Kitsap Mental Health Services Careers

Housing Support Specialist – Pendleton Place 
Hiring Range: $24.94 - $30.55 per hour

Benefits: 

• Comprehensive and generous health, dental and vision benefits
• Up to 19 days of PTO, 2 mental health days and 10 paid holidays your first year (pro-rated for part-time)
• Company paid life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability
• Student loan payment assistance and extensive training
• An incredible team approach that is dynamic and collaborative

The Housing Support Specialist empowers, educates, teaches, and assists clients who are severely and persistently mentally ill and who are participants in the agency’s housing program.  Helps these individuals maintain their community tenure and to develop skills that would allow for progression to more independent living skills. Support each individual in maintaining the highest possible level of independent functioning.
 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Assist in coordinating, improving, and implementing agency treatment philosophy, program goals, and activities.  Provide a therapeutic environment per program standards and housing supportive goals, including skills development and transportation of residents as required.
• Develop positive rapport and good working relationships with clients in the housing program.
• Perform the FCS assessment and recertification with clients, collecting supporting documentation and creating individual person-centered client goals which may include education, training, coaching, resolving disputes, and advocacy.
• Learn and implement the PSH Fidelity model
• Assist consumer learning and development of simple and complex skills through training, demonstration, and observation of such things as cooking, cleaning, money management, symptom management, social interaction, and other recovery skills.
• Provide structure as needed for clients.  This could vary case by case and could include helping a client work out a weekly schedule for housework, taking a group shopping regularly, or working side beside a less abled client giving prompts on specific house cleaning tasks.
• Use skills to encourage the development, monitoring and completion of housing goals.
• Maintain contact with Crisis Response Team, housing team and clinical team.  Report salient observations of client mental status; conditions posing increased risk for clients, staff or others; indications of deterioration of client stability, or of improvement such that unit level of services are no longer necessary.
• Provide early identification and intervention for behaviors that may jeopardize housing
• Take appropriate action when clients are missing, ill, injured, or otherwise physically and/or psychiatrically impaired
• Document unusual events on incident reports and consult with appropriate agency personnel regarding required course of action.
• Participate in the development of transitional planning for residents graduating to more independent living situations.
• Demonstrate effective medication observation and documentation for consumers whose medications are being monitored.
• Work in a cooperative and collaborative manner as a team member.  Assist in building positive working relationships with staff of all agency departments.
• Provide backup to staff in other programs as needed and when the schedule of duties and responsibilities allows.
• Communicate regularly with other KMHS assigned to each client’s care regarding client’s needs and progress as well emergency situations such as decompensation, unsanitary or unhealthy living conditions, and exploitation of or by others.
• Document all services thoroughly and accurately and submit all documentation in a timely manner per agency policy and WAC requirements.
• In addition to the above, any other responsibilities appropriate to the position and not specifically listed in the job description.

Minimum Qualifications:

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE: Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, social services, or behavioral health field OR Four or more year’s relevant experience OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

This position requires driving clients in a personal vehicle on behalf of the agency; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a motor vehicle history check, possess and maintain a current, valid driver's license in the state of Washington, and have reliable, insured transportation.

LICENSURE: Agency Affiliated Counselor Registration.

Mental/Physical Requirements:

• Ability to maintain audio and visual observation at all times.
• Ability to stand and be mobile for long periods.
• Ability to bend, twist, reach, hold and lift as needed to successfully evade and participate in protective holds against client weight (40 -250lbs).
• Ability to lift and carry items up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to remain calm and utilize safety training in potentially assaultive client interactions.
• Ability to move quickly and confidently to assist or intervene in potentially stressful situations.
• Successful completion of safety training, which includes demonstrating the ability to: maintain balance, torso twist, forward bend, pivot, sidestep, forward and backward step, crouch, move to secure limb, knee touch to ground, kneel, get up from floor sitting or kneeling position.

Our recruitment processes are designed to prevent discrimination against our people regardless of gender identity or orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any aspect which makes someone unique.