Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator

DESC•Seattle, WA

9d•$83,304 - $91,974•Onsite

About The Position

The Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator works alongside front-line staff to build relationships with clients, service providers, nearby businesses, and neighborhood residents. The role is highly independent and calls for creative thinking, strong interpersonal skills, and conflict-resolution abilities. The coordinator builds community cohesion around DESC’s Clement Place, Aurora House, Burbridge, Mary Pilgrim Inn, and North Star sites, helps address neighborhood safety concerns, and connects people experiencing homelessness with services. The position is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and splits time among the five Seattle sites listed in the posting. DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Its services include shelters and emergency housing, permanent supportive housing, outpatient mental health and substance-use treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and opioid-use-disorder treatment.

Requirements

At least one year of paid or volunteer human-services experience, preferably with adults experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and/or substance-use disorder.
Basic understanding of homelessness and characteristics of homeless adult populations.
Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from varied backgrounds and disciplines.
Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behavior.
Commitment to cooperation and continuity across programs and to treating clients with consideration and respect.
Commitment to the harm-reduction model and incorporating harm reduction into all aspects of the position.

Nice To Haves

Experience in security or milieu management.
Experience with mental illness and/or substance-use disorder.

Responsibilities

Build rapport with clients, service providers, nearby businesses, and residents to foster community cohesion and help address neighborhood safety concerns.
Build relationships with neighbors and businesses unfamiliar or uncomfortable with DESC’s clientele by providing education, listening empathetically, and helping address non-emergency issues.
Develop working relationships with law enforcement, fire departments, and other emergency personnel so client needs are met and emergency services are used appropriately.
Promptly respond to neighbors’ concerns about the five DESC sites and help reduce 911 calls regarding clients.
Take the lead in calling or coordinating calls to 911 when emergencies arise and direct emergency responders to situations requiring immediate attention.
Support outside entities working in DESC buildings by providing additional staff oversight during events and programming.
Engage with clients, including people using non-DESC services inside the buildings.
Proactively contact people camping or staying outdoors in the neighborhood and connect them with services.
Help maintain client and premises safety by canvassing around buildings and communicating and enforcing agency rules and policies.
De-escalate arguments and altercations on building premises.
Ensure clients understand DESC’s Good Neighbor policy; remind clients of and enforce the policy as needed, and document and communicate repeated violations to clients’ care teams.
Lead coordination of team meetings and care conferences related to neighbor relationships or clients having difficulty following the Good Neighbor policy.
Support single, vulnerable, and/or disabled clients experiencing homelessness and crises related to behavioral health or substance-use disorders.
Model and maintain appropriate social interactions with clients and encourage appropriate interactions among clients.
Discourage and report predatory or illicit behavior.
Work collaboratively with staff and clients to improve building safety and cleanliness; participate in staff meetings and in-service training.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned.