Community Support Specialist OMH- Housing Supports

Community Support Specialist OMH
- Housing Supports

Suffolk County, NY, USA

Posted Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 4:00 AM

Enjoy making a difference? Join the team at FREE, enriching the lives of others, one individual at a time.

Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) benefits and proudly supports more than 4,000 individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities, mental illness and traumatic brain injury. It is the mission of FREE to support people of all abilities reach their full potential and thrive in their communities. FREE provides a diverse array of supports and services including: housing; recovery services; transition to work;

employment; day, community and family services; respite; crisis services; education and after school support; specialty health services; and advocacy.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Community Support Specialist (CSS) provides training in independent living skills, including how to be responsible tenants and maintain psychiatric stability. The CSS assists the Program Supervisor in implementing agency policies and procedures.

DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Works with the people we support to help them identify and realize their personal life goals.
• Ensures fire safety equipment is in working condition and teaches individuals to utilize this equipment.
• Teaches individuals who to contact for emergencies including, but not limited to, medical, psychiatric, fire, lack of food, etc.
• Assists individuals in utilizing community/neighborhood services.
• Acts as a liaison between individuals, landlords, and various treatment team members.
• Teaches independent living skills necessary to sustain individuals in the community and prevent homelessness such as: apartment maintenance, socialization skills, budgeting, self-medication, personal care, travel training, shopping, cooking, and returning to school or the work force.
• Develops Individualized Support Plans in conjunction with individuals and treatment teams; encourages follow through on all goals in areas including but not limited to: housing stability, medication management, employment and vocational training, mental health treatment services, drug and alcohol assessment and referral, and referrals for community-based services.
• Encourages and supports individuals to maintain psychiatric stability through counseling, crisis intervention, attending a daytime activity, participating in treatment, and utilizing other available resources.
• Works with Health Home to ensure coordination of all services (Psychiatric & Physical)
• Assists individuals in complying with mandated treatment, such as AOT order specifications, and legal mandates, such as conditions of parole or probation.
• In OMH Supportive Housing Programs, CSS will be responsible for providing Tenancy Supports to individuals enrolled in the program:
  • Community integration skill-building services: direct training and supports to assist individuals with community integration, including community resource coordination, treatment planning, and rehabilitative independent living skills training to help individuals transitioning into housing
  • Stabilization services: direct services and supports to assist individuals living in a community setting, including tenancy support planning, rehabilitative independent living skills training, community resources coordination, and crisis planning and intervention to help individuals remain in housing
• Ensures that all required documentation (paper and electronic) is completed /processed appropriately, in a timely manner, and meets quality and compliance thresholds.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Responsibilities of All FREE Employees

• Always communicates in a respectful manner with all people including the people we support, supervisors, other valued team members, and members of the community.
• Complies fully with FREE’s confidentiality policies by holding in strictest confidence all information pertaining to members, residents, the people we support and their families, clients, providers, contractors, and employees.
• Meets all safety training requirements; adheres to all safety policies and reports any and all unsafe…