Housing - Caseworker Ii* Mental Health Specialist

The City is offering a $2,500 hiring incentive to new hires for Caseworker II* Mental Health Specialist which will be paid in accordance with A.R. 2.55.

The City of Phoenix Housing Department’s mission is to provide quality affordable housing and a pathway to self-sufficiency. To fulfill the mission, the City of Phoenix Housing Department owns approximately 5,000 units of public and affordable housing and manages more than 5,200 housing choice vouchers, providing homes to 25,000+ persons. It also offers financing to for-profit and nonprofit partners to help create additional affordable housing opportunities.

The Caseworker II* Mental Health Specialist will coordinate services with other social service agencies to ensure effective and efficient delivery of service to client’s living in public housing. Incumbents are involved in working with City of Phoenix school districts in either school-based or school-linked positions. Work includes developing a network of community referral sources; brokering social services to students and their families; conducting individual and family counseling, in-service faculty training, peer process groups, and program development.

Other duties include (and not limited too):

• Create and update manual and/or automated database client files as required to meet contractual requirements.
• Conduct educational and support groups.
• Act as a liaison between clients, professional staff, and community agencies.
• Participate in regular outreach activities including and not limited to home visits and door to door flyer distributions.
• Interview prospective clients within the school setting to assess and identify problems and determine eligibility for social services and identify social service issues and concerns.
• Provide emergency assistance, crisis intervention, and social service referrals.
• Counsel and assist clients in understanding causes and contributing factors to their problems and encourages them to identify and utilize personal and external resources to resolve or alleviate those problems.
• Assist in identifying, assessing, and tracking of at-risk youth who attend Edison and Garfield schools and reside or initially resided in City of Phoenix Housing Choice Neighborhood AMP.
• Work with school team to ensure students remain successfully in school, progress to next grade level, and reduce absenteeism.
• Provide direct supportive services to identified students and their families.
• Perform field work relating to the client case plans, such as making home visits and meeting with other social service providers and businesses in the community to provide individual client advocacy.
• Provide consultation, training, and resource support to school administration, staff, parents, and students in the area of social services which include and are not limited to crisis intervention, in-service training, and facilitation of parent/teacher conferences.
• Encourage parents to become actively engaged in the educational lives of their children.
• Develop and implement casework service plans for moderate to complex cases.

• Possesses effective interviewing and counseling techniques and procedures.
• Has a current understanding of policies and regulations governing eligibility for clients.

$21.80 (minimum) - $33.11 (maximum) hourly / $45,344.00 - $68,868.80 annually. Candidates may be hired up to $68,868.80 depending upon qualifications.

A comprehensive benefits package is offered which includes:

• Tuition reimbursement program up to $6,500 per year
• Paid Parental Leave for eligible employees up to 480 hours (12 weeks) of paid leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child during a 12-month period
• Traditional pension with employer and employee contributions, click here for more details: Pension Information
• Choice of generous medical HMO, PPO, or HSA/HDHP plans
• Employer paid long-term disability
• Wellness incentive of up to $720 annually
• Dental, vision, and life insurance options
• Paid time off includes 12.5 paid holidays, 12 vacation days, and 15 sick days and personal leave days
• Federal Student Loan Forgiveness offered through Savi
• Free Bus/light rail pass
• Medical enrollment includes a monthly $150 City contribution to a Post-Employment Health Plan
• 401(a) and 457 plans with employer contributions

For more details, visit: Unit 007 Benefits

• Two years of experience in casework management, counseling, working with crime victims, or related activities.
• For information regarding pre-screening and driving positions, click here.
• This position requires the use of personal or City vehicles on City business. Individuals must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely, possess a valid driver's license and have an acceptable driving record. Use of a personal vehicle for City business will be prohibited if the employee is not authorized to drive a City vehicle or if the employee does not have personal insurance coverage.
• Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted.
• The City job description can be found here.
• Master's degree in social work or a related field.
• All finalists for positions are subject to a criminal background check applicable to the department or position.
• Licensed by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiner mandated by funding source: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii/1302-91-staff-qualifications-competency-requirements.

The minimum qualifications listed above, plus:

• Experience working with adolescents, school aged youth over 5 years of age in a school setting.
• Experience working at a Public Housing Site.
• Fluent in Spanish.
• Experience providing social services, mental health services, or related services to children.
• Has a flexible work schedule and is available to work some evenings and weekends.
• Experience in a Social Service Program or Case Management in a social service agency.
• Experience maintaining confidential files, case file documentation, and assessing a client data base.

Recruitment closes May 2, 2023. All materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. on this date.

This is a position-based recruitment and generates a one time use only list. Once interviews are conducted and candidates are selected, this job posting will be considered closed and candidates will no longer be in consideration for the position applied for. This posting will not result in any ongoing eligibility list.

Apply online by completing the required information and attaching, as one document, your cover letter and resume. Please include your experience as it relates to the qualifications stated above. Only the highest qualified may be posted to the eligible to hire list. The results of the resume screening process will be sent to your primary email address.

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• If you need assistance applying for this job, please contact our HR Connection Center at (602) 495-5700.
• Job interviews may be held by video or audio conference.

Caseworker II* MentalHealthSpec, JC:07112, ID# 49673, 04/18/23, USM, MR, Benefits:007

Building the Phoenix of tomorrow.

City of Phoenix is an equal opportunity employer. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni who meet the required qualifications are encouraged to apply.