Hoarding Specialist / Apartment Organizer

Description

Days Off: Saturday and Sunday

Shift: Day 

Insurance Benefits: Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage), Dental, Life, Long-term Disability

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC:

DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing. Our vision is a community where no person is abandoned, ignored, or experiencing homelessness. 

As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 3,000 people each day. Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe, and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness.

Job Definition:

The Unit Condition Response Team (UCRT) is a multidisciplinary team that works to support tenants with chronic issues maintaining unit condition standards. The UCRT will respond to referrals from dedicated Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) buildings to support tenants who have demonstrated severe and chronic unit condition issues pertaining to severe crowding and clutter. UCRT will work in collaboration with the existing care teams to address the acute issues but also strategize to develop and implement interventions to limit future unit condition challenges. 

The Hoarding Specialist (HS) will operate as a key member of the UCRT and will directly focus on high clutter and crowding environments. Development & documentation of individualized care plans to be implemented from a Harm Reduction & Trauma informed care approach to maintain unit conditions. Provide internal coaching and strategies for DESC staff/co-workers to support working engagement and solutions around hi-clutter, and hoarding behaviors. 

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Participate as a member of a multi-disciplinary team providing on-going services to adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. 
• Work with other case managers and providers as needed to support unit condition challenges related to hoarding tendencies and behaviors.  
• Maintain expertise in hoarding disorders, clutter challenges, and related behaviors that impact tenants’ housing stability. Provide consultation to staff and tenants. 
• Attend meetings, care conferences, trainings, and continuing education on trending hoarding disorder developments and workshops as needed.  
• Provide physical, in-unit assistance to improve and maintain living conditions. Help clients declutter, organize, and downsize belongings efficiently. Perform removal of debris, unwanted materials and thorough cleaning/sanitation to client units.  
• Provide coaching, modeling and support to develop or grow independent skills (IADL’s) with accessing, utilizing and maintaining living environments.  
• Assist with unit inspection preparation to meet unit inspection standards, to support housing retention i.e. funding inspections.
• Complete documentation on all client interactions according to agency standards. 
• Submit documentation of service for billable services.  
• Other duties as assigned. 

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Current Hoarding Certification. 
• Ability to meet Washington Department of Health requirements for registration as a Registered Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) or any other superseding credential 
• Experience working with clients to mitigate clutter challenges and other housekeeping issues that may threaten housing stability.  
• Clinical experience working with homeless adults disabled by chronic alcoholism, mental illness and substance usage disorder. 
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behavior. 
• Commitment to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across agency programs and of consideration and respect for clients. 
• Knowledge of local homelessness, mental health, harm reduction principles and chemical dependency service systems. 
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds. 

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Relevant bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, nursing, education, related behavioral science, or 
2. A combination of 1 year of relevant paid work experience and demonstration of the ability to perform required job duties. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Advanced training or Expert certification in Hoarding Disorder. 
• CNA certification. 
• Two years' clinical experience working with homeless adults disabled by chronic alcoholism, mental illness and/or drug use. 
• Valid Washington State driver’s license and insurable driving record.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required sit/stand for long periods of time, communicate with other employees by talking and hearing, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace, and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.