Community Care Responder

City of Northampton•Northampton, MA

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Community Care Responder will respond to and prioritize incoming 9-1-1 referrals and non-emergency calls, ensuring accurate information is gathered, assessing the situation, determining the appropriate level of care, and dispatching necessary resources or referring individuals to suitable services. This role acts as the main point of contact for daily collaborations with law enforcement, emergency services, and health agencies to coordinate response efforts, share critical information, and provide comprehensive support to community members in crisis. The position requires managing access to private and sensitive data within the DHHS DCC, ensuring strict adherence to confidentiality protocols and deploying the Community Responder (CR) team using role-based data access while exercising discretion with sensitive case-level information in a HIPAA-compliant case management system. Needs may include those navigating substance use or conflicts, experiencing emotional distress, houselessness, difficulty meeting basic needs, and other related situations. The role involves mediating and problem-solving with community members, providing follow-up planning for resolutions, and initiating supportive follow-up to connect community members with medical, non-clinical, and clinical services. Building confidence and trust with community members, offering culturally relevant resources, and maintaining data to ensure equitable service delivery are key aspects of this position. The role also involves participating in community conversations on harm reduction and equity, completing required training, and assisting in services navigation or facilitating urgent care when needed. The Community Responder will be trained to respond to calls in-person, sometimes for situations not requiring police, paramedic, or medical response, utilizing trauma-informed, person-centered crisis response and harm reduction.

Requirements

High School degree or GED required
One or more years of demonstrated experience in crisis or peer support practices
Any equivalent combination of education and experience, required
Proficient computer skills including proficiency with use of mouse, email, Microsoft Office applications and databases, and the Google Office Suite.
Exceptional partnering and team-work skills; ability to engage with integrity, transparency and accountability.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge and direct experience of local resources for mental health, clinical and non-clinical resources, systems of care for complex and co-occurring conditions, substance use, peer support and harm reduction, houselessness and or other services.
Bilingual English/Spanish is highly preferred.
Class D Driver’s License preferred.
Applicants with non-traditional working experiences please list in detail years of experience, context, and references.

Responsibilities

Respond to and prioritize incoming 9-1-1 referrals and non-emergency calls, ensure accurate information is gathered, assess the situation, determine the appropriate level of care, and dispatch the necessary resources or refer individuals to suitable services.
Act as the main point of contact for daily collaborations with law enforcement, emergency services, and health agencies to coordinate response efforts, share critical information, and provide comprehensive support to community members in crisis.
Manage access to private and sensitive data within the DHHS DCC, ensuring a strict adherence to confidentiality protocols.
Deploy the Community Responder (CR) team using role-based data access while exercising discretion with sensitive case-level information in a HIPAA-compliant case management system.
Help to mediate and problem solve with community members around topics including shared space, concern for others, and community agreements.
Provide follow up planning to ensure short term or long term agreements during difficult situations in a variety of settings that establish resolutions in the moment of an emergency or future needs.
Initiate supportive follow-up to connect community members who have received emergency services in real time or on going with medical, non-clinical and clinical services as requested.
Help to build confidence and trust with community members in need, offer additional resources, community connections and support services that are culturally relevant, focused on the social determinants of health.
Respond to daily requests in a timely manner, demonstrating effective communication and time management.
Consult with leadership as needed to assist in risk assessment, need for additional response and coordination of care of complex cases.
Maintain and aggregate data to ensure that programs are equitably serving People of Color, LGBTQ+ and those often excluded from services.
Utilize ethical principles of data collection, analysis and reporting to ensure that at every state in the life of the data it is being used to advance equity rather than further stigmatize marginalized social identity groups; use data in accordance with HIPAA compliance.
Participate in various community conversations to address harm reduction, racial equity, structural racism and other forms of bias and stigma related to mental illness, substance use disorders, homelessness and poverty.
Complete all required training by the Division of Community Care and keep current by attending continued education in those subjects identified by the Director.
Assist in services navigation or facilitate urgent/emergency elevated care when needed coordination with Police, EMS/Fire Department directly or with dispatchers utilizing mutual aid protocols.
Will be trained to respond to calls in-person, and on an as-needed basis, will respond in-person for assistance that do not require police, paramedic, medical response or transport utilizing trauma informed, person-centered response to crisis response and harm reduction.
Performs similar or related work as required.