Housing Stability Case Manager bei City of Detroit, MI

About the Department

The Housing Stability Case Manager is an entry-level professional within the Housing and Revitalization Department’s (HRD) Detroit Housing Services Office that receives significant direction and guidance from Program Analyst III and IV. The Detroit Housing Services Office looks to address city-wide housing insecurity with preventative, responsive, and broadly available measures. The Housing Services Office is structured to meet a broad range of housing needs faced by residents, through an internal continuum of services.

The Housing Stability Case Manager primarily serves to stabilize and facilitate connection to resources and/or relocation for residents facing housing insecurity and/or homelessness. The Housing Stability Case Manager will provide diversion support or connection to emergency shelter to stabilize households. Once stable, the Housing Stability Case Manager is responsible for completing a needs assessment and creating a case file for the resident, which entails gathering documentation required for residents to successfully obtain resources and/or permanent housing including but not limited to participant forms, identification, social security cards, birth certificates, proofs of income and/or proof of benefits for all household members. Upon completion of the needs assessment, the Case Manager will utilize an internal database of available resources to successfully facilitate connection to services.

The Housing Stability Case Manager will maintain a caseload of up 50 or more households. In-person site visits are required for all households, as well as weekly contact with households within the caseload. The Housing Stability Case Manager should expect to be in the field two to three days a week. Duties include closely maintaining a record of contact, program documents, and resources provided to households, including entry and exit dates from the program.

Position Duties

• Manage a caseload of 50+ households.
• Complete in-person site visits for all households. 
• Advocate with employment and vital document agencies, and with mental, physical and behavioral health agencies as needed. 
• Identify and address other barriers to permanent housing.
• Maintain regular and documented contact with residents facing housing insecurity, describing case management progress and program management, on a weekly basis. 
• Create a case management plan based on the results of a household needs assessment and maintain that plan by executing key objectives with and for the resident over the course of the case management period.

• Develop and maintain working knowledge of relevant social services systems and agencies to ensure client access to appropriate services.
• Attend and participate in required team meetings and trainings including, but not limited to HIPAA, trauma-informed care, fair housing, HMIS, etc.

• Performs special projects and other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

· Minimum one (1) year of professional experience involving the systematic review of financial data or one (1) year of experience in customer service and health, human or social services or related field.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be substituted to meet the education and experience requirements of this position.

Qualifications:

· Prior experience assisting individuals with housing needs and resources.

· Prior case management experience

· 1-2 years of Housing/Shelter experience

· MIBridges Partner Portal experience(preferred)

· The ability to provide and/or maintain a high level of customer service.

Other Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Prior experience assisting individuals with housing related needs and concerns. 
• Ability to work with people in crisis and conflict, including those facing homelessness, financial challenges, mental illness and/or chemical dependency.
• Ability to organize, prioritize multiple projects and meet deadlines in a time-sensitive environment.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally verbally and in writing.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and productively with others (including supervisors, colleagues, volunteers, clients and vendors).

• Regular and reliable attendance.
• Ability to maintain the confidentiality of clients as well as client information and records.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively under stressful conditions.
• Understand and maintain professional ethics and boundaries.
• Ability to adapt to change.
• Proven ability to work in collaborative team environment.
• Strong creative and independent thinking skills that will lead to individualized action plans.
• Good working relationships with internal and external customers.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Working knowledge of organizational development issues.

SKILLED IN

• Utilizing case management software.
• Tracking data and maintaining individual case management metrics.
• Presenting precise information (orally, written, and/or using PowerPoint or Word) to a variety of audiences.
• Use of Smartsheet.
• Use of Microsoft Office (i.e. Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and / or other office suite software packages).
• Use of Excel (e.g. Pivot Tables, Vlookup, Hlookup, charts, tables, and / or other related software packages) functionality.
• Communicating in writing clearly and effectively, demonstrate this skill by rendering technical details and reports in a form readily understandable to management and the public.
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Establishing and maintaining good working relationship with other City employees and the public.

ABILITY TO

• Collect, quickly interpret, and analyze information from a variety of sources, apply criteria, draw conclusions and develop case management plans.
• Utilize a variety of fact-finding techniques (e.g. interview, case analysis, observation) to elicit appropriate to solve for housing displacements.
• Read, interpret, and effectively analyze individual situation reports.
• Choose the right intermediary methods or tactics to solve a problem.
• Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
• Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Work tactfully and effectively with employees, supervisors and managers, grantors, sub-recipients, and with elected and appointed officials and senior staff in assigned Departments and Agencies.
• Take initiative to acquire additional knowledge and education to remain current in field.
• Work as part of a team.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS

The supervisor provides continuing and/or individual assignments by indicating generally what is to be done, limitations, quality and quantity expected, deadlines, and priority of assignments. The supervisor provides additional, specific instructions for new, difficult, or unusual assignments, including suggested work methods or advice on source material available.

The Housing Stability Case Manager uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently without specific instructions, but refers deviations, problems, and unfamiliar situations not covered by instructions to the supervisor for decision or help.

The supervisor assures that finished work and methods used are technically accurate and in compliance with instructions or established procedures. Review of the work increases with more difficult assignments if the Program Analyst has not previously performed similar assignments.

GUIDELINES

Procedures for doing the work have been established and a number of specific guidelines are available.

The number and similarity of guidelines and work situations require the Housing Stability Case Manager to use judgment in locating and selecting the most appropriate guidelines, references, and procedures for application and in making minor deviations to adapt the guidelines to specific cases. 

SCOPE & EFFECT

The work involves the execution of specific rules, regulations, or procedures and typically comprises a complete segment of an assignment or project of broader scope.

The work product or service affects the accuracy, reliability, or acceptability of further processes or services. 

PERSONAL CONTACTS

The personal contacts are with employees in the same agency. People contacted generally are engaged in different functions, missions, and kinds of work, e.g., representatives from various levels within the agency, such as headquarters, regional, district, or field offices, or other operating offices at the immediate installation.

AND/OR

The contacts are with members of the general public, as individuals or groups, in a setting that meets the needs of the resident including private residences. Residents and agencies must be contacted regularly, and this contact documented, in or to successfully mediate a potential displacement issue. 

PURPOSE OF CONTACTS

The purpose is to ascertain and provide the mediation and solutions needed in order to ensure that the individual or household remains securely housed. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work is characterized as field work, which includes driving, and getting in and out of vehicles as well as going into participants housing. The Housing Stability Case Manager will be in the field up to three days a week. When in office, the Housing Stability Case Manager sits comfortably to do their work, interspersed by brief periods of walking, standing, bending, carrying of papers and books, and extended periods requiring the use of computer terminals to accomplish work objectives.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

A hybrid schedule requiring up to four days per week in field and/or office is expected. This expectation is subject to the needs of the Office and of the individual, such as training, professional development or other performance-based actions deemed necessary by program management. Work is performed in a comfortable office environment which is appropriately lighted, heated and cooled. The work environment contains no significant hazards. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel to and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. The Housing Stability Case Manger may encounter individuals that are upset. 

During extended periods each year, the Housing Stability Case Manager may be required to work considerable overtime.