Salary Range: $24.33-$35.11 per hour
SUMMARY
The Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH) consolidates our countywide response to homelessness. The driving force behind HSH is increasing accountability and transparency, improving care for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and streamlining collaboration with partners including services providers, the County’s 88 cities, and unincorporated areas to deliver high-quality, life-saving care. Staff schedules are based on business need and may include the option of a hybrid work schedule where employees work remotely and from the office.
The Homeless Prevention Unit (HPU) is a collaborative effort between HSH, California Policy Lab (CPL) and the Department of Mental Health (DMH). The HPU proactively identifies individuals who are most at risk of homelessness through predictive analytics and provides them with flexible, early interventions to resolve issues that might lead to loss of their housing. HPU is expanding to serve young adults between the ages of 18-24 in need of proactive homelessness prevention resources. The HPU has significant interactions with several County departments to address challenges navigating service systems and/or to connect or re-connect individuals to services to ensure housing stability; therefore, the ideal candidate will be knowledgeable in mainstream and specific programs and services tailored to young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness while being flexible to meet the changing needs and demands of the program and this population.
The Medical Case Worker II (Outreach Coordinator) position will perform full-time proactive outreach for the HPU and will report to the Outreach Program Manager. Working closely with the TAY Case Managers and other HPU supporting staff, this position will be responsible for outreaching to and engaging with prospective clients who are identified as at high risk of experiencing homelessness. The Medical Case Worker II will conduct outreach, gather consents from prospective clients and facilitate warm hand-offs for long-term care to HPU Case Managers.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Outreach
- Provides outreach and engagement services to HPU clients in collaboration with Outreach Program Manager and other HPU staff.
- Oversees the coordination of new client assignments, intake, and care coordination with case managers, ensuring a smooth transition from intake process to assessment and enrollment.
- Collaborates with case managers, as needed, by identifying linkages, immediate needs gathering and submitting necessary documentation from clients pre-enrollment.
- Triages and assesses HPU clients to determine their immediate safety needs as well as appropriate population.
- Reviews DMH and Department of Homeless Services and Housing (HSH) medical records/databases to determine service history and contact information and coordinate with current service providers as appropriate.
- Identifies potential immediate interventions for early-stage HPU clients and link them to the resources needed to ensure housing retention including sources of income, short term rental assistance and assistance with arrears or utilities as well as medical, mental health and substance use providers as appropriate and food, clothing, transportation and vocational resources.
- Provides HPU clients with crisis intervention support as needed including assisting clients to access emergency and crisis stabilization services such as the DMH Psychiatric Mobile Response Team (PMRT), mental health urgent care services, medical and/or substance use disorder services.
- Collaborates with HPU clients and family members (when appropriate) to develop and amend treatment plan goals.
Data & Project Management
- Manages and maintains monthly outreach data entry, documentation, and client reassignments.
- Supports Outreach Program manager in the planning of monthly outreach and new client engagement for Case Manager teams work with single adults, families and Transitional Aged Youth (TAY).
- Completes and submits all required documentation in a timely manner to ensure client progress is monitored and outcomes collected.
- Collaborates and coordinates with HPU management to identify and discuss programmatic and data needs as well as obtain consultation as needed on the appropriate level of interventions/services needed to support clients.
- Other duties as assigned.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS
One year of experience as a Medical Case Worker I - OR - A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and one year of professional casework experience interviewing, counseling, and assisting patients/clients with social problems.
Certificates/Licenses/Clearances
- A 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.
- Successful clearance of the Live Scan process with the County of Los Angeles.
- Health clearance required.
Other Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- Knowledgeable of community, mental health, and mainstream systems and the variety of programs offered by each to assist those most at risk of experiencing homelessness.
- Highly motivated self-starter, with proven ability to develop creative solutions.
- Ability to coordinate projects and competing priorities in a high-pressure, face paced and time sensitive environment.
- Ability to interact and work closely with a diverse clientele.
- Demonstrated experience interviewing clients, individuals, and families to collect data to determine what services are needed.
- Demonstrated experience in linking clients, individuals, and families to specific healthcare, mental health and community-based programs.
- Knowledge of evidence-based practices such as trauma informed care, motivational interviewing, de-escalation and cognitive behavioral interventions.
- Ability to pay close attention to detail.
- Ability to work in a professional manner, with courtesy and tact, and maintain confidentiality and security of documents and information.
- Ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary professionals and partners both internally and externally.
- Must possess strong organizational skills initiative and follow-through.
- Computer literate and skilled in use of MS Windows-based programs, including MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Knowledgeable of data systems utilized across HSH and the homeless system of care.
- We strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals who share lived experience with the communities we serve. In particular, we welcome applicants who have been impacted by or have experience with the foster care system and applicants who have experienced housing insecurity, homelessness and/or economic inequity.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Stand: Frequently
Walk: Frequently
Sit: Frequently
Reach Outward: Occasionally
Reach Above Shoulder: Occasionally
Climb, Crawl, Kneel, Bend: Occasionally
Lift / Carry: Occasionally - Up to 15lbs
Push/Pull: Occasionally - Up to 15lbs
See: Constantly
Taste/ Smell: Not Applicable
Not Applicable = Not required for essential functions
Occasionally = (0 - 2 hrs/day)
Frequently = (2 - 5 hrs/day)
Constantly = (5+ hrs/day)
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- General Office Setting, Indoors Temperature Controlled
- The HPU operates in a hybrid work environment. Team members are expected to work from the HSH office, Downtown Los Angeles, a minimum of twice per pay period, with additional in-person meetings, events, and client field-based meetings as needed.
EEOC STATEMENT
It is the policy of Heluna Health to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants, without regard to age (40 and over), national origin or ancestry, race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, reproductive health decision making, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or a record or history of cancer), AIDS or HIV, genetic information or characteristics, veteran status or military service.
