Job Description

Posting number: 26-01384

Department: Community Services Board

Job classification: BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SPECIALIST I

Posting type: Open

Categories: Mental Health

Summary

Help People Find More Than Housing—Help Them Build a Foundation for Recovery.

The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB) is seeking a compassionate, motivated, and recovery-oriented housing specialist to join our Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team.

This is an opportunity to do meaningful, community-based work with individuals living with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders, including individuals experiencing homelessness, housing instability, psychiatric disabilities, and significant barriers to recovery.

As a housing specialist, you will help individuals find and maintain safe, stable housing while building the skills, connections, and supports needed to thrive in the community.

About the Role

The housing specialist is an integral member of the ACT interdisciplinary team, providing intensive outreach, rehabilitation, housing support, and case management services.

Rather than limiting services to an office setting, you will meet individuals where they are and where support is needed most. Your work may take you to private homes, shelters, hospitals, jails, community programs, drop-in centers, public spaces, and other community settings.

You will partner with individuals to identify their goals, overcome barriers, connect with resources, and take meaningful steps toward housing stability, recovery, and greater independence.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will:

• Help individuals find and maintain housing by identifying affordable housing opportunities and supporting the housing process.
• Build relationships and engage individuals who may be difficult to reach or connect with traditional services.
• Provide rehabilitation and case management services in community and non-traditional settings.
• Assist individuals with accessing benefits, identification documents, healthcare, and essential community resources.
• Coordinate services with landlords, shelters, hospitals, jails, nonprofit organizations, and community providers.
• Teach and reinforce independent living, daily living, and community integration skills.
• Support individuals in developing recovery plans, managing symptoms, and achieving personal wellness goals.
• Participate in crisis intervention and stabilization when needed.
• Maintain timely, accurate, and thorough documentation in the electronic health record (EHR).
• Participate in ACT team meetings, treatment planning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and rotating program coverage.

What You'll Bring

We are looking for someone who is passionate about helping people achieve stability and independence and who approaches each individual with respect, compassion, and a belief in their potential for recovery.

The ideal candidate will:

• Have experience working with individuals with serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders.
• Have experience in housing services, homelessness services, case management, community behavioral health, or a related field.
• Be comfortable providing services independently in community and outreach settings.
• Use trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and person-centered approaches.
• Demonstrate strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and engagement skills.
• Be adaptable, resilient, and able to effectively manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Be committed to working collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Why Join the ACT Team?

Every day brings an opportunity to make a difference. As a Housing Specialist, you'll be more than a service provider—you'll be a partner, advocate, resource connector, and source of support for individuals working toward a more stable and independent life.

If you're passionate about housing stability, recovery, community integration, and helping people achieve their goals, we invite you to bring your skills and compassion to the Fairfax-Falls Church CSB ACT Team.

Join us in helping individuals move from housing instability toward stability, independence, and recovery—one person at a time.

Here are some of the benefits CSB employees enjoy:

• Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home — including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others. We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity. A foreign language skills stipend of up to $1600/year (full-time) may be given for qualified bi-lingual employees.
• The CSB provides clinical supervision for employees who are registered as licensed eligible mental health in one of the following areas: Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner or Licensed Nurse Practitioner.
• License/Certification Reimbursement - Reimbursement for job related licenses and/or certifications once per year.
• To find out more about the benefits of working with Fairfax County Government, please visit the CSB Careers Page.

Note: To learn more about careers that make a difference, watch our video "CSB Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Providing Care."

Examples of duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)

• Functions as an active member of a treatment team;
• Functions as a co-leader in groups;
• Assists with data gathering for needs assessment;
• Contributes to the development of individual service plans, with consideration given to the nature and severity of the behavioral health and psychosocial needs, individual strengths and preferences, and support systems;
• Makes interventions as outlined in the service plan;
• Brings forward timely information on individuals' progress and evolving needs to the treatment team;
• Provides individual supportive counseling and skill-building involving specific concerns;
• Conducts admission and orientation into the program/services;
• Provides individual and group psycho-educational sessions for clients, family members, and significant others;
• Maintains and updates information on community resources for individuals, families, and other concerned persons;
• Provides skill building to clients in developing and practicing daily living, recovery, and self-advocacy skills;
• Observes client behavior and provides de-escalation techniques;
• Maintains client records in accordance with state and department regulations;
• Maintains all appropriate program logs and information;
• Provides program coverage and supervises program activities;
• Transports and accompanies individuals to various appointments.

Qualifications

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

• Knowledge of the principles, theories, and methods of the psychological and social development of individuals;
• Knowledge of substance use disorders and the physiological, psychological and social impacts;
• knowledge of public and private community based resources;
• Knowledge of social history development and interviewing and treatment techniques appropriate for individuals with substance use and/or mental illness/ serious emotional disturbance (SED);
• Ability to recognize behavioral symptoms of mental illness/ serious emotional disturbance (SED) and substance use, and developmental disabilities;
• Ability to establish rapport and maintain effective relationships with clients;
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers and the general public;
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Ability to maintain records and prepare reports;
• Ability to assist with initial screening of the severity of individuals' substance use/mental health symptoms, treatment, and support needs.

Supplemental information

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, sociology, nursing, public health or a related field;

OR a bachelor’s degree and a valid Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) or Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) certification.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:

• CPR certification, within 90 days of appointment and maintained throughout CSB employment;
• MANDT Certifications within three (3) months of appointment and annually thereafter;
• Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP) - within 1 month of hire
• Medication Administration Assistance (VA) - within 3 months of hire
• Valid Motor Vehicle Driver's license with fewer than six demerit points (or the equivalent in another State) and maintained throughout employment with CSB.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check, a Child Protective Services Registry check, a driving record check, and sanction screening to the satisfaction of the employer. A TB screening upon hire and annually thereafter.

This position is emergency/essential services personnel. (Required to report for duty during inclement weather and/or other emergencies.)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working with individuals with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders
• Experience with housing services, case management, homelessness services, or community behavioral health
• Experience utilizing trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and person-centered approaches

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to drive a car and conduct extensive community outreach activities on foot in a variety of environmental conditions and to work in non-traditional settings including tent encampments, heavily wooded areas, abandoned buildings, shelters, streets, hospitals, and jails. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with clients, families, community stakeholders, and coworkers and to observe and report client appearance, functioning, and behavior. Ability to sit, stand, bend, walk, and transport supplies or client belongings as needed. Ability to make clinical observations and interventions in community settings and operate electronic health record systems and standard office equipment. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel Interview and may include a practical exercise.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.

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