What kind of jobs are there in Social Work that don't involve hospitals? (applying, non-profit)

[Megadell]

I feel like I want to work with the homeless. To make them not homeless. Does such a job exist? It must. But I can't find it for the life of me. Everything is either Child Protective Services, which I don't have the disposition for, and hospital jobs.

Maybe these jobs don't exist in the government and instead just local non profits?

[groar]

yeah, you are much more likely to find jobs like that at nonprofits. nowadays even if a program is government-funded, a nonprofit will be the one actually running it. some social work jobs working with disadvantaged people are through hospital and health systems (behavioral health, etc) but aren't actually AT hospitals.

[AnywhereElse]

I was thinking religious organizations, maybe in case management. Something like the Salvation Army.

[groar]

definitely; those are nonprofits too.

[SJCPHL]

Depends on the state. In quite a few, many LCSWs are doing outpatient psychotherapy in their own practice. The MSW has become quite a flexible degree option in the therapy world. Although it is important to note that PhDs still rule the roost in non-pharmaceutic mental health care.

[goldenrule2]

Nursing homes are a place for social workers to find work. Nursing homes are mandated by law to have at least one social worker on-site.

[choff5]

Do you have your MSW or are thinking of getting it? That's basically the entry level for many social work positions. There are many areas beside CPS and hospitals. There are school social workers, School Social Work. It is one specialty area. Here's generic information on the field, Social Workers : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

[Megadell]

I don't want " patients " though. I don't even know if the job I want to do exist. It may very well not. I just want to help people get on their feet. Not analyze them. Not conduct therapy sessions with them.

I dunno. Help people get on their feet. Connect them with services they need, essentially be their agent in a way.

And no, no MSW. Not even a BSW, and won't be getting one of those after all. The BSW program at my school essentially shuts down in the evenings, and I have a M-F 9-5 office job with decent pay and full benefits that I really can't afford to give up so I can work a flexible schedule at half the pay and hours at some retail place, so I'll have to get what is essentially a BA in Criminology, but it focuses more on Social work issues, because each class for that major has a big huge lecture class in the morning, and another in the evening. Two times, for each class a semester.

It doesn't have to be a social worker job, hell, that's not even so much a job. Social Worker it seems can mean just about anything. It can be social services, family services, hell, I've seen it called a ton of different things.

I hate to use this as an example, but here goes. Mariah Carey's role from Precious. Does such a thing exist? That wasn't medical. That wasn't clinical. That was helping someone get their life together. Technically though I'm guessing that was CPS?

[CarrieM]

You want to be working for a non-profit or a religious program. Keep an eye out on websites like DisabilityScoop, or Idealist.org. You could start by offering to volunteer with a non-profit or a Federally Qualified Health Center that works with your target population. If you've got some drive, you could also form your own 501c3, start applying for grants, and create your own non-profit agency that way.

[Wry_Martini]

If you want to work with the homeless (bless you!), you should look for nonprofits or religious organizations. Particularly in larger cities, churches and other non-profits often run or help run various services for the homeless. My mom used to volunteer at a church-sponsored/funded day shelter for the homeless. It gave them a safe place to get out of the 100 degree heat during the day, and they could take a shower, get their laundry done, and use the facility as a mailing address. They also helped them with other things like applying for any benefits they may have been eligible for, provided bus passes, bicycles/bicycle repair, arranged for hairdressers to come in and give haircuts, etc.