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.

Brief Description of Principal Activities

Multifaceted intervention, prevention, and education services are carried out at four sites on the Westside of Los Angeles.  St. Joseph Center’s integrated programs provide clients with concentrated and coordinated access to services according to the nature of their needs.

The Occupational Therapist works as a team member within a multi-disciplinary homeless street outreach team, in collaboration with social service professionals, ensuring the delivery of quality care in accordance to the rules and regulations established by Culver City Council of Homelessness for contracted services, as well as adhering to the mission of St. Joseph Center.  The Culver City Outreach Occupational Therapist will use the “whatever it takes” approach and strong clinical lens to help people experiencing homelessness get connected to resources as well as occupational supportive services, in order to obtain permanent housing.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Occupational Therapist’s key areas of responsibility include: 

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Provide street based outreach, navigation, and mental health support to individuals experiencing homelessness.
• Meets the client’s goals and needs and provides quality care by assessing and interpreting evaluations and test results and determining occupational therapy treatment plans.
• Provide support and assistance to clients with accessing resources in the community.  Establish and maintain professional and positive relationships with staff, clients, and community providers.   
• Facilitates development and rehabilitation of clients with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities by planning and administering occupational therapy.
• Link clients to appropriate bridge/interim housing programs and assist them in completing required paperwork in order to enroll them in permanent housing programs.
• Helps clients develop or regain physical or mental functioning or adjust to disabilities.
• Implements a practice in functional, pre-vocational, vocational and homemaking skills and fosters activities of daily living.
• Promotes maximum independence by selecting and constructing therapies according to individual’s physical capacity, intelligence level, and interest.
• Prepares client for return to employment by consulting with employers; determining potential employee difficulties; retraining employees; and helping employers understand necessary physical and job accommodations.
• Evaluates results of occupational therapy by observing, noting, and evaluating client’s progress and recommending and implementing adjustments and modifications.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies.
• Complies with federal, state, and local legal and certification requirements by studying existing and new legislation, anticipating future legislation, enforcing adherence to requirements, and advising management on needed actions.
• Participate in staff meetings, trainings, conferences, program evaluation and program development.

Essential Duties:

• Implement case management service plan goals, emphasizing coordinated strategies for addressing mental health/substance abuse issues, relapse prevention, medication management, and any other risk factors that could impede permanent housing and provide ongoing assessment of client progress in attaining goals.      
• Build trust and rapport with individuals experiencing homelessness. 
• Utilize a harm reduction model when working with clients with chemical dependency or abuse issues.
• Link clients to appropriate bridge/interim housing programs and assist them in completing required paperwork in order to enroll them in permanent housing-related programs.
• Keep highly organized files for each client and enter appropriate data into the region’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
• Assist clients to enroll in mainstream benefits and obtain identification (i.e. California Driver’s License, Social Security Card).
• Must be able to operate a motor vehicle to perform the essential functions of the position, which includes transporting clients in company vehicles.
• Provide bus tokens, bus passes, taxi vouchers, and/or direct transportation as needed. 
• Perform daily follow-ups and wellness checks on existing clients and on all new referrals.
• Participate in SPA 5 case conferencing meetings and other community meetings.
• Coordinate with other outreach teams in joint outreach efforts and attend to special requests from the Coordinated Entry Systems Team.

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.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Must be highly motivated and a self-starter.  The ability to communicate with and relate to a diverse group of people including clients, community, and other staff.  Must have excellent organizational skills and the capability to work in a fast paced environment.   
• Strong knowledge of homeless services and resources.  Demonstrated knowledge and experience with Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, Housing First, and Critical Time Intervention.

Experience:

• Two years’ experience providing street-based services to highly vulnerable populations.
• Demonstrate experience with providing assessments using diagnostic criteria.

Education:

• Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in occupational therapy.

Direct Reports:

This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities.

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Ability to use widely supported internet browsers.
• Ability to accurately enter data in to L.A. County, and St. Joseph Center databases

Certificates, Licenses and Registrations:

• Board of occupational therapy licensure or current registration.
• Valid California Class C Driver License
• Valid automobile liability insurance.

Travel Requirements:

• Travel to trainings around L.A. County, and will need to be mobile within SPA-5

Work Environment:

The work environment will be primarily field-based in the Los Angeles Service Planning Area 5. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The noise level in the work environment in the office is usually moderate, the work environment in the field can vary depending on where a client may be.

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 is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, stoop, talk, hear, reach above and below shoulders; use hand and finger dexterity, keyboarding and making and receiving telephone calls. The employee may be required on occasion to lift and or carry up to 20 lbs.

EEO:

SJC (St. Joseph Center) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, SJC complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

The position requires an ability to work flexible hours including some early morning, evenings. A bilingual/bicultural background is a plus. Excellent Benefits package available.

Status: Full time/Exempt

Salary: $70,000 - $75,000/yr

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.

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