Street Outreach Specialist

Job Title: Street Outreach Specialist

Location: 85 Arch St., New Britain, CT, with primary activities conducted in the community

Schedule: Monday- Sunday, 40 hours per week, days/hours flexible

Type: Non-Exempt, full-time, hourly with benefits. Wage range is $25.00-$28.50/hr.

Reports to: Street Outreach Manager

Job Purpose: In collaboration with the Central Coordinated Access Network (CCAN), Friendship Service Center (FSC) will operate an outreach program to triage, divert, and case manage people experiencing literal homelessness in the five towns that make up Central Connecticut (Bristol, Berlin, New Britain, Southington, Plainville). This position is classified as ESSENTIAL and requires the employee to report to work during inclement weather.

Job Function: The primary function of the Street Outreach Specialist is to canvass the community, receiving referrals from and collaborating with community partners and local Emergency Medical Services/Police Navigators; document literal homelessness using Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Category One criteria; facilitate swift entrance into the homeless service system to reduce the time a household is experiencing literal homelessness; and collaborate with community stakeholders to ensure efficient communication and a focus on a reduction of literal homelessness in Central CT.

Core Duties and Responsibilities:

• Instill the mission of the FSC in your daily work: “Our work is love made visible”;
• Ability to work with diverse populations, individually and as a part of a team, with a commitment to ending homelessness in our community;
• Conduct Verification of Homelessness assessments for all clients encountered using Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Category 1 eligibility, documenting and seeking 3rd party verification as required;
• Triage those encountered via Outreach to determine the appropriate level of service needed to address individual concerns quickly;
• Conduct CAN assessments and facilitate community referrals, coordinating placement in emergency shelters through established protocols and connecting to other resources as required;
• Enter case notes, referrals, assessments, etc. into Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and Smartsheets within 48 hours of activity, following case note templates and data expectations;
• Work respectfully with community partners and City officials to address encampments quickly, efficiently, and in partnership;
• Consult with supervisor regarding participant needs, behavior and service planning;
• Foster positive relationships with community partners and participants, ensuring timely responses to phone calls and emails, respecting confidentiality and release authorizations;
• Ensure participants have what they need when they are in the HCC space, keeping it clean, useable and organized for participant comfort and safety;
• Follow appropriate incident reporting protocol and documentation, maintaining a comprehensive and accurate written record of events that occur during shifts, as well as thorough incident reports;
• Determine verifiable emergency needs such as food, fuel/utilities, medicine, transportation, rent and/or clothing to prevent or end an episode of homelessness;
• Refer participants to local drop-in centers to ensure participants are receiving basic services and are connected to resources if desired;
• Update social services database for clients, working with local agencies, organizations, businesses, and churches to increase awareness of the resources available and gain connections to new resources;
• Represent FSC’s Street Outreach team in CAN meetings to support prioritization and access of participants into services if no manager is available;
• Attend and participate in mandatory training and meetings as assigned.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice at the discretion of the employer.

Minimal Experience/Training:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Services/Social Work preferred; relevant work experience supporting people experiencing homelessness an acceptable substitute. People with lived experience of homelessness encouraged to apply.
• Knowledge of Coordinated Access Network systems strongly preferred.
• Bilingual candidates strongly preferred. Experience in conducting street outreach strongly preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including computer proficiency, external customer service abilities, and proficient use of Microsoft Suite, Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), Smartsheets, and other databases designed to promote productivity and organization in the workplace.
• Commitment to harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and housing first is required. A working knowledge of community resources preferred.

Skills, Qualifications and Requirements: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies to perform the essential functions of this position.

• Community: *Staff is a dependable team player within their department, across departments, and with community colleagues (when relevant); consistently at work and on time, reports to all scheduled shifts; follows instructions, responds to management direction; staff's communication style invites collaboration;

• Initiative: *Staff is proactive in identifying and resolving issues, versus leaving them for someone else; staff is solution-focused, and takes pride in their work; able to oversee day-to-day operations of self and a team (when relevant), staying ahead of deadlines and maintaining productive time-keeping for self and others; solicits feedback to improve personal performance, and completes tasks in a timely and accurate manner;

• Accountability: *Staff acts with integrity and practices ethical decision-making; takes responsibility for mistakes instead of making excuses, and uses challenging experiences as opportunities to improve; able to navigate hard conversations with staff, participants, and peers with respect;

• Creativity: *Staff is flexible, and engages in outside-of-the-box thinking to ensure work is completed and good decisions are made; open, accountable, and able to work with individuals from various backgrounds and at different skill levels; able to multitask and manage crises.

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

• The ability to safely operate a motor vehicle to transport oneself, others and program supplies as necessary.
• The physical ability to travel to assigned locations, stand, stoop, bend, reach, pull, push, lift, grasp, climb, talk, see, hear and perform basic and light home maintenance activities, and operate office equipment.
• The physical ability to move and lift light objects up to 30 pounds such as mail, supplies, files, and equipment.
• The ability to operate office equipment requiring continuous or repetitive hand/arm movements.

Pay: $25.00 - $28.50 per hour

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance

Experience:

• homeless services: 1 year (Required)

Language:

• Spanish (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• CDL (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $25 - $29