Project Oz is dedicated to partnering with young people to promote safety and well-being. They are seeking a Transitional Living Specialist to assist youth experiencing housing instability by providing case management, life skills training, and support in achieving self-sufficiency.
Responsibilities
- Maintain a caseload of 6-9 housing clients and 10-15 outreach clients by providing direct and regular contact
- Conduct street outreach activities to educate homeless youth regarding shelter and placement options, etc. This involves frequenting areas where youth are known to socialize or congregate
- Teach clients basic life skills to gain and maintain self-sufficiency (e.g. safety, health, decision making, communication, money management, and anger management)
- Supervise the educational or vocational efforts of a client to obtain basic knowledge such as GED, diploma or trade certification needed obtain marketable skills
- Attend school or community activities that involve a client
- Help youth obtain gainful employment by providing interviewing skills, training and guidance in resume preparation, completing job applications, and job retention
- Teach clients basic job skills to obtain and/or maintain employment (e.g. communication, timeliness, responsibility, valuing diversity, work ethic, honesty, teamwork, and positive employee relations)
- Provide parenting skills and education to youth with children
- Function as neutral advocate to address parent and/or youth concerns
- Confirm clients are addressing their physical and mental health and, if applicable, the health of the clients’ child(ren)
- Reduce or prevent drug use through substance prevention training
- Identify problematic behaviors to avoid criminal activity, domestic abuse, and child abuse or neglect
- Conduct site visits to assess living conditions and track client progress as well as program compliance
- Build positive relationships and troubleshoot with landlords, neighbors, employers, and family members
- Provide documentation of case management activity including preparing and monitoring individual case plans and assisting in data collection as needed
- Assist youth in crisis or youth who are runaways, locked-out, homeless, or living on the street
- Is available, as scheduled, to provide 24-hour crisis intervention services
- Assume rapid response duties to crisis calls at all Safe Place locations by carrying a crisis cell phone on designated weekdays and weekends. The rotation schedule varies
- Communicate with clients, co-workers, supervisors, and others, understanding that someone may have been exposed to trauma
- Provide referrals and linkage to appropriate agencies as needed
- Debrief appropriate staff on cases opened, interventions utilized, case status, case plan, and case documentation at the completion of on call duties
- Provide appropriate documentation of care contact through case notes and monthly data entry and service reports
- Complete all required forms and progress notes and submit agency reports, forms, and logs by agreed upon dates
- Participate in community outreach, panels, and other committee meetings as directed by leadership
- Act as a representative of Project Oz and as a community resource person
- Attend all required staff meetings and weekly Youth Services meetings
- Perform other duties as assigned by Supervisor, Program Director or executive team
- Act as a Mandated Reporter as outlined by DCFS rules and regulations
Skills
- Bachelor's Degree in social work or related field
- Reliable personal transportation, valid Illinois driver's license, and satisfactory driving history along with documentation verifying current automobile insurance. May transport clients in own vehicle
- Must be flexible, able to respond to crisis calls within designated time frames, and able to travel and work weekend and evening hours as needed
- Related professional experience working in a human services program and with people of diverse backgrounds
- Ability to recognize trauma symptoms and support healing and recovery for youth exposed to trauma
- Knowledge of childhood trauma and/or experience working with youth that have been exposed to trauma
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Strong negotiation and mediation skills
- Ability to solve practical mathematical problems
- Knowledge of Microsoft® Teams software and/or Outlook, Excel, and Word
Benefits
- Low-cost health insurance
- No-cost dental & vision insurance
- Generous vacation and sick time, plus 13 paid holidays
- Cell phone reimbursement or agency-issued cell phone
- Generous retirement plan
- Professional development and advancement opportunities
- Mileage reimbursement or use of agency vehicles
- Flexible work schedule, with possibility of some remote hours
- Employee Assistance Program
- Flexible spending plan
- Eligible for Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program
Company Overview
Project Oz helps adolescents and their families with counseling, school and career planning, and healthy living activities. It was founded in 1973, and is headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, USA, with a workforce of 11-50 employees. Its website is https://www.projectoz.org.
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