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.

Intervention Services

• Homeless Service Center
• Chronic Homeless Initiatives
• Bread and Roses Café
• Housing Services
• Senior Services
• Monetary Advisory Program
• Veterans Representative Payee Program
• First 5 LA Project

Prevention and Education Services

• Family Center and Food Pantry
• Culinary Training Program
• Early Learning Center

Venice Chronic Homeless Intervention Project
Assertive Case Management Team-
Case Manager
Homeless Service Center
Full Time:  Non-Exempt

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:  St. Joseph Center operates a contract to provide intensive case management efforts to individuals involved in the Venice Service Registry funded by the County of Los Angeles through the Department of Mental Health. The purpose of the Venice Chronic Homeless Assertive Case Management Team is to move chronically homeless individuals living on the streets in the Venice community into permanent, supportive housing. 

Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Case Manager will be part of a three-person case management team that will conduct assertive mobile outreach to chronically homeless individuals on the streets in the Venice Community, 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.  Once housing ready, the case manger will help clients apply for subsidized housing and link clients to available housing resources by locating suitable units and helping clients to obtain and move into permanent housing.  Once clients are housed, the case manger will be responsible for providing ongoing services that will assist them to retain their housing and be good tenants and neighbors.  The overall case load for this team will be 40 individuals. Each member will be assigned 15-20 clients depending on other responsibilities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Develop close working relationships with outreach workers, case managers, police and paramedics, the Los Angeles Housing Authority, and collaborative agencies.
2. Locate and focus efforts on specific chronically homeless persons from the Venice Registry that are the considered to be most vulnerable.
3. Conduct initial mental health/substance abuse screenings and housing needs assessments.
4. Present findings to the Department of Mental Health and other collaborative agencies in order to develop a service plan of action that will expedite housing opportunities and housing stability;
5. 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.
6. Provide ongoing assessment of client progress in attaining goal plans.
7. Utilize a harm reduction model when working with clients.
8. Provide ongoing case management services that will ensure successful permanent housing, decrease social isolation and prevent relapse risks; advocacy to deter evictions; and linkage and brokerage 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.
9. Ensure a smooth transition into permanent housing by assisting clients with benefits and housing application processes and life skills such as budgeting, cooking, accessing community resources, and other skills as needed.
10. Provide crisis management, case management, and other related substance abuse/mental health services to clients on the streets, in service venues, in housing placements, or other locations as appropriate.
11. Respond to urgent requests for assistance from clients or landlords as needed.
12. Participate in all meetings with collaborative agencies and other community meetings as directed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Candidates should possess a bachelor’s degree or have equivalent experience including one year’s experience providing services to persons with severe and persistent mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders. Candidates must also demonstrate experience in interviewing clients, making appropriate referrals and performing crisis intervention.

Candidates must demonstrate knowledge of substance abuse programs, homeless programs, and mental health services. Candidates must have demonstrated knowledge of case management principles and intervention techniques specific to hard-to-reach, difficult to serve populations.

The position requires an ability to work flexible hours including some early mornings, evenings.  A bilingual/bicultural background is a plus.

Salary: Competitive salary (DOE), health benefits, generous vacation time off

Location: Venice, CA

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.