Thursday, September 27, 2007

Yet another job opportunity


DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
DIVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES

Position: COMMUNITY DEVEL SPEC II
Vacancy Number: 4460-0010-0000-135Salary Grade: 74
Salary Range: $43474 - $71857
Department: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Division: DIVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH/DD/SA SERV
Type of Appointment: Perm Full-Time
Location: WAKE
Posting Date: 09/18/2007
Closing Date: 10/02/2007
Number of Positions: 1

Description of Work
THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS POSITION IS TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, LEADERSHIP AND COORDINATION OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SERVICES NEEDED BY CONSUMERS WITHIN THE PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICE (MH/DD/SAS) SYSTEM. THE POSITION REPRESENTS THE HOUSING NEEDS OF MH/DD/SAS CONSUMERS IN COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH-IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH A ND HUMAN SERVICES (DHHS) TO PROMOTE THE EXPANSION OF COMMUNITY HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXTREMELY LOW-INCOME DHHS CONSTITUENTS. THE POSITION ALSO MUST BE ABLE TO FACILITATE THE IDENTIFICATION AND LINKAGE OF SUPPORTIVE AND TREATMENT SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED BY CONSUMERS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN HOUSING OF THEIR CHOICE.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
THIS POSITION REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXPERIENCE REGARDING SUPPORTED HOUSING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES INCLUDING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ESTABLISHING LINKAGES BETWEEN HOUSING PROVIDERS AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. THE POSITION MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH LOCAL AND STATE AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDERS OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. THE POSITION ALSO REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXPERIENCE WITH THE NC LANDLORD TENANT AND FAIR HOUSING LAW.

PREFERENCE: PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE AND/OR TRAINING BOTH WITH SUPPORTED HOUSING/RESIDENTIAL SERVICES AND WITH OTHER SERVICES FOR ADULTS SERVED BY THE MH/DD/SAS SYSTEM. IN ADDITION,FAMILIARITY WITH HOUSING RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IS PREFERRED. PREFERRED EDUCATION/TRAINING INCLUDES A MASTER'S DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK, MENTAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, URBAN PLANNING OR A FIELDDIRECTLY RELATED TO THE PROGRAM ASSIGNMENT AND TWO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN PROVISION OF SUPPORTED HOUSING SERVICES OR RESIDENTIAL SERVICES.

Training and Experience Requirements
GRADUATION FROM A FOUR-Y EAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY WITH A DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, POLITICAL SCIENCE, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, OR RELATED FIELD AND FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL WORK, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, OR A FIELD DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SPECIFIC PROGRAM ASSIGNMENT, PREFERABLY INCLUDING ADMINISTRATIVE OR SUPERVISORY EXPERIENCE; OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE.

How to Apply:The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) selects applicants for employment based on job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation or political influence. You must undergo drug testing if you are applying for a direct care position, criminal justice certified position or a position requiring a commercial driver's license. DHHS will also conduct a criminal record check if you are applying for a position which supervises or provides direct care. DHHS will conduct State and Federal criminal record checks on all applicants selected for direct care and non-direct care positions in the DHHS residential school programs.All applicants must submit a State Application for Employment (PD-107) to the contact person at the Human Resources Office indicated on the vacancy announcement. A separate application must be submitted for each individual position for which you are applying and must include the specific position title and position number. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completing a state application. Applications must be received in the appropriate Human Resources Office by 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. Job postings and the State application for Employment (PD-107) may be found at public libraries, local Employment Security Commissions, DHHS Human Resources Offices, or the Office of State Personnel web site at: http://www.osp.state.nc.us/jobs/gnrlinfo.htm

Continuous Recruitment: DHHS continuously recruits for some positions for which we have an urgent need and are critical to our Department. Positions posted with no closing date should be considered as continuous recruitment. Therefore, we will continuously accept applications regardless of whether or not there is an actual vacancy. After three months, these applications will be discarded and new applications must be submitted for further consideration. Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Contact Person:
BRENDA JACKSON
Contact Agency:
HHS-DIV MENT HEALTH
Contact Address:
3017 MAIL SERVICE CENTER
325 N. SALISBURY ST.
RALEIGH , NC 27699-3017
Contact Phone:
919-733-4416
Contact Fax:
919-508-0958

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Evaluation of the Skid Row Collaborative

The Urban Institute released an short evaluation paper on the Skid Row Collaborative . They compared the housing milestones of those entering permanent housing under the collaborative with those who were receiving Shelter Plus Care Vouchers. The housing retention rate for the service enriched permanent housing provided through the Skid Row Collaborative was 59% compared to the S+C group which was only 14%. More and more data is emerging that demonstrates that Housing First with its network of onsite support really is a good model.

NPR and Housing First

I just discovered that NPR is doing a whole series on Housing First. Take a look at this interesting page. Housing First is a strategy that is being used in all three counties of the Triangle. Sometimes perceived as controversial because it flies in the face of the fact that people believe that you should only give housing to people who are "ready" for it and can sustain their own housing. However, check out the next post.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Job postings

I get lots of different job postings forwarded to me. So I thought this might be appropriate for those that are related to homelessness.


The South Wilmington Street Center has a challenging and exciting opening on our Management Team. We are looking for someone with the unique abilities to oversee daily facility maintenance and operational safety issues, while also serving as a liaison to the community and managing a number of special projects. SWSC needs someone who is able to wear the hats of an administrator, safety officer, coach, spokesperson, and social worker.

Please feel free to contact Carson Dean, SWSC Director with questions or to learn more.
919-508-0718
william.dean@co.wake.nc.us

Please note: The job announcement listed on the county's website is pasted in below. A Wake County application, following Wake County personnel guidelines for applicants, is required. Go to http://www.wakegov.com/.

Job # 0430/2007-Facility Operations Leader
Human Services - Housing Services
Salary Range: $34,500 to $57,500
Expected Hiring Range: $34,500 to $43,500
Work Schedule/Location: Mon.-Fri. 8:30a.m.-5:15p.m.; some nights/weekends and on-call
may be required. Will be on-call for facility emergencies/South Wilmington Street
Center (1420 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC)

Minimum Qualifications: Associate’s degree in Business Administration or related field and two years of experience in administration; or equivalent.
Special Requirements: A valid driver's license and a "safe" driving record required. A criminal record check will be conducted.
Preferred Qualifications: Experience working in a homeless shelter strongly preferred; knowledge of physical plant maintenance and safety strongly preferred; ability to coordinate activities with diverse populations; strong organizational, time management and computer skills. Duties: Provide expertise in coordinating facility maintenance and safety; serve on the SWSC management Team; provide leadership in collaboration with the community/volunteer partners; facilitate staff development and special events; provide expertise in policy interpretation/program review and oversight assistance under the supervision of the Director to both the South Wilmington Street Center (SWSC) and Incentive Housing Dormitory.

Closing Date: 9/28/2007
Position #: 0300-1079-0

Back on track - Asheville's PHC

I've been chastised and threatened for not adding anything on the blog for the last couple of months. Blogging is an art and skill and really takes practice. However, we've got some great news to share with Project Homeless Connects that are happening in other places. Check out what happened in Asheville last week.