Senior Social Worker; HUD-VASH

Independently Licensed Senior Social Worker

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center is looking for an Independently Licensed Senior Social Worker who will be assigned to the Community Outreach Division's HUD-VASH Program. This individual must have specialized clinical expertise in an area applicable to the HUD-VASH program, such as care to Veterans experiencing homelessness, care to Veterans recovering from trauma, experience in the treatment of mental illness or experience with evidence-based treatment modalities.

The HUD-VASH program is a collaborative effort, supported through HUD Housing Choice Vouchers and VA's intensive case management service. The primary goal of HUD-VASH is to move Veterans and their families out of chronic homelessness. The primary component of the program is VA case management services, designed to improve Veteran's health and mental health, enhancing their ability to remain stable housed and community integrated.

The employee completes program specific forms including Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) forms, to ensure maintenance of data regarding serving this population. The individual is responsible for serving as one of the primary contacts with Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana providing case management based services (directly or through referral) necessary to ensure that Veteran care is coordinated with the VA medical center, community health or mental health providers, and agencies that serve homeless populations.

The employee communicates with HUD-VASH programs in other states to facilitate the portability of vouchers.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties:

• Incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnoses and treatments.
• Provides outreach services to engage homeless Veterans, to include building collaborations with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure service delivery methods and service patterns match the identified patient need.
• Conducts interviews independently and assessments for the purpose of program enrollment and to aid in the development of treatment plans.
• Utilizes Housing First and other evidence-based practice models to promote Veteran engagement and self-efficacy.
• Assists the Veteran with housing placement, beginning with the process of obtaining a HUD-VASH voucher from the Public Housing Authority (PHA) through the lease up process.
• Advocates on behalf of Veterans and their families with landlords, PHAs, community providers and VA programs.
• Develops and maintains relationships and processes with the Continuum of Care, Coordinated Entry System, HUD Regional Offices, PHAs, and/or other internal and external stakeholders.
• Assists Veterans to form and achieve goals to improve quality of life, to include the pursuit of employment, engagement in medical and mental health care, increased social supports, access to benefits and end of life planning.
• Provides community-based, clinical case management and care coordination services at the frequency commensurate with the Veteran's stage of case management, clinical needs, and preferences for care.
• Conducts home visits, with the intent of removing barriers for access to care, supporting housing stability and assessing social and community integration.
• Provides a wide range of social work interventions and services in both individual or group settings, to include psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management, as consistent with VHA Directive 1110.02 Social Work Professional Practice and approved scope of practice.