Care Navigator, LGBTQ Seniors Program

Shanti Project (Shanti) is an innovative nonprofit organization that builds human connections to reduce isolation, enhance health and well-being, and improve quality of life for local community members. Through comprehensive, continuum-of-care programs, including in-home and onsite care navigation, emotional and practical support, and services to preserve the human-animal bond, Shanti strives to enhance the lives of those living with terminal, life-threatening, or disabling illnesses or conditions. Founded in 1974, this year marks Shanti’s milestone 50th Anniversary of supporting our community in San Francisco.

POSITION SUMMARY: The LAASN Care Navigator is responsible for responding to the emotional and practical support needs of LGBTQ+ Older Adults and LGBTQ+ Adults with Disabilities, with a focus on LGBTQ+ people of color, lesbian/bisexual women, and Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming individuals. The Care Navigator will connect with, engage, and support LAASN clients to identify needs, enroll in relevant services, overcome barriers within the system of care, and provide ongoing emotional and psychosocial support. The Navigator will draw on existing collaborations with community providers to effectively meet clients’ service needs, as well as establish new referral partnerships and outreach opportunities. This a highly mobile position that will primarily deliver services to clients at various locations in San Francisco.

PRIMARY DUTIES:

• Establish and maintain supportive relationships with clients.
• Perform initial client intakes, including psychosocial assessments.
• Provide individual care planning and goal establishment to meet the client's needs and preferences for services and support.
• Actively advocate with, and/or on behalf of, clients within the service provision system and assist clients in achieving and maintaining independent functioning.
• Conduct ongoing outreach to targeted client populations including aging or disabled LGBTQ+ people of color, lesbian/bisexual women and Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming individuals.
• Follow-up and monitoring, involving in-person meetings, outreach, and/or telephone calls.
• Provide ongoing emotional support and practical support to clients as needed.
• Provide support group facilitation to clients, as needed.
• Maintain documentation, progress notes and client records according to departmental standards, using Salesforce -based client database.
• Oversee and assess ongoing needs of clients currently matched with volunteers.
• Determine client appropriateness for volunteer matches and participate in matching process.

SECONDARY DUTIES:

• Participate in case presentations, consultations, and weekly supervision.
• Participate in agency functions and fundraising activitiesas assigned.
• Participate in the training of peer support volunteers.
• Perform other tasks as identified and assigned.

QUALIFICATION/REQUIREMENT: We seek highly qualified candidates with as many of the following areas of knowledge, ability, skills and experience as possible:

• BA/BS in a social-services-related field and/or minimum 2 years’ experience providing services to the targeted communities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to be able to effectively connect with staff,
• Proficiency with case management software, including Salesforce-based databases, and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals and groups.
• Preferred experience with communities living with life-threatening illness and/or other day-to-day challenges.
• Preferred experience with LGBTQ+ older adults and adults with disabilities.
• Sensitive to diversity including, but not limited to, sexual orientation, gender identification, race, language, spirituality, and culture.
• Familiarity with the philosophy of Harm Reduction.
• Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or willing to test weekly

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to navigate and travel around the city of San Francisco using public transportation and be comfortable walking or standing for extended periods.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Shanti is an equal opportunity employer that supports and lives diversity in our staffing and values. Shanti complies with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We actively encourage and seek qualified candidates from people of all backgrounds. We also will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.