Senior and Older Adult Services Case Manager

Description

Position Summary

Under the supervision of the Program Manager or Senior Attorney, provide short-term case management for low-income senior and older adult clients with support and assessment, resource identification, and other assistance necessary to ensure that clients get their basic needs met and are able to access appropriate services. Coordinate services within LASSD legal teams and other community providers. Handle complex case work.

About the Organization

Legal Aid Society of San Diego (LASSD), the largest poverty law firm serving San Diego County since 1953, strengthens our communities by redressing our clients’ legal problems, empowering our clients to access and effectively participate within the legal, governmental, and social systems and encouraging self-empowerment in the fight against poverty and injustice. LASSD continues to be a proud, committed, and compassionate group of people dedicated to providing equal access to justice for San Diegans through aggressive, quality legal services. #justicebeginshere

Essential Functions:

• Interview referred clients; evaluate the nature and scope of their issues by assessing their short-term needs and problems.

• Assess the nature and scope of clients’ issues and identify needed resources.

• Assist with case assessment, strategy, and management, including case planning with clients, coordination with service providers, and advocacy for consumers at meetings.

• Travel to client locations, court, or other necessary locations that may be needed to help the client in addressing their housing problem.

• Assist individuals who are clients of LASSD by assessing their needs and problems, referring, advising, or representing them according to established protocols and guidelines.

• Travel and conduct community outreach activities to client-run groups, family-focused groups and organizations, caregivers, providers, and professional groups/agencies throughout the County.

• Enter required information on each case into the database and maintain the confidentiality of all information.

• Collect data documenting case work performed, track outcome of service intervention, and follow-up as needed.

• Participate in all assigned meetings, staff development, and training as required.

• Compliance with all program and grant requirements.

• Other duties as may be assigned by Program Manager, Senior Attorney or Management.

Requirements

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, or related field plus at least two years of experience in substance

abuse or mental health services preferred.

• Must have excellent oral and written communication skills, be self-directed and flexible, and have experience working with diverse populations including those with history of substance abuse, those from culturally distinct groups, limited English proficiency and those with disabilities. Understand trauma-informed care.

• Respond to clients in a calm, empathetic, and professional manner while directing the conversation to the pertinent

issues.

• Possess the ability to communicate information effectively, analyze resource needs and set a preferred course of

action.

• Facilitate involvement of government, social service agencies, and community-based organizations to resolve

consumers’ housing needs as well as other short-term social service needs in coordination with the LASSD teams.

• Identify resources for necessary legal, social, medical, or behavioral health services; address housing needs and serve as a navigator to link consumers with needed resources.

• Ability to build and maintain relationships with community-based organizations and governmental workers.

• Must have a commitment to the rights and empowerment of clients.

• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work independently as well as support team efforts, and to strategize and plan to timely and

consistently meet grant deliverables and reporting requirements.

• Must have reliable transportation.

Desired Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Bilingual fluency in English and other County-designated threshold languages preferred.

• Demonstrated commitment to serving low-income people.

• Ability to work successfully with people from diverse backgrounds.

• Experience in providing social services including intake, interviews, and research related to legal issues, and experience in the field and understanding of health care systems and other social support programs.

Salary and Benefits:

The Senior and Older Adult Case Manager is a non-exempt position with an annual salary of $49,000 per year. LASSD offers a generous benefits package, a 35-hour workweek, paid vacation leave and sick leave and 100% employer-paid medical premium, 50% employer-paid premium for dependents under LASSD health plan, as well as, dental, vision and life benefits. Staff also have the option to participate in a 403(b) retirement plan and dependent and health flex savings accounts (FSA). LASSD has its own loan repayment program, as well as LASSD is an eligible nonprofit employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. In addition, there is a bilingual pay increase of 2% for passing an oral test and 2% for passing a written test for threshold languages other than English.

LASSD is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.

Hybrid Work Environment:

Legal Aid Society of San Diego (“LASSD”) has adopted a hybrid work environment in which most staff are required to work in the office part of the week and permitted to work remotely for the remainder of the week, provided their job duties allow. All employees are issued LASSD computers and provided appropriate supplies to perform their work. LASSD has implemented and continues to explore additional technologies to make our hybrid working environment as efficient and connected as possible. All employees must be available to travel to LASSD offices and service locations throughout San Diego County as needed and in compliance with public health advisories. Applicants must reside in or near San Diego County or plan to relocate in or near the County prior to their start date and must be able to commute to the physical Legal Aid Society of San Diego office locations or service delivery locations within San Diego County. LASSD’s normal business hours are 9am-5pm, but we are open to providing flexible work schedules to the extent feasible for the position. LASSD reserves the right to change these policies at any time.

Mandatory Vaccination Policy: 

LASSD has implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. We will consider individual requests for exemption from the policy for: (1) medical reasons, and/or (2) based on an applicant or employee’s sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. Any applicant or employee requesting an exemption should submit a completed exemption request form to Human Resources. Upon receipt of a completed exemption request form and any supporting documentation, LASSD will engage in an interactive discussion with the applicant or employee to determine whether an exemption is appropriate and can be granted without posing an undue hardship to LASSD or a direct threat to the health or safety of the individual making the request or others at LASSD. Any individual granted an exemption from the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement may be subject to conditions and restrictions (such as being required to use additional personal protective equipment or submit to LASSD-provided COVID-19 testing) to mitigate the risk to the individual and others at LASSD.

Diversity and Inclusion: 

It is vitally important to LASSD that we represent the community that we serve. LASSD is a signatory to the San Diego County Bar Association’s Diversity Pledge. We pledge to promote diversity and inclusion through hiring and retention, promotion and leadership, engagement of outside counsel, and participation in legal community diversity initiatives. We strongly encourage applicants of diverse backgrounds to apply.