Substance Use Disorder Professional - Seattle Tiny House Villages

Company: Lifelong Aids Alliance
Location: Seattle
Posted on: January 13, 2021

Job Description:

Building on our longstanding commitment to those living with HIV, Lifelong ensures that vulnerable and marginalized people thrive by eliminating barriers to health and wellness. The empowerment of people leaving homelessness to be successful in achieving overall well-being and quality of life through housing stabilization and long-term permanent housing opportunities has always been the mission of our housing programs.The Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Professional works cooperatively with the client, the Tiny House Village (THV) staff & as well as any community support partners. The goal is to engage clients in conversations addressing their substance use and identifying the impact it may have on their potential housing options. The SUD Professional will work to provide resources for support and services for their substance use but also for other areas that have contributed to the clients use. Many of the clients not only struggle with SUD, but also Mental Health, Physical health, Trauma abuse histories. SUD is often the way that many client's self-medicate to address these issues.The vast majority of these clients have had many years of trying to access help for the multiple issues they are dealing with daily, only to be shuffled from one agency to another; finally just giving up and surviving the best way they can. The SUD Professional will work alongside the other Lifelong (LL) staff to assure clients that their basic needs will be met, they are safe, and that LL will work with them to find a permanent housing placement for their future.Your responsibilities will include:Communication - Maintain effective, timely, and thorough communication in all directions to ensure Co-workers, Community Partners, Clients, and Housing and Agency Management are well-informed and knowledgeable of the status of the clients' ability and desire to address and potentially motivate towards change in the process towards permanent housing.Quality Assurance - Work with clients and village staff to respond to complaints, inquiries, and questions. Maintain secure and confidential client information. Participate and maintain initiatives developed and implemented by the Quality Assurance Department.Technical knowledge - To educate and train in areas suggested and requested to increase knowledge and working experience in assisting clients from diverse backgrounds, with disabilities on substance use disorders for all staff and clients associated with the Tiny House Villages. To utilize expertise in SUD's inform funders and supporters the complexities of working with clients with SUD's and its significance clients overall health and well-being.Client Services-Ensure the highest quality of client services in a culturally appropriate manner by maintaining quality and customer service standards and expectations. To hold to the Harm Reduction principles when engaging with clients; addressing their SUD.Client advocacy - To exercise knowledge and experience in serving as a client advocate for an individual who currently shows signs of, self-reports to or whose referral report indicates SUD. Supporting the client in an empathic and non-judgmental framework to engagement and potential motivation to ongoing services, support and resource referrals.* Licensed by the state of Washington as Substance Use Disorder Professional (other licensures would be considered).* Minimum 2 years' experience working with adults experiencing homelessness, SUD, and severe mental illness preferred.* Experience in working with clients who are difficult to engage and have a history treatment resistance* Bicultural and/or bilingual background desired.Physical Requirements:Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.Work environment:The physical environment is inside the Tiny House village compound. Office space is a Tiny House. This requires the employee to be minimally exposed to the outside in heat/cold, wet/humid, dry/arid conditions. Although other staff can be on site, it can be isolating at times. This requires the staff to be comfortable in being self-motivated. It is an environment where there are many clients are practicing self-harming behaviors, active addition, DV and inappropriate engagement with others.Candidates for employment at Lifelong should be aware that this is a unique work environment in which topics of sexuality and sexual orientation are an integral part of our everyday prevention and care work and are often discussed openly. Individuals who are uncomfortable with such topics, discussions and the occasional related graphic representations may choose not to work at Lifelong.Lifelong is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunityemployer.

Keywords: Lifelong Aids Alliance, Seattle , Substance Use Disorder Professional - Seattle Tiny House Villages, Other , Seattle, Washington