1. Housing & Homelessness Programs


Peer Case Manger Institute Practicum Placement with Catholic Charities

Housing Peer Case Manger Institute Practicum Placement 

  

Students enrolled in the Howard U/DC Dept and Housing Services have lived-experience in homelessness in our community and are interested in obtaining jobs in this field.  As part of their several-week course work and preparation for employment in this field, students complete an 80-hour practicum with a provider of shelter services. 

  

The practicum experience is on-site at a Catholic Charities Housing program or low barrier shelter for 80 work hours during the program practicum period, generally between May and July. Students' schedules will vary depending on their placement.  Students will be assigned a functional supervisor who will be with them onsite for the duration of their placement and during each work session. These practicum supervisors will be experienced case managers. 

  

Impact of the volunteer: 

Placements at Catholic Charities-operated housing program or low barrier shelter will expose students to the day-to- day work of case management. 

 

Catholic Charities Program Served: 

The goal of the practicum placement is to give students proper training and an opportunity to become employed as case managers in any permanent supportive housing or shelter.  

 

Duties & Responsibilities: 

Examples of activities and tasks students will do during their practicum placement include: 

  • Client interaction 

  • Client satisfaction surveys 

  • Upkeep of client files 

  • Shadow case managers to learn styles of approaches to case management work 

  • Complete professional development trainings geared to case managers 

  • Participate in audits, individual service reviews, and continuous quality improvement meetings 

  • Attend case manager meetings re: case conference sessions, weekly supervision meetings, and program staff meetings  

Qualifications: 

These practicum placements are open to participants in the Peer Case Management Institute sponsored by DC Department of Human Services and Howard University. 

 

Desired Skills, Experience & Characteristics: 

  • Have the ability to work with a team, accept feedback 

  • Excellent communicators 

  • Bilingual speakers of English and Spanish a benefit  

  • Contribute to the functioning and climate of the team by maintaining the agreed schedule (arrive on time, work the entire daily scheduled period) 

  • Comport themselves with professionalism in the face of stressful situations 

  • Comply with CC DC ethical standards, particularly those related client confidentiality, HIPAA 

  • Log hours in the volunteer system, Better Impact 

Intern Benefits: 

  • Hands on experience applying in case management principles 

  • Opportunity to use their lived experience to inform their professional work 

  • Experience working with a highly functioning and effective team  

  • Learn to manage time to achieve productivity goals  

Support: 

  • Direct supervision from an experienced case manager 

  • Bi-monthly in-person trainings for professional development 

Time Commitment: 

  • 80 hours over a 4-week period 

  • Generally, 2.5-days a week in the office during regular business hours 

  • Schedule is agreed upon by the intern and their supervisor 

  • Attendance is mandatory for successful completion of the program and consideration for future employment  

Location: 

Catholic Charities Mona Center 

5859 Allentown Way, Temple Hills MD 20748 

Staff Liaison: 

  • Monica Vargas, Lead Case Manager 

  • Monica.Vargas@cc-dc.org 

Next Steps: 

Prospective interns, to secure a placement do the following: 

  • Complete this application: be sure to: 

  • Complete the background check authorization and provide information to a 3rd-party vendor (a criminal history does not disqualify applicants) 

  • Provide a photo – head and shoulders – we can use to make you a CC DC Intern ID 

  • Attend Volunteer/Intern Orientation 

 

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