Background

Since 1976, St. Joseph Center has been meeting the needs of low-income and homeless individuals and families in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, and surrounding communities.  The Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization that assists people without regard for religious affiliation or lack thereof through comprehensive case management and integrated social service programs.  The Center enjoys broad-based community support as well as a sponsored relationship with its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.  St. Joseph Center serves approximately 6,000 individuals annually.

Job Summary

Under the supervision of an agency Program Manager, the Representative Payee/Case Manager will be part of an interdisciplinary team. The Representative Payee/Case Manager will provide mandated payee services and provide supportive case management and individual rehabilitation services.  IMHT-FSP conducts assertive mobile outreach to chronically homeless individuals on the streets in the Venice community and surrounding areas, and provide them with intensive services intended to engage them in the service continuum and ensure their linkage services that enable them to become housing ready while stabilizing mental health and medical concerns.   

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Representative Payee/Case Manager’s key areas of responsibility and duties include: 

Essential Duties as Representative Payee:

• Assume representative payee status for clients. Follow all SSA and SJC policies and procedures regarding representative payee services.
• Responsible for all SSA required status reporting including but not limited to: annual payee reports, annual benefits interviews and recertification processes, mandating documentation, living arrangement, employment, and income changes, etc.
• Assume responsibility for timely planning and preparation of budgets and check requests for clients on a monthly and weekly basis.
• Issue checks to clients and vendors on a weekly basis or as needed.
• In conjunction with the client and case manager, implement budget and money management plan and revise as needed.
• Review disbursement of funds with clients and IMHT-FSP teams. Collect and review receipts and documentation for disbursements and provide ongoing consultation on financial management.
• Provide complete documentation of all plans, disbursements and other case activities while adhering to DMH documentation requirements.
• Work closely with case managers, landlords, and other entities in order to determine and ensure all clients’ basic needs, rent, expenses, etc are addressed and funds are disbursed monthly and/or as needed.

Essential Duties as Case Manager:

• Develop close working relationships with outreach workers, case managers, police and paramedics, the Los Angeles Housing Authority, and collaborative agencies.
• Locate and focus efforts on specific chronically homeless persons that are the considered to be most vulnerable.
• Present findings to other collaborative agencies in order to develop a service plan of action that will expedite housing opportunities and housing stability.
• Assist with developing and implement client treatment plans emphasizing coordinated strategies for addressing mental health, medical, and substance abuse issues, relapse prevention, symptom/behavior reduction, medication management and any other risk factors that could impede permanent housing.
• Provide ongoing assessment of client progress in attaining goal plans.
• Utilize evidence based practice models including the Harm Reduction Model, CBT, Housing First, and Motivational Interviewing when working with clients.
• Provide therapeutic case management services that will ensure successful permanent housing, decrease social isolation, decrease and prevent relapse risks, advocacy to deter evictions, and linkage to any needed services such as medical, dental, mental health, substance abuse, life skills training, self-help, money management, meaningful community activities, volunteer services, job placement, etc.
• Ensure a smooth transition into permanent housing by assisting clients with benefits and housing application processes, life skills such as budgeting and cooking, accessing community resources, and other skills as needed.
• Provide crisis management, case management, and other therapeutic services related substance abuse and mental health services to clients on the streets, in service venues, in housing placements, or other locations as appropriate.
• Respond to urgent requests for assistance from clients or landlords as needed.
• Participate in all meetings with collaborative agencies and other community meetings as directed.
• Complete and maintain all documentation necessary per DMH requirements, agency requirements, and program requirements.

Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed are designed to provide typical examples of the work performed; not all duties and responsibilities assigned are included here, nor is it expected that all similar positions will be assigned every duty and responsibility.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Must be highly motivated and a self-starter.  Must be exceedingly well organized, flexible and enjoy the administrative challenges of managing a critical service for low-income people
• Self-motivated, flexible, improvises work plan to respond to immediate needs
• Outstanding time management skills, with attention to detail, strong decision-making ability and capacity for managing multiple projects at one time
• Must be able to set and maintain appropriate behavioral standards
• Ability to excel at anticipating and solving problems before they occur and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Representative Payee Program
• A bilingual background is a plus
• The position requires an ability to work flexible hours including some early mornings and evenings

Experience:

• Working experience or knowledge of case management, representative payee services, and harm reduction principles
• DMH documentation and requirements experience is also highly desirable
• Experience working with chronically homeless individuals or equivalent experience is desired. Experience working with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders is highly desirable

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or minimum of 2 years of experience providing mental health services

Direct Reports:

• This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and widely supported internet browsers

Certificates, Licenses and Registrations:

• Valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions
• Valid automobile liability insurance

Status: Full-Time/Non-Exempt

Salary: DOE

Employment with St. Joseph Center is contingent on completion of satisfactory background check.

For consideration, please submit cover letter and resume. St. Joseph Center is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. All applicants for employment are invited to voluntarily self-identify their gender, race, ethnicity, and veteran status, by completing the EEO Information. Providing your EEO Information is voluntary and refusal to self-identify will not subject applicants to any adverse treatment. Similarly, applicants who do self-identify will not be subject to any adverse treatment based on the information they provide.

St. Joseph center invites you to review the current "EEO is The Law" poster as part of the application process. A link to the current poster is located here.

Veteran Friendly Employer

 https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf