Community Justice Case Manager - Aurora/North Seattle

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Title: Community Justice (L.E.A.D.) Case Manager

Location: Aurora/North Seattle

Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm

Salary Range: $73,500-$87,500

  The posted salary range represents the full compensation band for the position. New hires are typically placed at the base of the range, plus $1,000 for bilingual skills and/or $1,000 for higher education.  

Working at Evergreen Treatment Services makes a big difference in our community!

• ETS has been working to transform the lives of individuals and their communities through innovative and effective addiction and social services in Western Washington for over 50 years. Learn more about our mission and values.
• Change begins within. We strive to foster and sustain a diverse and inclusive community within our organization. Find out how we are working to achieve racial equity, health equity, and community justice.
• Our Clinic Services and REACH teams bring critical professional expertise and heartfelt compassion to the work they do every day to serve our most vulnerable community members. Check out the compelling stories told by our patients, clients, and staff members that provide more information and a clear picture regarding our organization’s essential work.

REACH Mission and Values

The REACH Program of Evergreen Treatment Services works with individuals experiencing homelessness and behavioral health conditions to help them achieve stability and improved quality of life. The REACH mission is to foster community health and safety through outreach, relationship, healing interventions and systems advocacy for people who use drugs. REACH provides outreach-based-care coordination, multidisciplinary clinical services, and supports to access and maintain housing. All services are based in principles of harm reduction that offer respect and dignity to individuals moving through stages of change in their lives. 

REACH incorporates a racial equity lens that includes naming the impact and actively dismantling systems of oppression rooted in White Supremacy, while addressing the root causes perpetuating historical trauma and immense suffering in individuals’ lives. We are committed to building a robust behavioral health response that diverts people away from jail by rebuilding community and providing services to ensure those presently marginalized aren’t just surviving, but able to thrive.

REACH offers an array of services ranging from survival support provided where folks are living outside to linkages to essential resources such as housing, assistance to resolve legal issues, health care, entitlements and easily accessible treatment for substance use disorders and mental health conditions. 

The REACH team is passionate about creating a hospitable and welcoming environment for all people while providing quality services on an individually tailored basis to our clientele. REACH values diversity of lived experience, is committed to racial equity and social justice, and appreciates hard work, creativity, and a good sense of humor. People who have been impacted by the criminal legal system are encouraged to apply. 

This dynamic position plays an important role in helping ETS accomplish our mission!

Job Summary:

• The Case Manager – LEAD role is part of the REACH team that supports ETS’ mission through fostering cohesion by providing engagement and intensive case management services to individuals suspected of low-level drug offenses and/or prostitution. 
• The Case Manager will provide direct services to a case load of approximately 25-30 individuals. Case managers provide outreach, long-term engagement and supportive services for participants through intensive case management activities and collaboration with LEAD partners, service providers, housing providers and other community organizations.
• The position is full-time onsite, and the days and hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.

Responsibilities:

• Help ETS succeed in carrying out our mission through working together with other staff to transform systems of harm and inequity to create different approaches to improving community health and safety through addressing substance use and homelessness.
• Assist with the organization-wide initiative to reimagine our interconnectedness within our community to overcome the aspects of our society and organizational culture shaped by white supremacy and settler colonialism.
• Provide Outreach and Intensive Case Management services for assigned participants:
• Engage participants on the street and at social service provider facilities to establish a working relationship and offer services.
• Assess participants for severity of chemical dependency and housing status and determine needs for other services, e.g., medical, mental health.
• Assist participants in gaining access to a variety of funding programs (e.g., SSI, ABD, VA).
• Assist participants in finding housing and maintaining occupancy.
• Develop and implement with the participant’s input an individualized Service Plan which addresses the needs of the participant for food, clothing, shelter, and health care and substance use disorder treatment or reduction/elimination of drug/alcohol use through self-change methods. Update this Plan periodically to reflect movement toward or attainment of articulated goals and the emergence of new participant needs and to help the participant move toward the achievement of autonomy.
• Develop and maintain a working relationship with Sobering Center staff, DSHS workers, chemical dependency treatment providers, mental health providers, health care providers, shelter providers, landlords, detox centers, Assessment Center staff, protective or representative payees, and other community programs which may support participants.
• Provide structured Intensive Case Management services consistent with program policies.
• Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with LEAD partners including Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff, King County and City of Seattle Prosecutor’s office.
• Provide advocacy and support for participants within the criminal justice system including court appearances and written communication. 
• Attend regularly scheduled Operational Work Group Meetings and the staffing of participants with partners.
• Accompany participants to appointments as needed. 
• Assist participants in developing a spending plan and in shopping.
• Advocate for the participant with a wide variety of other service providers:
• Assist participants in gaining entry into service programs.
• Develop relationships with housing resources and assist the participant in gaining access to appropriate housing.
• Identify gaps and barriers in available community resources and advocate for systemic changes.
• Attend REACH and LEAD team meetings and other required meetings.
• Develop and maintain participant files for assigned caseload according to program, contract and state requirements.

Note: New and/or different duties and responsibilities may be assigned to this job at any time.

Requirements:

Qualifications:

Education and/or Relevant and Lived Experience (if applicable):

• High school diploma or equivalent required. Further education/training is desirable. 
• The ability to respectfully engage and develop a working alliance with the people we are serving is essential. Understanding of harm reduction along with a demonstrated passion for serving individuals experiencing homelessness and co-occurring disorders required. Street outreach experience a plus. Skills necessary to provide advocacy and support for participants within the criminal justice system including court appearances and written communication. Ability to advocate and effectively communicate and problem solve under pressure in high stress situations.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Have an understanding of racial justice and social equity and a commitment to helping create an equitable environment for all ETS clients and patients as well as fellow staff.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, patients, and staff from a wide variety of ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong interpersonal skills and verbal/ written communication skills. 
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload, work independently, and complete tasks timely and efficiently.
• Dependable, able to work under pressure, receptive to change, willingness to learn, cooperative approach to problem solving.
• Flexible team player, with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and use discretion when handling highly sensitive information.
• Ability to set boundaries, resolve conflict and de-escalate issues.
• Computer literate, with basic knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (or equivalent suites such as Google Workspace), as well as a high level of initiative in keeping current with technological changes. Skills needed include basic functions such as utilizing MS Outlook email and calendaring programs (or equivalent) and sending attachments, using MS Teams or equivalent chat, call, and videoconference features, and navigating search engines such as Edge or Google and carrying out browser searches and website benchmarking steps.

Equipment Used:

• Computer, photocopier, fax machine, phone, and possible use of the program vehicle.
• Possible use of a program vehicle, for which a valid Driver’s License and acceptable driving would be required.

Inclusivity and Reasonable Accommodation:

Evergreen Treatment Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be 

considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual 

orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. Note that a 

Washington State Patrol criminal background check will be conducted periodically as a 

condition of ongoing employment, and candidates with prior criminal convictions will 

be invited to provide additional context as needed.

ETS will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability so that they 

can perform the essential functions of a job unless doing so causes a direct threat to 

these individuals or others in the workplace and the threat cannot be eliminated by 

reasonable accommodation, or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship for 

ETS. We also seek to provide reasonable accommodation for the interview process