Community Response Specialist

                                                                                                                                                                    Our Mission

“Preparing Our Community to Meet Life’s challenges.”

We help everyone who comes to our door with resources for both immediate needs and long-term goals. 

Our network of programs, services, and experiences strengthen individuals, families, and communities and provides opportunities for growth and economic stability. 

Come join our team!

When you become an employee at the Community Renewal Team (CRT), you will join a host of others with an average tenure of nine years of service.  Some of our employees have celebrated more than twenty years of service.  You’ll participate in fun activities, themed- employee appreciation events, organization sponsored golf tournaments, etc.   We celebrate the accomplishments of employees using our Wall of Excellence highlighting employees of the month. Opportunities to grow within the organization are plentiful.  Most of our employees started in entry level positions and have been promoted throughout their career.  

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The Community Response Specialist is an integrated peer specialist and case manager who is responsible for responding to crisis calls. In nature, these calls will have an inherent high risk associated with them as individuals may be suffering from mental health and/or substance use. He/she is to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. This position is responsible for being a trusted member of the community, where they can be engaged to provide psychosocial support to participants who were at increased need for an array of community-based harm reduction services. The general duties are to develop authentic peer-to-peer relationships to promote recovery, referrals to appropriate treatment resources and supports, and, to promote safety for persons in crisis. All activities are designed to be consistent with CRT’s Salesforce ISP service model, based on educating and empowering individuals for self- advocacy and to make self-identified changes in their lives with reducing need for emergency services.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

This position is considered as an essential employee and will be expected to work during inclement weather, holiday and based on business needs.

 ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

The list of essential functions, as outlined herein, is intended to be representative of the tasks performed within this classification. It is not necessarily descriptive of any one position in the class. The omission of an essential function does not preclude management from assigning duties not listed herein if such functions are a logical assignment to the position.

• Respond to crisis calls and/or referrals.
• Perform outreach activities and prevention education to foster good community relations, educate about program services and assess needs in Hartford neighborhoods where there is high crime and utilization of 911 for crisis intervention. 
• Engage high-risk, hard to reach people who struggle with mental health, drug use, or engage in sex work.
• Identify potential recruitment locations. Engage in dialogue with participants and other community members to continually improve our services and ensure that CRT is operating its sites and engaging in outreach activities in the best locations at the best times.
• Culturally appropriate harm reduction, health promotion, and health education such as safer sex and safer drug use education. This also includes distribution of harm reduction supplies such as syringes (and collection of used syringes) and other health-related resources and tools in accordance with public health regulations.
• In a manner consistent with Harm Reduction principles, provide substance use and sexual risk assessments and discuss individualized risk reduction and harm reduction strategies (including safer injection practices; safer sex practices; overdose prevention and reversal; drug use management techniques; HIV, HCV and STI prevention; and other topics relevant to people who use drugs, or participate in other high-risk behaviors).
• Manage a caseload of program participants and provide low-threshold referrals and connect participants with medical care, substance use and mental health treatment, and other life-stabilizing services. 
• Solicit and track feedback from participants to ensure that the agencies to which we refer are effective and treat participants with respect and in a manner appropriate to harm reduction programs. This includes, helping connect to schedule appointments to identified service/resource.  
• Emphasizes person-centered, recovery-oriented approaches and interventions
• Prepares participants to recognize and respond to various mental health and addiction crises, including trauma; develop effective communication and connection skills.
• Establish and maintain enhanced communication between community members and providers
• Model proper participant engagement and outreach 
• Provide guidance and mentorship as necessary.
• Keep accurate, consistent, complete records and data on all program activities and/ or participants; provide program director with reports in a timely manner.
• Prepare, set up and dismantle program sites and other program materials. Ensure the integrity of the sites, and maintain inventory of program supplies and bi-lingual educational materials
• Complete vehicle daily maintenance logs which include oil, tires, gas, and structural checks. Document and report any incidents or accidents within 24 hours of occurrence. Ensure that vehicles are kept clean, properly stocked, and ready for service
• Must be available to work a varied schedule, late evenings, weekends, and unconventional hours.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, AND HEALTH CERTIFICATIONS

Education:  Associates with an approved combination of experience, certification, and/ or education.

Minimum Years of Experience: A minimum of three years of experience in client case management.

Active Certification in good Standing: Certified Recovery Specialist and Community Health Worker Certification is required. Must have and/or acquire both certifications within 6 months of employment.

Demonstrate skills: Ability to manage diverse operations, effectively multi-task and a style that encourages creativity, growth, collaboration, problem solving, open communication and accountability. Organized, self-motivated team-player, with strong interpersonal and communication skills. Proficient in MS Office Suite and in using technology for data collection as a management reporting tool. Ability to compile written reports and maintain case notes. Ability to work with diverse, multicultural populations. Ability and willingness to be hands-on and solve problems as they arise. Willingness to work outdoors (sometimes in inclement weather).

Knowledge: Knowledge of local community resources. Must have lived experience, and a working knowledge of mental health, substance use, and co-occurring treatment systems.

Physical and TB Required:  Yes, prior to appointment

Bilingual: Preferred – Language Spanish

Driving Required:  Yes             Agency Vehicle:   Yes     Employee’s Own Vehicle:  Yes, with proof

                                                                                                                                          of auto liability ins. 

Active Driver License in good standing required upon hire and throughout employment    

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Significant work and personal life experience with substance use, PLWHA, women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, sex work, and the formerly incarcerated.

• Skills in the areas of harm reduction up to including safer injection, safer drug use techniques, and overdose prevention, HIV and HCV prevention and treatment desired.
• Significant ties to the Hartford community and resources available.
• Experience in advancing an agenda of equal rights and social justice for marginalized people.
• Ability to adapt to rapid change 
• Experience working in high risk, fast paced, environments 

ADA COMPLIANCE

Physical Ability: Tasks involve the ability to exert very moderate physical effort in light work, typically involving some combination of stooping, kneeling, crouching and crawling, and which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (12-20 pounds).

Sensory Requirements: All tasks require visual perception and discrimination and the ability to communicate daily in oral and written form.

Environmental Factors: Tasks performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, rain, fumes, temperature and noise extremes, machinery, vibrations, electric currents, traffic hazards, animals/wildlife, toxic/poisonous agents, violence, disease, or pathogenic substances.