Job Description

Job Title Social Worker III (Services to End and Prevent Homelessness), Grade 24
Location Silver Spring, MD, US
Organization Name Department of Health and Human Services
Medical Exam Limited Core Exam with Drug & Alcohol Screen
Background Investigation No
Financial Disclosure No


Closing Date: Open Until Filled

This recruitment will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, DC and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County\'s public health and human services that the needs of our community\'s most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With 1,750 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.

As a department, we believe health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods and healthy food. HHS\' provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.

If you are interested in working for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Social Worker III positions.

About the Position:

The position is located in the Department\'s Services to End and Prevent Homelessness (SEPH) division. The vision of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness (SEPH) is a home for everyone in Montgomery County, where the experience of homelessness is rare, brief, and one-time only. The mission is to strive to be a leader in the work to end homelessness across our nation. Through commitment and collaboration, SEPH seeks to create effective systems to achieve the vision. The housing and homeless continuum embraces a Housing First philosophy. Housing First recognizes that people are most successful when they have choice in housing and seeks to eliminate barriers such as sobriety requirements or treatment compliance. SEPH provides a full continuum of services including housing stabilization, homeless diversion, and permanent housing; and employs evidence-based and promising practices. The mission cannot be achieved without collaborating with public and private partners through the Interagency Commission on Homelessness. Special needs populations include veterans, both individuals and families, persons with behavioral health challenges, individuals with developmental disabilities, and transitioning youth and seniors with disabilities experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Social Worker IIIs serves a variety of roles to support SEPH in reaching the goal of ending homelessness for all in Montgomery County by the end of 2025. Social Worker IIIs works within our Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) Program Area and Homeless Services for Families. These areas serve as the primary point of contact for residents at-risk of homelessness, or currently experiencing homelessness. Services are available at three sites throughout the County where residents can apply for emergency housing and/or utility assistance and community based. Services provided may include; crisis intervention, conflict resolution, mediation, financial assistance, housing location, and case management to County residents at risk of homelessness, experiencing homelessness, or participating in rapid rehousing programs. The program\'s focus is to partner with families and individuals to resolve their housing emergency through person-centered creative problem-solving. Grants and housing subsidies may be available to prevent evictions and utility cut offs and/or secure new housing. Case management services are provided to help at risk households develop and implement plans to prevent a future housing crisis.

Primary Duties:

This Social Worker III will provide complete comprehensive psychosocial assessments of low-income individuals and families experiencing a housing emergency and work with those households to develop a comprehensive person-centered service plan focused on increasing self-sufficiency and overcoming barriers to stable housing and independence.

The position may also:

• Provide guidance to staff in the absence of the supervisor, monitor lobby and triage areas, resolve customer issues, and review/approve requests for emergency financial assistance;
• Provide short-term case management to assist households to increase self-sufficiency, stabilize housing and access needed services; make referrals and coordinate access to needed services and resources;
• Identify resources/services needed to rapidly exit families to permanent housing;
• Utilize assessment tools, such as the County\'s Acuity Scale, Family VI_SPDAT, and Full SPDAT to assess a household vulnerability;
• Employ best practices of Housing First and Harm Reduction to support households reaching housing stability;
• Participate in case reviews, unit meetings and interdisciplinary teams both within and outside of the department to consult and collaborate to plan and coordinate service delivery; conduct home and community visits as needed;
• screen families presenting as homeless for diversion services, and as needed, link to Homeless Services for further intervention;
• collect and review documentation to assess eligibility for service grants; and
• enter client information and service notes into County and State data systems as required.

The position also provides extended hours coverage (currently Tuesdays from 5 pm - 7 pm) on a rotating basis.

Bilingual applicants in the Spanish/English languages are encouraged to apply. If the candidate selected for this position possesses multilingual skills, he/she will be required to successfully pass an examination assessing oral communication, reading comprehension, and interpreting skills. For Advanced proficiency, the candidate must also pass an examination requiring translating text from Spanish to English and vice versa.

The selected candidate will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment physical exam, and a drug and alcohol screening.
Additional Employment Information

OHR reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position/IRC.

Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email to . Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

Montgomery County Government also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, please refer to the Careers webpage on .

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant\'s responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for interview.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County\'s "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff\'s office) are subject to the County\'s ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at . Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the website.
Minimum Qualifications

Education: Possession of a Master\'s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited college or university that meets the criteria of graduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Experience: Two (2) years, to include a minimum 3,000 hours, of professional experience rendering social work services under the supervision of a LCSW-C in accordance with Maryland Board requirements.

Equivalency: See Maryland Board requirements.

License: Must be licensed as a Licensed Certified Social Worker - Clinical - LCSW-C by the Maryland State Board of Social Work Examiners prior to appointment. Note: There will be no substitutions for this license requirement.
Preferred Criteria

The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevancy of training, and experience in the following areas.

• Experience conducting assessments and expertise working with low-income, homeless and/or formerly homeless households;
• Knowledge and experience providing social work services, including assessment, service planning, and case management;
• Providing Crisis Intervention;
• Knowledge of community resources;
• Must demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills
• Teamwork
• Decision Making and Problem Solving
• Basic proficiency in Spanish language
• Providing Services to Diverse Households

Minimum Salary 65786
Maximum Salary 107934
Currency USD

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Montgomery County Maryland Government