Street Outreach Specialist
Job Description
JOB TITLE: STREET OUTREACH SPECIALIST - CTI
DATE: June 14, 2023
Employment Hours: Shifts available include days (8am – 4pm) and evenings (12pm – 8pm); all shifts include weekend coverage.
SUMMARY : Responsible for providing housing-focused street outreach and case management prioritized for single adults experiencing long-term homelessness either living on the street or living in shelter and with a history and/or risk of street homelessness. Street Outreach Specialists in this program will be assigned individuals to become eligible for permanent housing programs within nine to twelve months of program involvement, on average. Staff in this position will be part of an intensive and multi-disciplinary team, consisting of Street Outreach Specialists, Peer Counselors, Licensed supervisors, and a Team Leader/Program Coordinator, and are expected to respond to referral sources and conduct intakes within 24-48 hours of referral. Street Outreach Specialists must be highly mobile and will have access to an agency van to provide transportation for program participants. This program operates throughout all of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Engagements focus around direct and person-centered support in obtaining necessary documentation/applying for various housing programs, as well as connecting households to other services that relate to housing placement and housing retention and health and safety, such as employment, entitlements/benefits, medical/clinical services, linkages to care coordination, budgeting and credit, legal, and other services for which they are eligible and interested in. This program will rely heavily on the use of Critical Time Intervention approach in serving program participants and coordinate directly with other community partners such as other street outreach, hospitals, Department of Social services, mental health providers, and others.
Street Outreach Specialists will work as a supervised/guided team of direct care workers, comprised of staff focused on street outreach and shelter in-reach. This team collectively provides referrals for permanent housing programs (permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing), including programs funded through HUD, NYS Office of Mental Health, nursing home programs, housing choice voucher programs, and other housing that meets each household’s needs and preferences.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
· Provide direct outreach and follow up to program participants
· Document all client information and engagements in HMIS (Homeless Management Information System) database and possibly other databases
· Ensure completion and submission of various housing applications as applicable
· Connect clients to all available services that directly assists with obtaining and remaining in permanent housing
· Provide transportation to program participants as necessary to access housing and services
· Assist in the coordination of housing intakes, move-ins and transition support
· Completion of phone screenings and assessments
· Ongoing training including in person and online training is required for this position
· Weekly case conferencing/team meetings
· Weekly case review/supervision support
QUALIFICATIONS: Lived Experience of homelessness preferred; Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and two years’ experience (internships or volunteer work acceptable); or a related human services field or a minimum of three years’ related experience in human services arena preferred; strong organizational skills; possesses effective verbal and written communication skills; working knowledge of computer database applications (Foothold AWARDS - preferred, Access, Client or Customer databases of accounting database software) or ability to learn quickly. Must have a clean driver’s license and personal vehicle are required for this position.
Must have a commitment to organization’s mission and goals. Must be self-motivated; must be able to work effectively with diverse people and personalities and as a member of a team. Bilingual (Spanish and English) preferred. Experience/knowledge in trauma-informed care and motivational interviewing a plus
Company Description
The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless works to end homelessness in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Team members are committed to helping others and supporting one another.
The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless works to end homelessness in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Team members are committed to helping others and supporting one another.