counselor

residential counselor

case manager

housing manager

placement specialist

Pine Street Inn

You go in and catch up reading the previous evenings reports and then a check in meeting.  We work with the street homeless primarily that don't like going to shelters. The day can vary from either going to court to advocate for client to trying locate a person with contagious  disease that doesn't want to be hospitalized. Also it could mean sitting at a desk all day working in a database that collects the information we gather on clients. 
For the most part I try t assist people with housing.  That includes filling out and filing applications with various housing agencies.  Then you have to make sure individuals have identification, Social Security cards, birth certificates and income verification.  We assist clients with getting all that, not to mention working around their addictions, medicals and mental health issues as well as criminal history.  That can very challenging when our clients are often intoxicated, schizophrenic, depressed head injured and suffering from trauma.
The days end with us giving accounts of who we interacted with and what we did with them.  We do this in a database and in an email.   
One of the most difficult parts of the job if you can get past the issues these people have is working within systems that often put up barriers for these folks.  These systems are both internal(within the organization) and external(hospitals, courts, housing authorities).  If we only had as many detox beds as we have dealers it would change the system.  
It's fantastic to be part of changing someone's life for the better, but it takes time and we see too many people die before they can make that change.

Working at Pine Street Inn has been a great experience for me.I love the population that work for. I have Provides comprehensive, intensive case management support to chronically homeless individuals with histories of substance abuse and mental illness in housing using the Housing First model promoting long-term stability in housing and the end of homelessness in Boston. I work as part of an intensive case management team serving tenants who may be experiencing untreated mental illness, active drug and alcohol addiction, and other major health challenges.I use a harm-reduction, trauma informed approach to work with participants, including the utilization of Stages of Change Theory and Motivational Interviewing techniques. My responsible for a specific caseload of tenants, and also for collaborating with other  staff on program-wide efforts to stabilize and promote the individual growth of the tenants. I assitsist tenants with all required program documentation; assisting tenants with obtaining benefits, healthcare, educational opportunities, employment opportunities, and legal aid; supporting the development of tenant activities of daily living skills and creating individual service plans with tenants, maintaining all necessary documentation; monitoring and reporting maintenance needs in apartments, and supporting timely program fee collection from tenants.

In a typical work day, there may be some very angry individuals that you would encounter and other days you may find that all is well and tranquil. I learned a valuable lesson in the operation of the facility and how to be sympathetic to the needs of the individuals I work for. The management was very capable of their duties and fair in the way staff and guests were treated. As any occupation the staff grew to be a important part of your life because you spent as much time with them as you do your family if not more. The hardest part of the job is when you lose a guest no matter what the situation, may it  be they moved on to a housing setting or they may have passed away they are a part of your everyday life as well. The most enjoyable thing is when someone says thank you for your help or that you made a difference in the way they felt after encountering you.

It is fun to work at PSI during my Twenty One  years working there I learned a lot of different cultures. Some of the workers there are good to work with. I liked to do intakes and successful terminations when clients moved out to independent housing. I liked to accompany the clients to there’re medical appointments. My worst experience there was when one of the clients was evicted for there behavior or non payment of rent also when one of my clients passed away.  I worked with the elderly and they got attached to me I gave them respect and they gave me respect, awesome place to work. During the Holidays was my best time to work there we gave the tenants gifts and gift card and a nice healthy meal cook by myself with the help of two of my clients. 
I have many good memories from PSI. I wish to go back and work part- time.

The coworkers and direct managers are fantastic.  Their upper management is getting out of control. example - Multiple meetings were held as to what to do about an upcoming inspection, when informing the Facilities Manager as soon as the first person knew about said inspection would have gotten everything done and up to code with no further actions needed. 

You need to have a good relationship with managers to get things done, and be prepared to encounter challenges. This is a large, old nonprofit that had severe administrative issues when I was there. Must be empathetic to the unhoused population while able to compartmentalize emotions or you will become depressed. Interns beware if you have other opportunities--your position may not be organized, and you will most likely have a lot of work. Main issues were with accessing documents you need for assigned tasks, confusing bureaucracy, and having to communicate constantly to account for a remote manager and a manager in person. 

If you're looking for an organization with an impeccable reputation, a fantastic cause, and colleague that are just as passionate and motivated as you, then Pine Street is a great place. There are limitations: very little opportunity for career progression, some - but not all - of management team are difficult personalities. The most enjoyable thing about working for Pine Street was the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable homeless individuals living in Boston. I really did feel like I was making a difference.

* A typical day is usually assisting staff and clients with specific assignments
* I have learned more about the WorkFirst Toolkit and the importance of meeting people where they are and asisting them at their desired pace based on the Stages of Change
* My co-workers are great. Always willing to assit with any questions and or concerns, and seem to be very dedicated to their clients.
* I take pride in helping others but I am also very happy to see a perosn accomplish one of their goals and or put great effort towards achieving their goals

Busy during the winter months. A typical day consists of checking clients in, performing a search, scan all items through the x-ray machine, provide a bed for the client. Make sure all clients who do come in have there name on the log sheet without any infractions(cannot come in shelter). Call state police if a client becomes unruly upper management wants staff to not put them selves in danger but they do want you to know how to diffuse a situation with having to call police. Utilize narcan for those trained in the event of a overdose. Frequently do rounds to check on all clients that are in the shelter.

I was late for orientation. Instead of allowing me to go to the orientation late, they forced me to reschedule for two weeks later. Mind you,  I relocated from Tennessee for this job and had no idea what the traffic situation would look like in Boston. Due to traffic, I was late again for orientation two weeks later. I gave myself two hours to get to work which should have been plenty of time. Instead of them allowing me to make up the parts of orientation I missed, they simply said no. They did not factor my adjustment for the new area at all into their decision. I showed up late,  and they simply showed me the door.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Counselor 96 salaries reported	$24.37 per hour
Residential counselor 32 salaries reported	$23.65 per hour
Case manager 42 salaries reported	$23.94 per hour
Housing manager 11 salaries reported	$24.81 per hour
Placement specialist 3 salaries reported	$24.32 per hour

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