• Homeless Individuals: Work with clients that are experiencing homelessness and chronic homelessness to secure temporary and permanent housing.
• Individuals with Justice Involvement: Work with clients with justice involvement and work to overcome barriers to accessing or consistently utilizing medical and behavioral health services.
• Tenancy Preservation: Work with clients who are at risk of homelessness and facing eviction as a result of behavior related to a disability. Work with housing courts, client landlords, and other community-based service providers to address housing barriers.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health: Foster your clients' empowerment, recovery, and wellness and increase their independence, including management of their own behavioral health and medical services.

This role is about making a difference in the lives of the people we serve. To help support our clients, you’ll bring the following qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in a related behavioral health field, or two years of relevant work experience, or lived experience of homelessness, behavioral health conditions and/or justice involvement or the equivalent.
• Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication, organization, and computer skills, valid driver’s licenses, and reliable transportation are required.
• Preference will be given to candidates who have current knowledge of support services system navigation and the organizations with resources available to support and serve individuals within the MA area.
• You must be willing to travel within the community to deliver services on a mobile basis in suburban and urban areas. Staff may be asked to travel to multiple locations in a day and you must have a valid driver’s license and a reliable vehicle.

To best serve our clients, your key responsibilities will involve:

• Carry a caseload of approximately 30-35 clients.
• Meet with clients to identify needs, create Wellness Plans and support clients in making and engaging in action steps to meet desired goals.
• Provide services and meet with clients in the community, at the VOAMASS offices and VOAMASS residential programs. Some caseloads may require you to attend court, conduct housing searches, and attend other identified services. Telehealth can be used as appropriate; however, this is allowed on a case-by-case basis based on clients’ needs and requests.
• Assist clients with referrals and coordination of services and resources including primary care, mental health treatment, addiction treatment, recovery support, employment and housing supports, and other social supports within the array of VOAMASS services and externally with community-based providers.
• Provide follow-up support with clients to ensure that they attend appointments and access treatment. Troubleshoot and work on the client’s goals alongside them.
• Establish and maintain professional and consistent working relationships with the integrated services care team and coordinate care with other providers (Recovery Coach, Prescribers, Clinicians other VOA staff, and external), to enhance the client experience, provide a wrap-around service model, and to ensure continued coordination and success.
• Maintains records through our electronic record keeping system according to VOAMASS Policies and Procedures. Complete all documentation and authorizations promptly, and comply with professional standards as required.

Since 1934, VOAMASS has provided critical services to the residents of the Commonwealth. From pioneering early residential treatment programs in the 1960’s to leading today in the field of mental health programming, VOAMASS can be counted on to tackle our greatest challenges.

For full-time employees, which includes our Community Support Specialist, we offer a comprehensive and generous benefits package which includes:

• Reasonably priced health, vision, and dental insurance with 85% of medical deductible and many covered co-pays paid by VOAMASS
• Multiple opportunities to use pre-tax dollars to save for expenses such as health care (flexible spending account), child care, transit, and parking
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Tuition remission programs
• Loan forgiveness (Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program)
• Generous vacation benefits, starting at three weeks and moving to four weeks after three years of employment
• 14 paid holidays, higher than industry average24/7 nurse hotline for urgent health questions
• Employee assistance program to provide help with family concerns, stress management, legal issues, and more
• Employer-paid long-term disability and life insurance
• Pet insurance
• Fitness/wellness reimbursement to cover expenses such as gym membership
• Employee discount program on hundreds of items such as computers, cell phone plans and accessories, furniture, hotels, vacation home rentals, etc.
• Cash bonus, with no annual cap, for referring other qualified candidates for employment

VOAMASS is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.