Family Support Specialist

pspan style="font-weight: bold"Summary/span/p pThe Transitional Housing for Families program provides weekly support services and temporary financial assistance for families experiencing homelessness to achieve permanent housing. This position will work as part of our Family Housing team to support families with locating and securing housing, along with leveraging support services that will help families maintain permanent housing. The goals of the program are to partner with families to move into and retain stable housing, increase economic resources, and simultaneously address the needs of parents and children to improve outcomes for the whole family.  community./p p /p pHours for this position are generally Mondays-Fridays, 9am-5pm, with some flexibility based on participant needs. /p p /p pspan style="text-decoration: underline"span style="font-weight: bold"Responsibilities:/span/span/p pspan style="text-decoration: underline"br/spanbr/p pspan style="font-weight: bold"Provide effective case management to program participants:/span/p ul liComplete intakes and assist with housing placement of new participants.  /li liOrient participants to Simpson policies/procedures.  /li liMeet weekly for 60 minutes or more with families at their place of residence  /li liPartner with participants to develop self-defined goals focused on improving stability and achieving greater independence.  /li liProvide transportation assistance and accompany to appointments related to their goals.  /li liSupport and explore community resources when participants are struggling with mental health concerns and healthy family functioning.  /li liSupport skill development to achieve a greater level of autonomy. /li liPartner with parents and children to improve health and educational outcomes and strengthen community connections. /li liFormally review individual initial and ongoing goal plans every 90 days./li /ul pbrbr/p pspan style="font-weight: bold"Partner with participants for housing stability:/span/p ul liPartner with participants to address barriers to housing: such as a lack of proper ID for self or children, evictions and/or criminal record expungement, etc./li liBuild relationships with landlords to facilitate communication with families regarding finding and securing housing, ongoing tenancy concerns, and property issues./li liPartner with families to complete tenancy education to understand their lease and know their rights and responsibilities as a tenant./li liPartner with participants to obtain furniture and other necessary household items./li liPartner with families to address housekeeping needs./li liPartner with participants to prepare for independent housing without services./li /ul p /p pspan style="font-weight: bold"Partner with program participants to increase financial stability:/span/p ul liPartner with participants to access and maintain government benefits  /li /ul ul liPartner with participants to connect with education, training, and/or employment.  /li /ul ul liExplore banking, savings programs, debt management, credit counseling, and budgeting tools to achieve a sustainable financial life. /li /ul p /p pspan style="font-weight: bold"Work as part of an effective team to meet goals of program:/span/p ul liDemonstrate the ability to work within a team setting, with an emphasis on leadership, brself-initiative, patience, creativity, maturity and tact. /li /ul ul liCommunicate and coordinate services with all team members. Attend regular team meetings, other required meetings. /li /ul ul liCollaborate with Early Childhood and Children and Youth Specialists /li /ul ul liDevelop and maintain positive working relationships with staff, volunteers, and participants. /li /ul p /p pspan style="font-weight: bold"Complete accurate and thorough documentation and recordkeeping in a timely manner:/span/p ul liMaintain individual electronic ClientTrack files, including timely detailed case notes of each interaction. /li /ul ul liMaintain accurate records including time sheets, credit card statements, client expenses and mileage reimbursement.   /li /ul p /p pspan style="font-weight: bold"Demonstrate essential knowledge, abilities and skills:/span/p ul liExcellent skills in teamwork and collaboration. /li /ul ul liAbility to take initiative, work well independently, and manage time /li /ul ul liKnowledge of Harm Reduction/Housing First Model and commitment to that model /li /ul ul liAbility to communicate respectfully, positively and professionally with participants, providers, family members and others who are diverse with respect to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and religion /li /ul ul liAbility to perform non-traditional tasks while meeting participant needs /li /ul ul liAbility to maintain confidentiality /li liAdhere to a standard framework of boundaries in all interactions with participants, volunteers, staff and public /li /ul p /p pThis position offers housing search support and weekly in-home support to 15-20 participant families. Participants will locate housing throughout the metro area. This position works with families who are referred through Hennepin County Coordinated Entry. Participant populations may include those experiencing mental or chemical health issues, criminal histories, and domestic violence.  /p p /p p /p pspan style="text-decoration: underline"span style="font-weight: bold"Required Qualifications:/span/span/p ul liBachelor’s degree in Human Services, or relevant experience is required. /li liDriver’s License and access to a safe, reliable and insured vehicle /li liPossess strong computer skills, with experience in Microsoft Office.  /li liDemonstrate ability to learn and use computer database for client records. /li /ul p /p pspan style="font-weight: bold"Desired/span: /p ul liMinimum of 1-year experience in providing direct social services. /li liExperience with low-income families, people experiencing homelessness, diverse populations, and those who have mental health, chemical use, and trauma histories. /li liLived experience with homelessness. /li /ul