Vocational Counselor - Manhattan

Compensation Range: $25/hr - $28/hr commensurate with experience

Benefits:
We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion, based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books.

Overview:

The Housing Works Inc. Reentry Services Program is a collaboration between Housing Works Inc. and The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) to provide comprehensive, holistic reentry services to individuals with criminal justice involvement reintegrating into the five borough communities. These services include case management, connection to health and wellness services, vocational counseling and career advisement services, job training, paid internships and employment placement assistance.

Reporting to the Director of Workforce Development Services, the Vocational Counselor will be responsible for, including but not limited to, conducting workforce readiness assessments, providing individual vocational counseling sessions, facilitate the job training program workshops, conduct client outreach and provide employment retention support.

Responsibilities:

Primary:

• Maintains a caseload of clients enrolled in the vocational services program.
• Conduct workforce readiness assessments with newly referred clients.
• Facilitate job training program workshops.
• Complete daily, weekly and monthly reporting in a timely manner.
• Daily data entry including program attendance, progress notes, etc.
• Conduct individual counseling sessions with clients assigned to caseload to assist clients with navigating unique barriers, challenges and workforce related skills development.
• Participate in case conferences and interdisciplinary team activities to ensure clients receive wraparound support services while engaging in workforce development services.
• Provide employment retention support services to clients placed in employment and monitor retention milestones.
• Other tasks as assigned by supervisor.

Secondary:

• Provide culturally competent services in accordance to Housing Works policies and practices.
• Promotes Housing Works core values consistently.
• Ability to work with clients with diverse clients with varying levels of service needs.
• Works collaboratively with other team members within the Justice Initiatives Department and cross-agency.

Other functions that may be required with this position include:

• Attend and participate staff meetings and trainings as scheduled.
• Ability and knowledge to utilize cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, motivational interviewing and other therapeutic skills to assist clients.
• Responsiveness to emails, texts and phone calls.
• Adhere to remote workforce policies, procedures and protocols.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree required in social services, psychology, social work or other related field.

The following are qualifications and requirements of the position:

• Minimum 1 year experience providing vocational counseling or workforce development services.
• Experience working with individuals with previous involvement in the criminal legal system.
• Strong written documentation and communication skills.
• Good problem-solving skills and ability to work autonomously.
• Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, required
• Experience utilizing EMR systems.

The following additional competencies are viewed as important to success in this position:

• Preferably bi-lingual in Spanish.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent or proficient technical skills to perform tasks related to Microsoft Office, email and case management systems.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with the team.
• Dependability and reliability to arrive and depart timely for scheduled shift.
• Ability to lift 10-15lbs.

Job candidates should be aware that scammers may pose as employers and create fake job postings in order to extract personal information from individuals for financial gain. Housing Works will never ask job candidates for personal information, such as social security numbers or bank account details, over the phone. If you suspect that a job posting may be fake or wish to confirm that a job posting from Housing Works is genuine, please contact us at recruitment@housingworks.org

Housing Works was founded in 1990; With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy. Housing Works established New York State’s first harm reduction-based, OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management, behavioral health, and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement, Housing Works operates 10 high-end thrift shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org

Housing Works fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment, among other lifesaving services.

Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements. Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

This position is included in a bargaining unit of Housing Works’ New York City employees represented by a labor union known as the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (“RWDSU”). Accordingly, the RWDSU has the exclusive right to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment related to this position and this position may become covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (a “CBA”) between Housing Works and the RWDSU