Community Social Worker

Scheduled Work Times/Locations

Monday – Friday, 8:30AM – 4:30PM; 363 Main Street Middletown, CT

Job Summary:

The Community Social Worker will work to support the mission of Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation. The Community Social worker will work with our clients to help achieve independence and stability in their communities by providing housing and supportive services. The Community Social worker holds primary responsibility for working towards the goal of each client’s full and productive integration with the community.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Provide comprehensive planning and active support for the care, treatment, and safety of the agency’s clients.

• Demonstrates understanding and evaluates clients by acknowledging individual psychological difficulty, ethnicity, and history.
• Assist clients with the development of individual treatment plans and goals to provide support for achievement.
• Serve as a liaison to provide mediation and advocacy with client/landlord on behalf of the client to develop a workable plan to obtain and/or maintain housing.
• Provide crisis intervention to ensure the clients well-being and stability to remain in the community.
• Monthly management of updating data into Smartsheet and the Homeless Management Information System HMIS for data input/integrity.
• Assist clients with the coordination of health services and, as necessary, schedules client appointments for and provides transportation to physicians, clinicians, and other health care professionals.
• Enter client case notes within the 72-hour time frame, complete six months and annual assessments and service plans to be submitted in a timely manner.
• Maintain complete and up-to-date client files to assure overall compliance with agency standards.

• Act as liaison with other agencies, i.e., DSS, SSI, HOPWA/ACT, and other social and vocational agencies to advocate for and assist clients.
• Attend monthly HOPWA CAN meetings and participate in Case Management meetings, conferences, seminars, and trainings as required.

• Mediate conflicts between providers, family/guardians, clients, and the agency, per the client’s needs.
• Develop or maintain familiarity with community resources and referral processes necessary to access these resources.
• Advocate and/or assist client in receiving services identified in the planning process.
• Follow proper discharge procedure when a client is discharged, with attention to recordkeeping and referrals.
• Provide resources for transportation i.e., medical cab or bus tickets and when needed transport clients.
• Prepare for and facilitate group meetings for clients on a variety of topics beneficial to their health and human service needs.
• Travel and networking in the community.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Documentation skills including good oral and written comprehension, computer literacy, accurate and timely documentation and record keeping abilities.
• Ability to use critical thinking skills and develop sound reasoning/logic when formulating solution focused treatment plans.
• Excellent time management skills: ability to manage, organize and prioritize flow of work.
• Ability to motivate clients.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from four-year college/university or two-three years’ related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience, preferably with homeless persons, persons with mental illness and/or substance abuse.

• Bi-Lingual, Spanish/English preferred.

Licenses and Certifications

• Must have valid Connecticut driver’s license and clean driving record with proof of automobile insurance.

Compensation & Benefits

• $24-$26 per hour, based on experience plus generous incentive compensation plan.
• Community Housing Advocates provides a generous employee benefits package, including medical, dental, retirement, short- and long-term disability, and tuition reimbursement. Full-time employees receive 10 days of PTO (paid time off) per year, plus 11 paid holidays and one (1) Floating Holiday and 40 Hours of Accrued Paid Sick Leave.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands associated with the essential functions of this job are intermittent physical activity, such as walking, sitting and occasional lifting, stooping, bending, and reaching.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.