Organizational Overview

Roca is a fast-paced, data-driven, and relentless organization that serves over 1,500 high-risk young people every year. Through a unique intervention model, Roca proves that young people who are often feared, forgotten, and left out can in fact build safe, stable, and hopeful lives. At Roca, we believe that every young person matters and that with enough time and the right opportunities, change is possible. Roca’s strong outcomes and thousands of graduates are the proof that less jail is more future and that progress happens with work. Established in Chelsea, MA in 1988, Roca now has additional sites in Boston, Springfield, Lynn, and Holyoke, MA, Baltimore, MD, and in Hartford, CT.

Roca’s work is based on the theory that young people, when re-engaged through positive and intensive relationships, can change their behaviors, and develop life, education, and employment skills to disrupt the cycles of poverty and incarceration. Roca engages the highest risk 16–24-year-olds in a long-term process of behavior change and skill building opportunities. Understanding that meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight, we deliver an Intervention Model that is four years long and allows for relapse during the process. We utilize a cognitive-behavioral intervention based on the evidence-based practices of community corrections. It is the only community corrections model that is delivered on the street, to high-risk young people, by a non-mandated authority. The Intervention Model has five components: Relentless Outreach, Transformational Relationships, Tailored Programming, Engaged Institutions, and Performance Based Management.

We know that lasting change requires a safe space to grow and to flex newly acquired decision-making skills. If a young person is seeking change or can make it through our model without relapsing, then they are not a candidate for Roca and can likely be served by a less intense program. We strive to meet short and intermediate term outcomes including Improved Behavioral Health and Gains in Emotional Regulation, and in the long term, No Re-Incarcerations and Retained Employment.

Position Overview

The Basic Needs Specialist (Specialist) will report to the Program Manager. The Specialist will support day to day site operations including but not limited to greeting all young people and performing safety checks, connecting young people to resources to ensure their basic needs are met, helping with engagement activities, maintaining the referral list, and providing administrative support.

Qualifications

The very nature of Roca’s work requires an individual of great commitment and energy to the mission. Roca seeks a highly driven individual who is a good fit both personally and professionally for the culture of Roca.In addition, the ideal candidate for this position will be a trustworthy decision-maker. He/she will have a sense of humor, feel passionate and committed to direct work with high-risk youth, and demonstrate interest in coaching and supporting coworkers.

Skills and Requirements:

The physical demands that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, and talk and hear. - The employee is frequently required to push, pull, stock, and must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Work can be repetitive in nature.- Specific vision abilities required by this job include depth perception, peripheral vision, the ability to distinguish basic colors and the ability to adjust vision to bring objects into focus.

It may be necessary to wear some protective clothing and/or equipment such as rain and snow gear, boots, goggles, hard hat, full face shield, respirator, ear plugs/muffs and gloves. Work requires physical exertion such as long periods of standing, walking over rough, uneven surfaces, and recurring bending, climbing, crawling, crouching, stooping, and reaching, and occasional lifting or moderately heavy items. Work requires average physical agility and dexterity.

Work Environment:

The work environment an employee is exposed to while performing the essential functions of this job:

The position can work in outdoor and indoor environments. - The noise level is typically moderate. - The incumbent may be exposed to all outdoor weather conditions.