Employment and Benefits Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Salary : $23.00-24.00

About CRC : Our mission is to help our neighbors create paths to healthy food, stable homes and safe relationships. We do this through a variety of programs including emergency assistance, domestic violence emergency shelter, counseling, housing stability and access to food. Community Resource Center is widely recognized as the primary provider of social services and domestic violence programs in coastal North County San Diego, serving more than 7,200 people each year.

Position Profile : Under the direct supervision of the Housing and Supportive Services Program Manager, the Employment and Benefits Specialist is responsible for assisting CRC program participants, specifically individuals experiencing homelessness, to connect to benefit and employment services and opportunities. The Employment and Benefits Specialist will work with participants to obtain employment and / or entitlement benefits with the goal of these services to increase the participants household income to make homelessness a rare, brief, and non-recurring experience.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities :

• Manage assigned case load comprised of individuals experiencing homelessness who are in need of employment placement and / or public benefits application assistance such as SSI, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, General Relief, Veterans benefits, stimulus and other aid programs.
• Provide public benefits screening and utilize the SOAR (SSI / SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) process and complete and submit high-quality SSI / SSDI applications. Follow-up with participants through the appeal process using additional community resources as appropriate.
• Assist participants in securing employment, acquiring skills, and / or increasing earning potential. This may include employment screening / assessment, counseling or job coaching, and referral to community resources.
• Participate in activities directly related to contract outcomes including administration of CRCs Employment and Benefits Program including leading groups / workshops, administrating benefits application assistance and ensuring that all assigned goals related to contract compliance and outcomes are met.
• Perform service advocacy on behalf of participants and research, network and attend meetings with other community agencies / resources and make appropriate referrals to link participants with programs and services for more responsive service policies and provision of needed services.
• Maintain accurate and complete physical and electronic records as required by grants and contracts, document all participant interactions and progress in standard agency format and complete required agency forms and data entry in a timely manner. Track progress using the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), Efforts to Outcomes, and the SOAR Online Application Tracker (OAT).
• Attend and participate in group and / or individual supervision sessions with Program Manager and / or Director of Programs.
• Other duties as assigned by the Housing and Supportive Services Program Manager and / or Director of Social Services.

Requirements :

Physical requirements :

This position is non-exempt and is paid according to state and federal laws. Candidates selected for hire are required to undergo a TB screening and a LiveScan background screening.

Benefits :

Community Resource Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). All employees must have the legal right to work in the United States without support; sponsorship is not available, nor is relocation assistance.