Mental Health Care Provider

The Licensed Mental Health Professional will play a pivotal role on one of Governor’s newly launched innovative Safe Options Support (SOS) teams, which will provide comprehensive care to street homeless or subway dwelling individuals.

The multi-disciplinary SOS team will consist of a Team leader, Licensed Clinicians, Care Managers, and a Peer Specialist. The team will support program participants in the community through the application of the highly acclaimed, Critical Time Intervention, evidence-based, model of care.

The Mental Health Clinician’s role will involve community outreach on the streets, coordinating participants needs before and after their move from street to home, enhancing their daily living skills, providing supportive counselling, and advocating on their behalf when faced with discrimination or healthcare inequities. The SOS teams will continue to follow participants for several months after housing placement to ensure their stability, independence and wellbeing in their new community. The role will require field-based work, periodic on call coverage, and a willingness to work flexible hours.

This is an exciting opportunity for a clinician who is looking to transform community healthcare in The Southern Tier and making long lasting positive changes in the lives of homeless New Yorkers.

Licensed master’s degree or higher in social work, mental health counseling, nursing or psychology. MSW will be considered with plan to get licensure and experience working with homeless individuals.

Persistent and assertive outreach and engagement using strength-based approaches beginning either at known “hang-outs” or “Hot spots” or during an inpatient hospital admission or emergency department visit

Partnering and collaborating with current street outreach teams, local police precincts, members/caregivers to identify those in most need of outreach and care and Department of Social Services.

Continuously assess the health and social needs of participants through SOS’s conversational and observational assessments and formalized risk assessments tools for those identified as being at high risk;

Participate in hospital discharge planning meetings to identify the best community resources for returning patients;

Provide short term therapeutic counseling and support to participants pre and post housing

Collects and reports data, as required and work with team leader, data analyst and other SOS teams to use data to inform future care delivery

Once housed work with participants and their housing providers to resolve clinical issues that are impacting on the participant’s ability manage, and retain supportive housing;

Foster relationship with community provides to ensure that recipients are connected with appropriate services as they transition back into the community;

Appointment navigation including accompaniment to appointments, travel training, reengagement in community care, and addressing barriers to care;

Review documentation and conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments to determine the medical, psychiatric, housing and other social needs in the community;

Obtain historical and collateral information from multiple sources to support participants behavioral and physical health needs;

Monitor, evaluate and record participant progress with respect to care plan goals;