Advocate – Mental Health Project

Benefits Advocate – Mental Health Project

The Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project (MHP) seeks a disability advocate to assist and represent clients with mental health concerns on public benefit claims on our interdisciplinary team.

MHP is a team of attorneys, social workers, advocates, and peer specialists, dedicated to disrupting and dismantling the cycle of hospitalization, homelessness, and incarceration that traps New Yorkers living with serious mental health concerns with low or no income. We intervene at all parts of this cycle. We work to: secure financial and medical benefits to prevent homelessness and hospitalization; provide peer advocacy and social work support to empower clients in the community;

impact systemic reform through litigation, legislation, and policy; ensure proper discharge planning occurs prior to release from jail and psychiatric hospitals; connect people to the appropriate organizations through advice and referrals; and educate people about their rights and how to advocate for themselves and their peers.

The client benefits advocate will be part of an interdisciplinary team who provides advocacy services for adults with mental health concerns with low income. The position will be responsible for assisting clients with supportive housing applications, shelter advocacy, eviction prevention, and applications for public benefits, including supporting clients who are experiencing homelessness apply for federal disability benefits using the SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) model.

SOAR is an evidence-based model that helps individuals with mental health concerns who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness apply for SSI/SSDI benefits. The Mental Health Project seeks a candidate with the following qualifications:

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and writing skills;
• Experience navigating government public benefits systems (e.g. HRA, SSA, Medicaid, SNAP, cash assistance);
• Ability to analyze extensive data and create written reports with accuracy and brevity;
• Attentive to detail and strong time-management skills;
• Able to manage numerous long-term cases with varying needs and deadlines;
• Experience working within a client-centered, trauma-informed, and harm reduction framework;
• Commitment to anti-oppressive, anti-racist, and other social justice work;
• Ability to be collaborative and work with a team;
• SOAR experience preferred;
• Proficiency in Spanish preferred, but not required;
• A Bachelor of Social Work or an equivalent degree required; and
• At least three (3) to four (4) years of relevant experience.

• Provide comprehensive advocacy across a broad range of needs, including housing stability, income supports, benefits access, and healthcare navigation;
• Support eviction prevention and housing stabilization efforts, including rental assistance applications and supportive housing applications (e.g., HRA 2010E);
• Assist clients in accessing and maintaining public benefits, including SNAP (food stamps), cash assistance, SSI/SSDI, Medicaid, and other eligible government programs, including support with recertifications and reinstatements;
• Help clients in applications for federal disability benefits (SSI/SSDI);
• Maintain accurate, timely, and organized client records in both physical and electronic databases;
• Review and analyze medical records to assess eligibility and prepare comprehensive disability applications;
• Collect and compile medical records and supporting documentation to strengthen SSI/SSDI applications;
• Write SOAR Medical Summary Reports for individual disability applications;
• Perform outreach and collaborate with referral sources and community partners to identify, engage, and support clients;
• Accompan…