Community Support Specialist - Housing First

Excitement abounds at Heritage Behavioral Health Center!

We are a mission-driven Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic located in Decatur, Illinois who is dedicated to improving mental health and substance use care to individuals in a multi-county area. We recognize that all individuals at our organization have an impact on patient care - regardless of the position they hold.

Why join us?

• We offer a collaborative work environment, opportunities for professional growth, and a comprehensive benefits package.
• We are expanding our primary care, mental health and substance use services to individuals in Central Illinois and beyond and are looking for dedicated staff to meet the needs of our clientele.
• A new salary structure is now in place! Our salaries have been updated and are competitive at both the state and national levels with wonderful benefits.
• Full-time employees receive 56 paid days off during their 1^st year of employment (this includes every other Friday off PAID for your wellness needs). This increases to 61 days the 2^nd year and continues to increase with tenure.
• We have expanded our employee insurance benefit offerings and made them more affordable.

At Heritage, we believe in taking care of our staff's needs so that they can concentrate on taking care of the needs of the individuals we serve. Our staff are our greatest asset, and we treat them as such!

We are pleased to present the following position for your consideration:

Overview: Community Support Specialist - Housing First

These full-time community-based positions are available to provide housing support services for individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk for homelessness. In addition, the target population for this program are individuals with a mental health or substance use diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. Services will be provided in array of settings including individual's home, community-settings, community agencies, healthcare providers, and Heritage.

Core Responsibilities Include:

• Provide case management and community support services and manage a caseload
• Telephone and face to face engagement of clients who have been referred to the program
• Complete needs assessments to identify additional needs including but not limited to mental health, substance use, health, dental, vision, support systems, legal, education, employment, access to transportation or any other services that assist an individual to improve his/her quality of life
• Provide wide array of support services that will assist individuals with obtaining and maintaining housing
• Advocate for individuals to have the ability to access and maintain housing, benefits, treatment and seek reasonable accommodation when eligible and appropriate.
• Assist individuals with applying for, obtaining and maintaining available resources including but not limited to; medical coverage, SNAP benefits, and SSI/SSDI benefits
• Assist with developing and practicing coping skills to manage mental health, substance use, housing instability and/or health related symptoms
• Provide support and coaching on life skills including activities of daily living, communication, budgeting and personal care
• Provide other duties as assigned, required or specifically negotiated with supervisor.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to work with individuals with a mental health and/or substance use diagnosis;
• Knowledge of community resources and/or ability to research/find;
• Experience working with individuals in behavioral health settings by providing an individualized approach to support an individual's wellness and recovery.
• Ability to meet people where they are at in their recovery, non-judgmental, and ability to build rapport quickly;
• Ability to work in a team-based environment;
• Ability to accept ambiguity, uncertainty, and change;
• Ability to navigate electronic health records;

Education and Experience:

• Credentials as a Mental Health Professional defined as

1. 5 years' experience in behavioral health setting
2. Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS)
3. A Bachelor's Degree in psychology, social work, human services or related field, or any other degree plus 2 years of experience.

• Valid driver's license, reliable means of transportation and proof of current automobile insurance are required.

Salary Range: $47,840-$56,190 per year ($23.00 to $27.00 per hour) dependent on education and experience

Heritage also offers the following with this position:

1. Generous vacation, sick and personal leave
2. WELLNESS days - 26 days per year (every other Friday off paid)
3. Paid holidays - 9 in 2024
4. Health Club/Fitness Reimbursement
5. Employee Assistance Program
6. Continuing education opportunities
7. Tuition assistance program
8. Agency provided life insurance and short-term disability policies
9. Retirement plans (401k and Roth)
10. Optional insurance benefits, including health, dental, vision, flex spending accounts (healthcare, dependent care), and additional life insurance. (The health insurance benefit includes substantial agency contribution towards the cost.)
11. We are a National Health Service Corp site which gives staff access to the National Health Service Corp federal student loan forgiveness program (LCPC, LCSW, MD, APN, RN, CADC, LSW, and LPC individuals). For more information, visit www.hrsa.gov.