EDH Shelter Specialist Case Manager - HOST in Seattle, Washington at Downtown Emergency Service Center

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

Shift: Day (9:00am - 5:00pm)

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs,19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

About HOST

Homeless Outreach Stabilization and Transition (HOST) is a multi-disciplinary team serving adults experiencing homelessness, severe and persistent mental illness, and co-occurring disorders. HOST prioritizes services to those who are highly vulnerable, lack service connections or other support, and are unwilling or unable to engage in traditional service models. The HOST team works throughout Seattle and parts of King County to provide critical survival services and engagement with the ultimate goal of addressing acute mental and physical health needs, increasing stability, obtaining housing, and transitioning to long-term services.

JOB OVERVIEW

The EDH Shelter Specialist Case Manager is a DESC HOST employee responsible for providing engagement, resource linkage, housing navigation, and intensive case management services to individuals residing at the Bayside Shelter managed by Everyone Deserves Housing (EDH). The Shelter Specialist Case Manager serves as the primary HOST liaison at the shelter and works collaboratively with EDH leadership and staff to support shelter clients in achieving housing stability, improving access to healthcare and behavioral health services, and addressing barriers to long-term stability.

Each client receives individualized outreach and engagement designed to build trust and encourage participation in services. Services are primarily provided onsite at the EDH shelter, with additional outreach conducted throughout the community as needed. This position requires a high degree of coordination and collaboration with EDH staff, DESC programs, and external service providers. While supervised through DESC HOST, the position is expected to maintain a strong collaborative working relationship with designated EDH leadership to ensure effective service delivery and shelter operations.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Engagement & Outreach

• Provide engagement and case management services onsite at the EDH shelter and, as needed, in community settings including shelters, encampments, healthcare settings, and public spaces.
• Build relationships with shelter clients and provide ongoing outreach, engagement, and support focused on housing stability, behavioral health needs, and connection to community resources.
• Participate in case conferencing with EDH employees and screen clients for HOST eligibility when appropriate and facilitate referrals to HOST or other internal and external programs based on client needs.
• Develop and maintain cooperative relationships with EDH leadership and staff to ensure effective coordination of services and continuity of care.
• Participate in EDH operational meetings, shift briefs, case consultations, and other collaborative meetings as appropriate.
• Participate in community education regarding the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and co-occurring disorders, including effective engagement and service delivery practices.
• Provide survival resources, hygiene products, harm reduction supplies, and resource referrals as appropriate to meet basic needs and build rapport.
• Collaborate with EDH staff regarding client needs, shelter access, housing opportunities, and service coordination.

Case Management

• Provide intensive case management services to assigned shelter clients.
• Coordinate survival services with a focus on access to food, shelter, clothing, housing acquisition and retention, medical care, psychiatric treatment, benefits enrollment, criminal justice system coordination, and substance use treatment.
• Support clients in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing through housing assessments, housing applications, housing navigation, and coordination with housing providers.
• Complete vulnerability assessments and other required housing documentation, including VAT assessments and Coordinated Entry-related activities as assigned.
• Advocate for clients' access to community resources and services while ensuring client rights are maintained.
• Consult and collaborate with community providers to ensure continuity of care.
• Prioritize crisis intervention as needed, including de-escalation, outreach to emergency departments, coordination with crisis responders, and referrals to behavioral health services.
• Provide information, education, and services designed to increase financial stability, self-sufficiency, and long-term housing success.
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with DESC staff, EDH staff, and community partners.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in weekly supervision, HOST Team Meetings, clinical reviews, case conferences, and required trainings.
• Maintain timely, accurate, and complete documentation in accordance with DESC policies and contract requirements.
• Comply with agency clinical accountability policies, quality assurance procedures, and program evaluation requirements.
• Support contract reporting requirements and data collection activities as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

LIVING CONDITIONS

Support clients with achieving and maintaining healthy living conditions. This may include attending care conferences, providing skill-building and support related to housing maintenance, coordinating with housing providers and shelter staff, assisting with housing stabilization efforts, and documenting barriers to maintaining healthy living environments.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Relevant bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, or related behavioral science, OR a combination of 1 year of relevant paid work experience and demonstration of the ability to perform required job duties.
• Ability to meet Washington Department of Health requirements for registration as a Registered Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) or any other superseding credential.
• Interest in working with clients who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health/substance use disorder programs.
• Knowledge of Recovery-focused, strengths-based work in mental health.
• Knowledge of Harm Reduction strategies.
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behaviors.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds.
• Subscribe to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for clients.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in social work, psychology or other relevant behavioral science or Bachelor of Nursing degree with specialty in mental health.
• Eligible for a Licensed AAC credential or any other superseding credential that meets RCW 71.05.020 requirements to act as a Mental Health Professional whose scope of practice includes independently conducting mental health assessments and making mental health diagnoses.
• Ability to drive an agency or personal vehicle to conduct agency related business, including a current Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record.
• Experience working with adults who are experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, have a mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorders.
• Knowledge of de-escalation skills, crisis intervention & stabilization.
• Bi-cultural background/experience.
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish.
• Experience working with adults who are homeless, have a mental illness and/or co-occurring substance abuse disorders.
• Strong knowledge of relevant community resources and methods for accessing them.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit, communicate with other employees, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 40 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.