Community Support Liaison

City of Burlington, Vermont•One North Avenue Burlington, VT

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Community Support Liaison (CSL) is a trained professional who provides support related to homelessness, substance-use disorders, mental health, and chronic service needs. The CSL works with a team to reduce police responses to calls that do not involve an immediate public-safety or criminal concern, coordinating social-work services across agencies, stakeholders, and platforms. CSLs may be paired with police officers on calls for service. Using trauma-centered and person-centered practices, the CSL helps individuals and families access services, moderates quality-of-life disputes, and advocates for people in need. The role is directed and supervised by the Community Support Supervisor and works closely with the Deputy Chief of Operations and services embedded in the Police Department. The position offers a flexible first-shift schedule starting between 7:30 AM and 9:30 AM, or a flexible second-shift schedule starting between 10 AM and 12 PM. Each shift is 10 hours, on a four-days-on, three-days-off schedule, with weekend shifts every third month. The role is classified as Remote Tier 1, with zero remote days per month, and is affiliated with AFSCME. Pay Grade 18 is $36.14–$40.30 per hour.

Requirements

A master's degree in social work or a related field plus two years of experience, or a bachelor's degree in social work or a related field plus three years of relevant experience.
Ability to support City diversity, equity, and cultural competency efforts and work effectively across diverse cultures and constituencies.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through ongoing training and professional development.
Excellent communication and organizational skills.
Ability to work outside typical business hours and on weekends.
Successful completion of a Police Department oral-board interview and background investigation.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively during complex, rapidly evolving incidents.
Ability to remain calm and objective in high-stress environments.
Regular attendance.
Ability to speak professionally in public and engage with the general public, Police Department personnel, and City officials.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Vermont Class D license.
Ability to understand and engage with a wide variety of cultural and ethnic groups.
Ability to understand and comply with City standards, safety rules, and personnel policies.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with youth mental-health populations, houseless individuals, or people with co-occurring mental-health and substance-use disorders.
Knowledge of Vermont criminal- and juvenile-justice systems.
Comprehensive knowledge of social services in Burlington and the Greater Burlington area.

Responsibilities

Engage and assist individuals with substance-use disorders, including screening arrestees for opioid use disorder and following up after arrest to support access to medically assisted treatment.
Respond to requests from police, City departments, and community members for intervention in non-criminal matters, including mental-health crises, co-occurring needs, neighbor disputes, homelessness, housing solutions, and substance-use concerns.
Collaborate, consult, and coordinate services with Burlington social-service providers, particularly mental-health and substance-use disorder providers.
Develop and maintain partner relationships to coordinate responses to quality-of-life issues and neighborhood conflicts.
Prepare for and attend stakeholder strategy and planning meetings to assess the effectiveness of interventions.
Assess individuals’ needs and develop strategies to connect them with appropriate community resources using person-centered, low-barrier practices.
Partner with the Community Affairs Liaison on outreach to homeless encampments and other community activities.
Work autonomously and accountably as part of a team of social workers and law-enforcement officers in a fast-paced, critical-incident-management setting.
Develop and deliver training with community partners on conflict resolution and restorative strategies for quality-of-life disputes.
Create and maintain up-to-date electronic records of case interventions.
Serve as a liaison between the community and Police Department to encourage dialogue, transparency, and effective responses to community needs.
Help the public and constituency groups navigate Police Department services and the broader criminal-justice system, including courts and alternative justice programs.
Collaborate on interagency teams to address complex societal and interpersonal issues.
Provide intermittent case-management services until an appropriate ongoing provider is identified.
Brief Police Department leadership on community needs and challenges, and engage constituency groups in relevant policy recommendations.
Collaborate with the Police Department, government officials, courts and corrections, nonprofits, academia, and private enterprise.
Participate in court depositions if needed.
Perform other duties as required.