Income Support Specialist

IRONBOUND COMMUNITY CORPORATION

Job Description Form

Program Name: Financial Opportunities Center (FOC)

Job Location: 317 Elm Street Newark, NJ 07105

Job Title: Income Supports Specialist

Reports to:

FOC Program

Manager

Hours: FLSA Status

• Exempt

• Nonexempt

Type of position:

Full-time

Consultant/Contractor

Part-time Intern

Other comments:

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION

The Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) is a 50-year nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage and empower individuals, families, and groups to realize their aspirations and work together to create a just, vibrant, and sustainable community. ICC strives to address the needs of our diverse, multi-lingual, multi-cultural society. Today, ICC serves more than 1,000 children and families daily with various programs and services. ICC also strengthens communities through advocacy, neighborhood organizing, and community development initiatives.

Financial Opportunity Centers provide integrated services that focus on improving the financial situation for low-to-moderate income families by helping people boost earnings, reduce expenses, and make appropriate financial decisions that lead to asset building. The centers provide individuals and families services across three critical and interconnected areas - employment placement, job retention, and skill improvement, financial coaching and counseling, and access to income supports/public benefits.

The Income Support Specialist (or a public benefits specialist) provides direct services to low to moderate-income individuals enrolled as Financial Opportunity Center participants. Income support specialists assist clients in finding ways to supplement their income or reduce their expenses through benefits that the FOC will refer to as income supports.

Income supports may include, but are not limited to, public benefits such as food stamps, medical benefits, LIHEAP, and more; other benefits may include EITC, free eyeglasses, and emergency cash assistance. These income supports may be difficult to apply for or find or understand. The income support specialist's role is to make these benefits accessible to FOC clients. Furthermore, the income support specialist must be resourceful and motivated to find new benefit sources for their FOC clients.

The income support specialist will work with the employment coach and financial coach to ensure the client gets assistance across these three major service areas. The income support specialist is valuable in helping clients achieve financial stability.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct a general benefits screening

• Discuss all benefits for which the client is eligible with that client

• Assist the clients through the application process, as needed

• Understand other services offered by the agency, such as the employment services and financial coaching, and connect the clients to these other services

• Maintain contact with the client and monitor the status of their applications (e.g. lost, approval, denial, re-certifications, etc.)

• Use Salesforce, a client management system, to document and reflect the outcome of their clients accurately and in a timely manner

• Update the Combined Financial Assessment (CFA) for their clients to reflect changes to their budget via income supports (e.g. food stamps) OR alert the financial coach to this change [in instances where the financial coach makes all budget updates--depending on the process at the FOC]

• Develop workshop materials or tailor existing materials to meet the needs of the community

• Workshops should be relevant to the community, and may include topics such as: SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, Social Security

• Cultivate a strong relationship with the local DHS (Dept of Human Services) office. Advocate for the client as needed.

• Create a network of referral organizations to help the client obtain income support (e.g., local Goodwill voucher program, free dental-work programs, etc.)

JOB SPECIFICATIONS OR QUALIFICATIONS, SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS

• Desire and ability to work with a diverse group of people

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited institution preferred, not mandatory

• Previous work experience in the social services sector preferred

• Strong communication skills. Must be able to communicate effectively with clients and FOC team members.

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Suites

• Bilingual preferred, not required

• Personal experience living in and working in a community like Newark

• Problem-solving, skill sharing, transparency, inclusivity, and vision

• Commitment to supporting community

• Ability to work independently and in a team environment

• Excellent computer skills

• Good written and oral communication skills

• Ability to work a flexible schedule (some nights and weekends may be required

Core Values

ICC is animated by a core group of values, including mutual respect, empathy, fairness and transparency, commitment to excellence, and accountability.

Mutual Respect: We accept the importance of each person’s rights, customs, and wishes. We are courteous and supportive in our interactions with clients and colleagues.

Empathy: We strive to understand what others are experiencing and feeling by trying to see things from their perspectives.

We are willing to give our time and energy to the community and are constantly searching for ways to improve the lives of those we serve.

Fairness and Transparency: We are committed to authentic, two-way communication, willing to listen without judgment and, with respect, express our point of view. We cherish diversity and inclusiveness, embracing the community with input and feedback.

Commitment to Excellence: We provide the highest quality service possible, earning trust and exceeding expectations. We continuously learn from experience. We approach challenges with creativity and flexibility.

Accountability: We are responsible for the quality and outcomes of the programs we provide, for explaining why deviations from reasonable expectations may have occurred, and for responding responsibly at all times, especially when errors in behavior or judgment have happened.

ICC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to further building and maintaining a staff that reflects our community's full range and diversity. Not only do we embrace and celebrate the diversity of our community members, but we also strive for the same in our employees. ICC is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, or other class protected by applicable law. We are looking for a diverse applicant pool. We strongly encourage women of color, persons with disabilities, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community, and people from low-income and working-class backgrounds to apply.

If interested, please send a resume and cover letter to FOCHiring@ironboundcc.org with the subject line “FOC Income

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $20.00 per hour

Work Location: In person

Salary : $20