Housing Specialist - Grant to Benefit Homeless (GBHI)

Hours: full-time (37.5 hours per week)

Location: Lynchburg, VA 24501

Position Summary

The Housing Specialist locates permanent housing for all individuals or families who experience chronic homelessness and veterans who experience homelessness or chronic homelessness served by the grant. For families or youth experiencing homelessness, minimally links these populations to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development (HUD) Coordinated Entry system, but seeks to permanently house these populations. The specialist may serve on community or Horizon committee related to housing to maintain collaboration and linkages in the community. The specialist will be expected to document in Horizon's EHR, Credible.

This is a grant-funded position that ends with the ending of the grant scheduled for 9/29/27

Required Education and Experience

• High School Diploma or relevant education and experience, indicating that the individual possesses the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• One year of relevant mental health, developmental disability or substance abuse work experience or a combination thereof that demonstrates the candidate possesses the required knowledge, skills and abilities; and/or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the individual possesses the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Related Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of services, systems and programs available in the community including primary health care, support services, eligibility criteria and intake processes, generic community resources, and mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse treatment programs; The nature of serious mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse depending on the population served, including clinical and developmental issues; Different types of assessments, including functional assessments, and their uses in service planning; Treatment modalities and intervention techniques, such as behavior management, independent living skills training, supportive counseling, family education, crisis intervention, discharge planning, and service coordination; The service planning process and major components of a service plan; The use of medications in the care or treatment of the population served; All applicable federal and state laws, state regulations, and local ordinances; Identifying and documenting an individual's needs for resources, services and other supports.

Using information from assessments, evaluations, observations, and interviews to develop individual service plans; Identify services and resources within the community and established a service system to meet the individual's needs; and document how resources, services, and natural supports, such as family, can be utilized to achieve an individual's personal habilitative/rehabilitative and life goals.

Willing and available to work modified schedules (weekends, holidays, etc.) as required; Ability to drive and must possess a valid driver’s license. May be called upon to travel to any Horizon worksite; transport clients, and provide services to clients in other locations. Regular attendance at training and Horizon meetings may require travel to a variety of Horizon sites; Ability to participate in and successfully pass behavioral intervention training; includes both verbal de-escalation skills and physical skills techniques to be utilized with consumers as needed.

About Horizon:

Horizon Behavioral Health is located in the heart of Central Virginia surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether your passions be hiking on the vast Appalachian Trials, kayaking through the James River Blueways, or a Sunday drive along the world-famous Blue Ridge Parkway, Lynchburg VA offers small-town southern charm with an active culture of music festivals, outdoor activities, and performing arts that placed it at the top of the list by Reviews.org as the 2019 best place for millennials to move. Horizon is also the proud recipient of Living in Lynchburg’s 2021 Giving Back Award, Best Place to Work in 2018, Best of Lynchburg for Counseling Services for multiple consecutive years, and again most recently for 2021!

Employment with a VA Community Services Board offers generous benefits that include participation in the Virginia Retirement System; life, health, dental, and vision insurance; annual leave, sick leave, and paid holidays and CME Reimbursement. Horizon’s clinical sites are NHSC/HRSA approved and are certified as public service loan forgiveness (PSLF) employer sites.  If you are interested in continuing your education, working at Horizon qualifies you to receive discounts at some local universities.

To Apply – Please visit our online career center at www.HorizonBH.org 

Horizon requires vaccination against COVID 19 with an FDA-approved or FDA-authorized vaccine as a condition of employment, or seek an approved exemption prior to start date. Horizon Behavioral Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).