Emergency Services Case Manager - Part Time

For 34 years, LARS has been a source of hope and relief for members of the Laurel community who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, and for individuals and families who struggle to meet their basic needs. LARS' mission is to enable homeless and low-income people in Laurel who are in crisis to achieve stability and long-term self-sufficiency. Through a variety of supportive services including financial help with rent and utilities, food assistance, and subsidized housing, LARS provides individuals and families with the stability they need to build better futures for themselves and for their families. In addition, case managers teach skills that foster growth in the areas of personal finances, education, employment, and mental and physical well-being. Our goal is not only to alleviate the immediate crisis, but also to teach skills and habits that empower people to maintain financial stability and prevent future crises. LARS' service area covers high needs areas in Prince George's (zip codes 20707 and 20708), Howard (20723), and Anne Arundel (20724) Counties.

SUMMARY:

Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services, Inc. (LARS) is seeking an enthusiastic, mission-driven individual to fill a part-time entry level position of Emergency Services Case Manager. This person will provide case management services to low-income and homeless individuals and families in the Laurel, MD community.

The ideal candidate will be fluent in both English and Spanish, resourceful, organized, and a team-player who is committed to building positive relationships with clients. This person will also be detail-oriented and adaptable. If you are someone who has exceptional interpersonal and communication skills along with a genuine interest in helping people overcome barriers to maintaining financial stability, we encourage you to apply today.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Case Management

• Meet with and assess needs of individual clients and families, and through consultation with LARS personnel and area agencies, develop a case plan to meet clients' identified needs;
• Provide information, referrals, linkages, and advocacy to assist clients in accessing services and resources;
• Document client services in Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) and LARS' electronic database (Apricot) within 24 hours of interaction;
• Prepare bags of food for clients and help maintain LARS food pantry operations; and
• Provide occasional outreach on Monday nights to homeless clients residing at the Laurel Winter Shelter (program runs November - March).

Program Coordination

• Develop and maintain working relationships with community stakeholders;
• Perform others duties as assigned

Additional Responsibilities:

• Attend meetings as approved or designated by supervisor;
• Translate agency documents from English to Spanish on an as needed basis;
• Develop and maintain working relationships with local businesses, congregations, schools, etc. to build network of stakeholders;
• Other related tasks as assigned by supervisor.

Additional Requirements:

1. Work every Monday evening until 7:30PM (Wednesday evening when a holiday occurs on a Monday);

2. Maintain a valid driver's license, valid insurance, and have reliable transportation;

3. Pass criminal background check and random drug screenings.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• College courses in social work or Bachelor's Degree in any Human Service Field, preferably social work;
• Up to one year experience working as case manager with individuals experiencing homelessness and/or living with substance abuse and/or mental health diagnosis;
• Understanding of crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques;
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and writing skills;
• Familiarity with social service resources in the Greater Laurel area highly desirable;
• Skilled in internet research and navigation and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Fluency in verbal and written Spanish is a plus.

COMPETENCIES:

To perform this job successfully, this person should have the ability to:

• Communicate with individuals from diverse backgrounds;

• Handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion;

• Work independently and as a team player, to take initiative, follow through, and to manage multiple tasks and projects at a time.

• Productively engage with others at varying levels of seniority and background within and outside LARS;

• Demonstrate commitment to LARS' mission.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Listed below are key points regarding environmental demands and work environment of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Required to use motor coordination with finger dexterity (such as keyboarding, machine operation, etc.);
• Required to use normal business machines and technology. For example, able to operate computer and computer systems, office copiers, fax, phones.
• Required to exert physical effort in handling objects and carrying the weight for short distances that include steps (i.e. food pantry items) up to 50 pounds;
• Required to be exposed to physical occupational risks (such as cuts, falls, bruising, exposure to toxic chemicals, etc.) rarely;
• Required to be exposed to physical environment which involves dirt, odors, noise, weather extremes or similar elements rarely;
• Normal setting for this job may include one or more of the following: office setting, apartment rentals, and church shelters.

LARS is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.