An excellent opportunity for an experienced licensed social worker to play a pivotal role in changing the life trajectory of New Yorkers who have suffered extraordinarily in their lives from homelessness, substance use, violence, trauma, untreated behavioral health conditions, incarceration, discrimination, and extreme poverty.

Overall Responsibilities:

The Social Worker is a full-time senior clinician responsible for clinical management of participant needs, managing a caseload to address the treatment needs of participants living with mental health issues, substance use, trauma, primary health conditions, and housing insecurity. The Social Worker provides specialized mental health and harm reduction clinical services in shelter settings. This role uses clinical interventions and support to foster a safe and productive environment for the participants.

This service consists of providing personalized treatment in shelter programs to residents whose lives have been impacted by substance use, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, and mental health issues. Participants receive treatment from an experienced, caring, multidisciplinary team consisting of physicians, mental health professionals, nurses, case managers and certified peer specialists.

The Social Worker will be treating individuals who use substances from a harm reduction perspective and with the utilization of various treatment modalities, including Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, and Mindfulness therapies. Clinical duties include individual and group psychotherapy, crisis intervention, behavioral planning, and interdisciplinary treatment planning.  The Social Worker will also supervise a team of 3 certified peers working in 3 different shelters in Brooklyn and Manhattan, (East Williamsburg Men’s Shelter, Kenton Hall, and Third Street Men’s Shelter)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The essential duties of the Licensed Social Worker include but are not limited to the following activities:

• Provide crisis intervention and leadership in resolving client issues including one-to-one clinical support and appropriate follow-up
• Functions in a consultative and educative capacity with all pertinent individuals or agencies that impact on participants
• Provide compassionate clinical treatment while being an advocate on behalf of the participant to ensure maximum access to health care
• Monitor the programs therapeutic environment to ensure its integrity through supporting participants to engage in accordance with program guidelines and addressing issues as they arise
• Provide Individual & Group behavioral health interventions (including intake, psychosocial [re]assessments) to participants
• Develop, implement, and facilitate and/or co-facilitate participant groups each week and complete required documentation
• Provide syringe services locations, naloxone, and harm reduction supplies for individuals at risk for overdose or infectious disease transmission
• Engage participants in an ongoing assessment of needs and connection to services and review cases and progress in individual and staff meetings
• Conduct comprehensive psychosocial need assessments with participants to determine service needs, referrals and develop service plans
• Carry an ongoing caseload for all participants who complete the comprehensive psychosocial assessment
• Partner with the shelter’s clinical team in identifying specific clinical learning needs of staff and plan appropriate in-service training if requested
• Assists in the creation of agendas for case conferencing for staff if requested
• Engage in Crisis Intervention and conflict de-escalation as needed
• Maintain effective documentation and record keeping systems, including but not limited to: Triage assessment; referrals, consent forms; and data collection
• Document all referrals in CARES for DHS tracking and PRI WeShare for internal tracking
• Maintain current working knowledge of referral sources such as medical, outpatient counseling, dental, legal, housing, self-help groups, substance use treatment, medical and others to provide comprehensive services to the program participants
• Attend clinical and administrative supervision, staff meetings, and periodic professional development training and workshops as requested by the supervisor
• Provide weekly supervision to 3 Peers Specialist

Preferred skills:

• Teamwork: Ability to work cooperatively with peers and other staff in order to serve the needs of clients as effectively as possible  
• Communication: Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of staff and with clients.
• Language: Bilingual or multilingual a plus.

All newly hired Project Renewal staff must provide verification of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Qualifications

• NYS LCSW or LMSW certification
• Strong knowledge of Article 31 regulations and best practices in clinical operations.
• High degree of computer literacy
• Demonstrated experience with scientific evidence-based practice
• Demonstrated experience with diverse populations
• Previous experience in nonviolent crisis intervention, de-escalation, and milieu management.
• Strong knowledge of trauma informed care, HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis, homelessness, substance use, STIs, and sex work as well as health-related social issues faced by persons who use drugs
• Excellent verbal communication skills including an ability to have open and affirming conversations about health, sex and substance use risk
• Ability to work effectively with individuals of diverse race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex and drug cultures, age groups, religion, country of origin, disability
• Strong computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and the internet.
• Willing to travel throughout three different shelter locations

About Project Renewal, Inc.

Project Renewal is a leading non-profit organization with the mission of ending the cycle of homelessness by empowering individuals and families to renew their lives with health, homes, and jobs. Our comprehensive and integrated 24/7 programs are designed to offer the holistic care our clients need. With a staff of 950+ and an annual budget of $120 million, Project Renewal is one of the larger social service nonprofits in New York City.

Connections working at Project Renewal, Inc.