Police Social Worker

The City of East Lansing occupies the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg – Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.

Career Opportunities

The City of East Lansing occupies the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg – Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw.

East Lansing is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The City of East Lansing is committed to becoming a fully inclusive place to live work, visit and do business. We believe an organization functions at its highest ability when a shared culture that promotes accepting, respecting, and valuing differences that include attributes such as age, income, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, sexual identity, ability, language, family circumstances and cultural backgrounds is fostered.

We are seeking individuals who share our commitment to equity, inclusion and reflects the community we serve.

The City of East Lansing seeks to hire an employee to function as an Outreach Police Social Worker. East Lansing, home to Michigan State University, is a dynamic community of nearly 49,000 people, operates under the Council-Manager form of government with a full-time and part-time regular staff of 331 and a FY2021 combined budget of $135.7 million. The Outreach Police Social Worker is a civilian position within the East Lansing Police Department whose target population are the unhoused individuals within the City.

The primary function of this role is to assist in connecting the homeless individuals within the City of East Lansing to appropriate resources. The goal of this position is to connect individuals with basic need resources and ultimately connect them to housing. The Outreach Social Worker will also be instrumental in connecting community members in need of assistance with the appropriate social services.

Essential Job Functions:

• Conduct street-outreach and engagement to homeless persons who are sleeping on the streets, in encampments to other places not meant for human habitation (i.e. streets, under bridges or automobiles) through face-to-face intervention.
• Conduct initial housing screenings providing the most appropriate level of service by assessing and prioritizing need.
• Provide linkage and advocacy to help clients access to basic need.
• This position will serve as a liaison to the Downtown District Authority (DDA).
• Conduct outreach with community organizations and private parties on issues such as substance abuse, homelessness, and mental health.
• Ability to testify in court when required to do so under subpoena.
• Take an active role and serve as a subject matter expert for relevant community initiatives, boards or commissions, and work groups.
• Maintain accurate and compliant records in electronic format, adhering to agency requirements and standards.
• Assist police officers through the use of crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques in the field.
• Act as a liaison between the police department and social service resources.

Qualifications

Master's Degree in Social Work is required. Possession of an appropriate State of Michigan credential is required (LMSW, LLMSW) or must have been applied for and be able to obtain within 60 days of hire. A minimum of three years of experience post-graduate experience working with persons with mental illness required. Preferably, one year of experience in the following areas: clinical diagnostic assessment and evaluation of adults and children experiencing behavioral health crisis, crisis intervention, brief counseling, and determining hospital eligibility.

Must be able to complete extensive documentation. Must be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Proficiency in Microsoft Applications and solid computer skills are preferred.

Special Requirements

Non-traditional work hours of afternoons, evenings and weekends.

Complete a needs assessment for target population clients.

Provide transportation and advocacy to help clients access documents that will aid in obtaining housing.

Hours…