MSW/BSW Internships
MSW Students
CHN currently serves as a field placement agency for MSW
students. MSW students working with CHN will participate in the Michigan
Campaign to End Homelessness Internship Program, which affords them the
opportunity to attend Continuum of Care meetings, the Summit on Ending
Homelessness, and other larger conferences. MSW students work primarily
with the Homeless Leasing Assistance Program and gain experience in case
management, committees/task force work, community outreach, fundraising,
information and referral, and needs assessment.
Homeless Leasing Assistance Program (MSW students):
CHN receives over $2,600,000 annually in McKinney Homeless
Assistance Program Funds for leasing assistance programs in both Oakland and
Macomb Counties. These programs
currently provide 370 formerly homeless individuals and/or families with rental
assistance in 250 housing units.
All of the units are private rental market apartments and single family
homes in communities that each program participant has chosen and meets their
supportive service needs. Eight of
these programs serve 60 chronically homeless individuals. The program offers
specific supportive services to heads of households having severe and
persistent mental illness, developmental disabilities, and/or substance abuse
problems. CHN program staff
provides these services which may include Outreach, Housing Placement, Housing
Case Management, Life Skills Instruction and Housing Education. CHN also works in close collaboration
with Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority's Core Providers for
other Medicaid funded supportive services, including case management and mental
health counseling.
Housing Resource Center (BSW students):
CHN also operates the Housing Resource Center which provides
information and technical assistance to people with disabilities, their
families, and community collaboration and advocacy groups who support them.
Technical assistance consists of assessing an individual’s current housing
situation, identifying the needs and resources available to live successfully
in a supportive environment that is least restrictive for the individual and
educating the circle of supports on how to implement those plans. Some examples
of technical assistance include:
providing information to families and support coordinators about estate
planning tools that will assist in developing supportive housing, information
about how local zoning can impact individual housing development plans,
information about how consumers can access mortgage and other funds to promote
homeownership, information about how to navigate subsidized housing and information
about how Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) work.
Services of the Housing Resource Center also include an
extensive website with a continually updated database that offers information
about available housing to be utilized by the citizens of Oakland County,
people seeking potential roommates (shared housing), mortgage products,
realtors, and other resources related to housing and information about
accessing community supports. The website contains an average of 150 roommate
profiles and over 350 housing providers. The site also provides many links to
other useful sites and averages 8,000 visitors a month.
Duties & Responsibilities:
MSW students will work under a field instructor in CHN’s
Leasing Assistance Program, and will receive experience in housing case
management, committees/task force work, community outreach, information and
referral, and needs assessment. MSW students will also have the opportunity to
participate in the Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness Internship Program,
which affords them the opportunity to attend Continuum of Care meetings, the
Summit on Ending Homelessness, and other larger conferences.
BSW students will work in the Housing Resource Center, and
gain experience in housing case management, fundraising, and information and
referral.
Currently, CHN does not offer a stipend to social work
students, although work related mileage is reimbursable.
Characteristics and skills needed:
Students placed with CHN must have good written and oral
communication, organizational skills, and attention to detail, as well as the
ability to work independently within the framework of a given project. These
positions require a strong interest in nonprofit work, social change, and creating
affordable housing for the homeless and people with disabilities.
Application Procedure:
MSW/BSW students should refer to their individual schools’
policies regarding field placement procedures for CHN. If you wish to apply for a Social Work
Internship that is not a requirement of your educational program, please email/fax/post
the following materials to the address listed below, with the subject line “Social
Work Internship”. No calls, please.
· Résumé
· Short cover letter (including
your dates and hours of availability)
· Academic transcript (official
or unofficial)
· Brief writing sample (3 pages
maximum)
Community Housing Network
Attn: Intern Coordinator, cjfelton@chninc.net
570 Kirts Blvd., Suite 231
Troy, MI 48084
Fax: (248) 928-0122