PACT Housing Specialist

PACT Team Member

This member of the PACT team has responsibility to carry out rehabilitation and support functions and assist in treatment; substance abuse services; education, support, and consultation to families; and crisis intervention under the clinical supervision of staff with professional degrees. This PACT member specializes in housing needs and works with housing authorities and landlords to develop housing options for persons served and helps people learn and practice skills that enhance their chances to get and keep housing.

The essential job duties/responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to the information listed below:

• Act as a member of the Individual Treatment Team (ITT) for an assigned number of persons served.
• Participate in a person served-centered comprehensive assessment of psychiatric history (e.g. onset, course and effect of illness, past treatment and responses, and risk behaviors), mental status, and diagnosis; physical health and dental health; use of drugs or alcohol; education and employment; social development and functioning; activities of daily living (e.g. self-care, living situation, nutrition, money management); and family structure and relationships.
• Consult with community agencies and families to maintain coordination in the treatment process.
• Perform shift management in coordination with other PACT shift managers according to established policies and procedures.
• Document person served progress to maintain a permanent record of person served activity according to established methods and procedures.
• Provide treatment, rehabilitation, and support services, with some interventions directed or performed by staff with specialty training and skills.
• Participate in daily staff organizational meetings and treatment planning review meetings.
• Participate in providing substance use and treatment services.
• Provide on-call crisis intervention covering nighttime and weekend hours with clinical back-up.
• Perform other related duties, as required.

Psychiatric Treatment and Dual Diagnosis Substance Abuse Services

• Assist in the provision of ongoing assessment of persons served mental illness symptoms and persons served response to treatment. Make appropriate changes in treatment plans to ensure immediate and appropriate interventions are provided in response to changes in mental status or behavior which put persons served at-risk.
• Assist in provision of symptom education to enable persons served to identify their mental illness symptoms.
• Assist in the provision of direct clinical services including individual support therapy and psychotherapy to persons served on an individual, group, and family basis in the office and in community settings to teach behavioral symptom-management techniques to alleviate and manage symptoms not reduced with medication and to promote personal growth and development by assisting persons served to cope with internal external stresses.
• Assist in the provision of individual and group treatment in the office and in community settings in stage-based treatment model that is non-confrontational, considers interactions of mental illness and substance abuse, and has persons served-determined goals.
• Coordinate with outside inpatient services to detoxify persons served and establish linkage to outpatient treatment, self-help programs, outpatient services, and residential facilities.
• Participate in the provision of rehabilitation services.

Structuring Time and Employment

• Provide individual vocational-supportive counseling to enable persons served to identify vocational strengths and problems, establish vocational or career goals and plans to reach them, and recognize and target symptoms of mental illness that interfere with work.
• Plan and provide work-related supportive services, such as assistance with grooming and personal hygiene, securing of appropriate clothing, wake-up calls, and transportation.
• Teach job-seeking skills.
• Provide benefits counseling.

Activities of Daily Living Services

• Provide ongoing assessment, problem-solving, side-by-side services, skill training, supervision, and environmental adaptations to assist persons served with activities of daily living.
• Assist persons served to find and maintain a safe and affordable place to live.
• Assist and support persons served to carry out personal hygiene and grooming tasks.
• Provide nutrition education and assistance with meal planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation.
• Assist and support persons served to perform household activities, including house cleaning and laundry.
• Ensure that persons served have adequate financial support.
• Teach money-management skills.
• Help persons served to access reliable transportation.
• Assist and support persons served to have and effectively use a personal primary care physician, dentist, and other medical specialists, as required.

Social and Interpersonal Relationships and Leisure Time

• Provide individual supportive therapy, social skill development, and assertiveness training to increase persons served social and interpersonal activities in community settings.
• Plan, structure, and prompt social and leisure-time activities on evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Provide side-by-side support and coaching to help persons served socialize.

Support

• Provide practical help and supports, advocacy, coordination, side-by-side individualized support, problem solving, direct assistance, training, and supervision to help persons served obtain the necessities of daily living including medical and dental health care; legal and advocacy services; financial support such as entitlements or housing subsidies; money management services; and transportation.
• Knowledge and Skills:
• Sensitivity to cultural, religious, racial, disability, and gender issues
• Knowledge and use of advocacy techniques
• Knowledge and use of different communication styles
• Skills and competence to establish supportive trusting relationships with program person served
• Respect for person served rights and personal preferences in treatment
• Knowledge of human, legal, civil rights, community, and other resources
• Knowledge of the use of formal and informal assessment tools and practices
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Skills and competence to use crisis intervention techniques
• Strong commitment to the right and ability of program person served to live, work, and seek supports as the general population at large
• Knowledge of therapy and teaching modalities

About Vinfen

Established in 1977, Vinfen is a nonprofit, health and human services organization and a leading provider of community-based services to individuals with mental health conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities, brain injuries, and behavioral health challenges. Our services and advocacy promote the recovery, resiliency, habilitation, and self-determination of the people we serve. Vinfen's 3,500 dedicated employees are experienced, highly-trained professionals who provide a full range of supportive living, health, educational, and clinical services in over 550 sites throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. For more information about Vinfen, please visit

My Job. My Community. My Vinfen.

Vinfen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Qualifications

Typical Requirements: Two to three years' work experience with adults dealing with severe mental illness with housing needs. Knowledge of Housing Authorities and federal and state housing programs. A high school diploma or equivalent is required; Bachelor's degree in degree in a behavioral science (psychology, rehabilitation counseling or social work) is preferred. In some cases, experience may be substituted for education.

Required Certifications Post Hire: CPR required within two weeks of hire. First Aid required within two weeks of hire. CPSS required. NET required. PACT Module Training required within 3 months of hire.

Driving Requirements: Driving is a requirement for this position using either a Vinfen van or personal vehicle. If using a personal vehicle, you must possess and maintain adequate insurance as well as maintain a safe driving record which is subject to annual checks. A valid driver's license must be presented at the time of employment. Incumbents must be at least 21 years of age, have maintained a valid US driver's license for at least six months, and must be able to pass a driver's screening background check.

Physical Effort: Ability to stand, walk, bend, kneel, stoop, crouch, crawl, climb as this is a very physically active position.

Must be able to lift at least 25 pounds using proper lifting techniques or the use of a two-person lift.

Ability to operate a computer and other office equipment such as a calculator, copier, and printer.

Ability to sit, reach, climb stairs, and maneuver through narrow spaces