Front Desk Specialist, Shattuck Shelter

Description:

SCHEDULE: 40 hours, Tuesday to Saturday 6:45 am to 3:15 pm

LOCATION: 170 Morton Street, Jamaica Plain MA

Pays $22.41 - $28.18 per hour DOE (Salary ranges provided are based on relevant experience and skill set)

The Front Desk Guest Service Specialist is an essential position and will work 100% site based to maintain guest to staff ratio.

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION:

The Front Desk Guest Service Specialist (GSS) will assist the guests, callers and visitors of the shelter in learning about and accessing the services we provide, particularly those relating to emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical care, housing services and other referral needs. The Front Desk GSS will ensure there is a safe and secure environment for guests and staff at Pine Street Inn Shattuck Shelter, intervene with assistance in the development and implementation of a housing pathway by motivating guests to rapidly work on housing and connecting guests to appropriate resources. The Front Desk GSS will also assist guests in connecting with substance abuse, mental health and medical resources when the shelter cannot safely accommodate a guests needs. The Front Desk GSS is required to provide optimal customer service, stay energized and focused even when demands are ambiguous and strenuous. The Front Desk GSS is required to enter data into the Homeless Management Information (HMIS) system and to document reports in keeping with agency policy. The Front Desk GSS is required to make sound decisions and appropriately seeks guidance from a supervisor when needed.

The Front Desk G.S.S. will operate, organize and maintain the shelter front desk and related equipment, including a multi-line phone system, security cameras, security screening, front door entry requests and will be responsive to guest needs as well as requests from other Pine Street Inn staff, vendors, visitors, volunteers as well as the greater Lemuel Shattuck Hospital community.

The Front Desk GSS will adopt and enliven the following principles:

• Shelter is a temporary safety net, not a home.
• All people experiencing homelessness, regardless of their housing history and duration of homelessness, can achieve housing stability in permanent housing.
• Never warehouse or institutionalize our guests in our shelters
• Everyone is "housing ready." Sobriety, compliance in treatment, or even a clean criminal history is not necessary to succeed in housing. Rather, homelessness programs and housing providers must be "consumer ready."
• Leverage guests' their strengths, assets, and connections to move quickly out of shelters and to any other housing
• Recognize the impact of violence and victimization on development and coping strategies
• Employ an empowerment model
• Maximize guest choices and control over her/his recovery based in a relational collaboration
• Create an atmosphere that is respectful of the guests' need for safety, respect, and acceptance
• Emphasize the guests' strengths, highlighting adaptations over symptoms and resilience over pathology
• Minimize the possibilities of re-traumatization
• Strive to be culturally competent and to understand each person in the context of his or her life experiences and cultural background
• Solicit guest input and involve guests in designing and evaluating services
  
  

Requirements:

EDUCATION/TRAINING:

Required:

• High School diploma or GED
  
  

PREFERRED:

• Valid MA driver's license in good standing
• Bilingual English/Spanish
  
  

KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:

REQUIRED:

• Minimum of one (1) year of experience in the Human Services field
• Ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing
• Ability to communicate/speak (as well as to listen) in a non-judgmental manner
  
  

PREFERRED:

• Knowledge in the areas of addiction, recovery, and mental illness
• Knowledge of issues pertaining to the homeless
• Experience with front line customer service and/or a similar front desk/customer service desk setting
  
  

Required:

PHYSICAL ABILITIES/SKILLS:

• Ability to stand or sit for long periods of time
• Ability to stretch, bend and lift up to fifty (50) lbs.
• Assist guests up and down stairs, and in-and-out of wheelchairs
  
  

Required:

MENTAL ABILITIES/SKILLS:

• Ability to respond safely, quickly, and calmly in emergencies and to emergency situations
• The sensitivity and patience to work with guests suffering from mental illness (some untreated), alcoholism, drug addiction and abuse
• Ability to talk (as well as to listen) in a non-judgmental way
• Strong interpersonal, communication and organizational skills
• Ability to respond appropriately in a crisis situation
• Ability to handle multiple assignments