Basic Needs & Housing Support Specialist (Grant Funded)

CCC Social Sourcing•Chicago, IL

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Harold Washington College is seeking a Basic Needs and Housing Student Support Specialist. This grant-funded position reports to the Clinical Director-Wellness Center or other assigned administrator. The specialist is responsible for connecting students to basic needs programming, community partners, and government agencies for resources and support services. This role also serves as the college's Housing and Opportunities that are Useful for Students Excellence (HOUSE) liaison, assisting students in accessing housing and other basic needs resources. Key responsibilities include meeting with students to identify needs and provide information on available resources and referrals, assisting with public benefits enrollment, supporting housing searches, and coordinating the presence of basic needs community partners on campus. The specialist also oversees the operations of the campus' Healthy Market and other food resource programming. The position may require occasional work outside of normally scheduled hours for food deliveries.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Social Work or a related field required
Two years of work experience in social services or basic needs support or program development
Must obtain a Food Services Sanitation Manager Certificate from an approved training program within 60 days of hire
Knowledge of community resources, service providers, social service agencies, and public assistance programs, including housing, food security, and financial aid
Excellent customer service skills, with the ability to engage with people from diverse backgrounds
Demonstrated organizational and time management skills
Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
Ability to communicate effectively with students, faculty, staff, and external partners
Ability to work with and relate to a culturally diverse student body, faculty, and staff
Ability to handle situations with tact and diplomacy
Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Nice To Haves

An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered at the discretion of management.
Experience providing basic needs programming or facilitating access to services as a caseworker in a social work, healthcare, or human services setting highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Maintains relationships with community partners and hosts resource fairs, benefits enrollment events, informational tabling programs, and other opportunities to connect students with community resources in collaboration with the Wellness Center.
Meets with students experiencing basic needs insecurity to identify their specific needs including food, housing, and access to general medical and health care and provides them with information to available resources and referrals to community and government organizations.
Maintains data and provides reports on number of students requesting information, meeting with staff, and receiving services through the basic needs support initiative.
Identifies trends and best practices in providing services to students with basic needs and adapting campus services to meet those needs.
Serves as the institutions Housing and Opportunities that are Useful for Students Excellence (HOUSE) liaison by identifying, supporting, and advocating for students experiencing homelessness and student in care, connecting them with financial aid, housing resources, basic needs support, and student support services.
Partners with institutional Research teams to complete required reporting.
Builds college-wide awareness of the process for student referrals to HOUSE liaison and other housing sources.
Oversees the day-to-day operations of the Healthy Market to include implementing work procedures; coordinating food distribution events with Facilities; and data collection and reporting.
Works alongside staff on food delivery days, assisting and overseeing staff loading and transporting food deliveries to pantry site with the use of dollies, and organizing, shelving, and inventorying packaged and refrigerated food items.
Maintains working relationships with campus administration, Facilities staff, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD); coordinates the scheduling of days per week/month for Healthy Market to operate; and ensures compliance with all food safety requirements.
Works with the Deans office and GCFD to place monthly food orders and with Facilities Department to schedule the delivery, unloading, and transporting of food orders to food pantry area.
Provides information on the operations and services of the Healthy Market.
Implements plans to publicize the Healthy Market to encourage student participation.
Implements and monitors procedures for the registration of individuals receiving food pantry services and the maintenance of records as required by the GCFD.
Supervises staff including work study students, pantry workers, and volunteers; provides orientation and training to all Healthy Market workers.
Ensures adherence to cleaning and storage protocols for the Healthy Market operations and to food safety protocols.