Community Living Counselor/Tailored Day Worker

Join the dedicated team at Home of Guiding Hands as a Community Living Counselor/Tailored Day Worker and help adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities unlock their full potential and live more independently. As a Community Living Counselor/Tailored Day Worker, you won't just have a job—you'll have the chance to be a guide, a mentor, and a friend.

Imagine your week:

• Helping a client learn to budget and pay bills, giving them the confidence to manage their own finances.

• Exploring the local community—visiting the zoo, volunteering at a local organization, or taking a class together.

• Teaching essential life skills like grocery shopping, meal preparation, and navigating public transportation.

• Supporting someone as they achieve their personal goals and build a more fulfilling life.

This is a chance to gain valuable experience in social services while empowering others to live life on their own terms. If you're a compassionate and reliable self-starter, we want to hear from you.

Your Day-to-Day: Tasks & Responsibilities

As a Community Living Counselor, your primary role is to empower clients to achieve their goals. This is a hands-on position where you'll make a tangible difference every day.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Goal-Oriented Support: Schedule, plan, and conduct visits with assigned clients to carry out their personalized goals (Individual Service Plan - ISP).

• Life Skills Training: Provide one-on-one training in essential life skills, including:

  • Paying bills and budgeting

  • Grocery shopping, cooking, and meal preparation

  • Accessing medical and dental services

  • Laundry and household management

  • Navigating government benefits

  • Building healthy relationships and ensuring personal safety

• Client Advocacy & Planning:

  • Collaborate with clients to develop their goals.

  • Prepare and update ISP reports on a semi-annual basis.

  • Schedule and attend ISP meetings, serving as a strong advocate for your client's needs and wishes.

• Team Communication: Maintain ongoing communication with the interdisciplinary team to ensure coordinated and effective program services.

• Documentation: Keep required client and program documentation up-to-date and accurate.

• Community Travel: Travel throughout San Diego or Imperial County to meet with clients in their family homes and other community locations.

What We're Looking For

• Required Education: A high school diploma or GED is a must.

• Experience (A Plus!): While not required, experience working with people with special needs (personal, volunteer, or paid) is a plus. Experience navigating community resources like Social Security, Section 8, and Medi-Cal is also a bonus.

• Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years old at the time of hire and be able to receive a criminal record clearance from the DOJ.

• Transportation: A valid California Driver’s license, a clean driving record, and at least two years of licensed driving experience are essential. You will need a safe and reliable vehicle to transport clients and must maintain current, adequate auto insurance.

• Certifications: CPR/First Aid certification is required. If you don't have it, we'll provide the training for new hires.

• Communication Skills: You should be able to read, write, understand, and speak English proficiently.

• Tech Savvy: You should be comfortable accessing websites and apps, logging into web-based platforms, and using email and text messaging to send and receive information.

• Core Abilities:

  • Relationship Building: Ability to form positive, supportive, and professional working relationships.

  • Individualized Support: Capable of meeting clients' needs in a personalized way.

  • Independence: A self-starter who can complete assignments without constant supervision.

  • Judgment: Possesses good judgment and decision-making skills.

  • Reliability: Highly reliable and follows through on commitments.

  • Time Management: Able to effectively organize your time and prioritize your schedule.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

The work environment for this position involves working with a variety of people in their homes and in the community. While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to see, talk, hear, walk, bend, stoop, sit, stand, reach, and lift objects weighing up to ten pounds repeatedly during a shift.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Home of Guiding Hands is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression), age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

About HGH

Home of Guiding Hands is a non-profit organization that was established in 1967 by a small group of dedicated and ambitious community members. The Mission of HGH is "to improve the lives of those we serve". We support children and adults in San Diego and Imperial Counties with intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome, epilepsy, autism, and cerebral palsy. We provide a full continuum of care including residential care in specialized group homes, independent living support, respite care, and adult foster home services.  Additionally, we provide early childhood assessments and services, tailored day support, Life Planning workshops, county-wide transportation services, and on-site activities at our resource center.