Housing Case Manager, Youth Flexible Housing Pool

The Night Ministry is a Chicago based organization whose mission is to provide human connection, housing support, and health care to members of our community who are unhoused or experiencing poverty. We've successfully provided these lifesaving services for 45 plus years, everyday providing a lifeline to our most vulnerable neighbors. We serve everyone without concern for race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. With an open heart, we compassionately accept each individual as they are and work alongside them to advocate for their immediate physical, emotional, and social needs while affirming our shared humanity.

As a member of The Night Ministry team, you can look forward to engaging and compelling work, building dynamic professional relationships with staff, volunteers, and our broad base of supporters. While also knowing you are making a meaningful impact on those who we serve. Employees of The Night Ministry come from a wide variety of backgrounds, representing different ethnicities, educational levels, skills, religious affiliations, spiritual traditions, and sexual orientations. Their commonality is their dedication to improving the lives of those who are homeless, at-risk for homelessness, or otherwise under-served. Although not all employees are involved in direct services, everyone is dedicated to the mission of The Night Ministry, believes in its core values, and knows that their work is highly valued.

Position Summary:

In this role, the case manager provides case management services for all program participants, including case planning, service coordination, and advocacy. They conduct needs assessments, promote independence, perform home visits, and ensure lease compliance by assisting with documentation and income certification to prevent eviction. The case manager liaises with landlords, facilitates tenancy coordination, and oversees transitions from shelters to housing, as well as move-ins and lease renewals.

Collaborating with YFHP partners, the case manager organizes resources for each resident, such as moving services, furniture, and starter kits. They provide crisis intervention and facilitate individual and group counseling sessions for youth, assist with public benefits enrollment, and help participants obtain essential documents like IDs and birth certificates. They ensure participants maintain medical and behavioral health benefits and respond to Medicaid redetermination requirements.

The case manager builds relationships with community partners to support housing stability and participates in an on-call rotation with other housing case managers. They complete required assessments, conduct rent and housing reviews with the Assistant Director, and offer flexible support during nighttime, early morning, and weekend hours to assist with participant transitions.

Responsibilities also include accurate documentation in databases like HMIS and ETO, coordinating with volunteers and interns, completing monthly case reports, and maintaining participant confidentiality. The case manager attends required training and meetings, keeps certifications current, and represents The Night Ministry in advocacy efforts, encouraging community support for homeless youth.

Qualifications:

• Experience providing home-based services, community outreach, and case management, particularly in a supportive housing setting.
• Must have a valid driver's license and a good driving record, and regular access to a reliable vehicle.
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to work independently.
• Proven ability to complete documentation promptly.
• Must possess strong organizational skills, and excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Must be familiar with community-based resources.
• Must be at ease visiting individuals in their home setting across Chicago-area neighborhoods.
• Demonstrated ability to establish productive rapport with youth and the ability to handle difficult topics.
• Strong ability to work with and consistently communicate with community partners, particularly the TNM Housing Outreach and Engagement Specialist, other YFHP outreach workers, housing navigators, and employment case managers.
• Must maintain impeccable professional boundaries.
• Must react quickly and demonstrate good judgment in emergencies or stressful situations.
• Must be attentive to detailed tasks and protocols.
• Must embrace and celebrate diversity among teammates and program participants.
• Awareness and endorsement of housing first and harm reduction philosophies and trauma-informed approach to services.
• Must be organized, attentive to deadlines, and able to creatively solve problems.
• Knowledge of YFHP program requirements.
• Must possess the ability to work cooperatively in a team environment and across all programs of The Night Ministry as well as with external partners.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in social work, Counseling, or related field, or significant relevant experience
• Minimum of 3 years' experience working with at-risk youth.
• Ability to work with a flexible schedule, including some evenings and weekends.
• Clinical experience in mental and behavioral health is a plus.

Additional Information:

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 position. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is regularly required to talk or listen. The employee must occasionally drive an automobile and the outreach bus; and lift and/or move 20 pounds.

Benefits: Full-time staff are entitled to full benefits after 30 days of employment, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, and more, starting 30 days after their employment commences.

Our Anti-Racist Organization Statement

The Night Ministry is committed to racial equity in its services, its organizational structure, and its policies and procedures. Given that the majority of those whom The Night Ministry serves and most of our staff are people of color, we must center racial equity in our day-to-day operations as well as in our strategic planning and take deliberate and thoughtful action to become an anti-racist organization.

Through this work, we will identify and dismantle institutional racism that exists within our organization. We will empower staff, clients, and partners with the tools and support to disrupt white supremacy within the confines of the agency and within the spheres in which we operate. We commit to the ongoing, collective assessment of where we are as an organization and where we want to be while formulating and taking the necessary steps to get there. We call upon all members of our community, from staff, volunteers, and supporters to our clients, to engage with us on our commitment to anti-racism.

Salary : $26 - $27