FSC - Community Shelter Specialist

Scott Carver Dakota CAP•Shakopee, MN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Community Shelter Specialist will be responsible for assisting individuals and families experiencing homelessness with resources to help them become more self-sufficient while they look for permanent housing options. This position will conduct assessments and will work with shelter waiting list participants to help eliminate barriers to housing opportunities and housing stability, including employment, increasing income, addressing mental/physical health, transportation, and community engagement. A successful candidate will be able to manage multiple people, build on the strengths of participants, develop person-centered plans, and connect participants with needed resources and services. Creative problem-solving, careful record-keeping, and strong community/landlord linkages and relationships will be key. Shelter waiting list participants are assessed for eligibility of shelter and offered various wrap-around resources. The Community Shelter Specialist will be located at the Shakopee CAP Agency offices and be the primary contact for those on the shelter waiting list and on the Coordinated Entry List. Diverse candidates with experience working with people experiencing homelessness or in social services and/or with lived experience of homelessness are encouraged to apply.

Requirements

Experience working with individuals or families who are unhoused and/or from various social backgrounds.
Principles of trauma informed care, person centered theory and housing first.
Principles of record keeping and record management
Community resources and community programs
Experience working with mental health and chemical dependent populations.
Ability to provide accountability and compassion.
Passion for serving people that are currently unhoused.
Principles and practices of conflict resolution, customer service and outreach.
Working effectively with persons of diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Maintaining composure and working effectively under stressful conditions.
Effective verbal and written communication.
A VALID MINNESOTA STATE DRIVER’S LICENSE, PROOF OF INSURANCE AND REVIEW OF MOTOR VEHICLE RECORD (MVR) REPORT IS REQUIRED.

Nice To Haves

Special consideration given to bilingual candidates.

Responsibilities

Assess people for Coordinated Entry by entering them into HMIS (Homeless Management Information System).
Provide 90-day and 180-day updates in HMIS.
Regularly attend Heading Home Scott-Carver Shelter planning meetings to assist in the creation of an effective, homeless response system.
Identify participant strengths and barriers to stability to help ensure proper housing options.
Develop a referral network of services and supports that assist with housing retention, including linkages for warm handoffs to specialists in employment, social service/county benefits, substance use issues, mental health, etc.
Provide case management support to shelter waiting list participants and ensure services are individualized, culturally competent, goal-driven, strengths-based, and appropriate.
Match shelter waiting list participants to appropriate housing options, always taking their needs and ability to generate income into account.
Build relationships with program participants to learn their barriers to obtaining stable housing; keep the channels of communication open and be proactive about problem-solving.
Maintain records and case notes for each participant, in Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and organization database and provide monthly progress reports to the supervisor.
Build feasible, sustainable action plans with participants to help them locate housing options and break the cycle of homelessness.
Prepare program participants for eventual self-sufficiency: Assist in finding resources to obtain necessary documents- license, state ID, birth certificates, Social Security Cards, Build connections with potential employment opportunities and training programs., Send updated housing lists and housing resources to people on the shelter waiting list.
Attend team meetings and trainings.