Program Access & Intake Coordinator

Oliver Gospel Mission Inc•Columbia, SC

3d•$0 - $19•Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Access & Intake Coordinator serves as Oliver Gospel's mission-wide coordination point for clear, respectful, timely, and consistent access to applicable programs. Building on the former Connections Intake Coordinator function, the role connects people in need to appropriate Oliver Gospel services or, when Oliver Gospel is not the appropriate or available resource, to community, social-service, healthcare, behavioral-health, housing, or ministry resources. The Coordinator manages assigned inquiries, referrals, pre-screening, applications, intake processes, eligibility documentation, admission coordination, HMIS and other required access data, and warm handoffs to receiving program disciplines. The role helps replace facility-specific intake practices with one coordinated access approach while preserving approved program-specific eligibility and admission requirements. The Coordinator is not the ongoing Case Manager, Residential Support supervisor, Pastor/Biblical Counselor, or behavioral-health clinician. The role gathers and communicates information necessary for access and safe handoff, recognizes needs requiring another discipline, and routes those needs through established decision, referral, and escalation pathways.

Requirements

A believer in Jesus Christ. Affirm without reservation Oliver Gospel’s Statement of Faith. Fully support Oliver Gospel’s Mission and Vision Statements.
Demonstrate the ability and desire to work in harmony with other Oliver Gospel employees.
Be on time and ready to work at the assigned work location on every scheduled workday.
Possess a valid South Carolina driver’s license.
Bachelor's degree in social work, human services, psychology, sociology, public health, ministry, or a closely related field; an equivalent combination of relevant education and substantial directly related experience may be considered with HR and program leadership approval.
Minimum two (2) years of relevant experience in intake, admissions, social services, homelessness services, residential services, recovery services, community referral, case-management support, or a closely related human-services setting.
Working knowledge of homelessness, poverty, addiction/recovery, mental and behavioral health needs, shelters/residential programs, and community-resource systems.
Demonstrated ability to engage people from varied backgrounds with dignity, maintain appropriate boundaries, de-escalate difficult interactions, and communicate clearly in person, by telephone, virtually, and in writing.
Strong administrative, organizational, research, problem-solving, critical-thinking, data-quality, and follow-through skills.
Ability to apply established criteria consistently, recognize urgent concerns, and follow escalation/referral procedures without practicing outside assigned scope.
Ability to work independently while remaining aligned with the Director of Programs, organizational structure, and interdisciplinary team.
Proficiency with common office technology and ability to learn and accurately use HMIS and other organizational systems.
Ability to travel to Oliver Gospel Mission facilities and approved off-site intake/community locations as required, subject to HR verification of applicable driving requirements.
Ability to work effectively in a changing, growth-oriented environment.
Ability to concentrate, apply sound judgment, and manage complex information.
Ability to work effectively amid disruptions, critical issues, and interactions with emotionally distressed individuals.
Ability to maintain a positive, professional, and mission-focused approach.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, responsibilities, interruptions, and competing demands.
Ability to remain in a stationary position for extended periods while performing computer-based and administrative work.
Ability to operate a computer and other office equipment for extended periods.
Ability to move throughout Oliver Gospel Mission facilities to engage with residents, employees, and program teams.
Ability to travel between Oliver Gospel Mission facilities and participate in community and professional meetings as needed.
Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and through electronic communication.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and composure when handling sensitive, emotional, or difficult situations.
Ability to adapt to changing technology, systems, procedures, and organizational priorities.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with HMIS, coordinated entry, shelter intake, residential admissions, recovery-program admissions, or centralized access systems.
Working knowledge of Midlands-area homelessness, housing, behavioral-health, healthcare, benefits, family-support, and ministry/community-resource systems.
Experience with referral tracking, waitlist/capacity management, quality assurance, data integrity, or process improvement.
The use of tobacco and/or vaping products is not permitted during scheduled work hours or at any Oliver Gospel event.

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary coordination point for individuals seeking services, referral sources, and internal teams seeking access to assigned Oliver Gospel programs.
Respond to telephone, voicemail, email, virtual, in-person, and approved off-site access inquiries in a timely and professional manner.
Clearly explain Oliver Gospel's Mission, applicable program offerings, eligibility requirements, expectations, application/intake steps, available pathways, and next actions.
Apply approved access and eligibility criteria consistently across facilities and programs while recognizing approved program-specific differences.
Maintain the approved access/intake standards, tools, and guidance used by trained Residential Support personnel when they execute defined front-desk, emergency-shelter, or after-hours admission procedures.
Help reduce unnecessary barriers, duplicate questioning, inconsistent messaging, and siloed facility-based access practices.
Maintain current knowledge of Oliver Gospel programs, capacity considerations, referral pathways, community resources, and changes affecting access.
Complete assigned pre-assessments/pre-screening, applications, intake interviews, consent and information-sharing processes, orientation steps, and required access documentation.
Gather information necessary to support eligibility, placement, immediate-needs recognition, and safe handoff without conducting clinical assessments or assuming another discipline's professional responsibilities.
Coordinate approved admissions with the appropriate receiving program and disciplines based on established criteria, capacity, safety requirements, and decision rights.
For admissions executed by Residential Support, provide the standards, forms, data requirements, training support, and follow-up needed for consistent implementation; the Coordinator does not replace 24/7 Residential Support coverage.
Communicate relevant immediate needs and intake information to authorized Case Management, Residential Support, Spiritual Formation, and other receiving personnel so services can begin without unnecessary repetition.
Escalate unclear eligibility, exceptions, placement, capacity, safety, medical, behavioral-health, withdrawal/substance-use, family, accessibility, or other concerns through established protocols.
Support transitions between Oliver Gospel programs when a new access, eligibility, or intake process is required.
Reconcile next-business-day documentation, HMIS, referral, or eligibility follow-up for after-hours admissions when assigned by procedure.
Collaborate with approved social-service, healthcare, behavioral-health, housing, government/community, church, and ministry referral sources to support appropriate program access.
Identify appropriate alternatives for people whom Oliver Gospel cannot serve, cannot immediately accommodate, or whose needs fall outside Oliver Gospel's service scope.
Provide referral information and warm handoffs when feasible rather than ending the interaction at an unavailable service, ineligibility determination, or lack of capacity.
Maintain current, usable community-resource information related to homelessness, housing, addiction/recovery, mental and behavioral health, poverty, family needs, healthcare, benefits, and other common access needs.
Identify recurring referral gaps, misinformation, unmet needs, discharge-planning issues, or system barriers and communicate trends to the Director of Programs.
Build productive referral-source relationships within delegated authority; formal organizational partnerships, commitments, or resource obligations require approval through established organizational channels.
Enter and maintain required resident and intake information in HMIS and other approved organizational systems according to role permissions, program requirements, and established timelines.
Perform assigned quality assurance and data-integrity activities related to HMIS and access/intake records; identify and correct errors within authority and elevate systemic issues.
Maintain timely, accurate, objective, confidential, and complete records of inquiries, referrals, screening, eligibility, admission decisions, waitlists/capacity status, handoffs, and external referrals as required.
Track and report agreed access indicators, which may include referral source, inquiry volume, eligibility outcomes, admissions, waitlists, declined/ineligible referrals, time to disposition, handoff completion, and access barriers.
Collaborate with authorized organizational teams by providing approved aggregate program/access data and information as requested while protecting confidential information.
Use access data to identify bottlenecks, inconsistent practices, avoidable delays, referral trends, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
Treat every prospective and entering resident with dignity, clarity, compassion, respect, and appropriate choice.
Provide information in a clear and understandable manner so individuals can make informed decisions regarding available services and next steps.
Use trauma-responsive communication and avoid unnecessary repetition, humiliation, adversarial screening, coercive interactions, or promises that cannot be kept.
Respect privacy, confidentiality, informed consent/refusal, and approved information-sharing requirements throughout access and intake processes.
Seek assistance when disability, language, family composition, communication needs, or other circumstances require accommodation or additional support.
Recognize that access and intake are often a person's first experience of Oliver Gospel and consistently demonstrate Christ-centered hospitality and the organizational performance framework.
Ensure intake information follows the resident to the appropriate receiving team so continuity begins at admission rather than requiring the resident to restart the process with each discipline.
Clarify the handoff point after intake and avoid retaining ongoing Case Management, pastoral, residential-supervision, or clinical responsibilities that belong to another discipline.
Participate in Care Team or program coordination discussions when access, referral, admission, transition, or intake information is relevant.
Recognize and route needs to Case Management, Spiritual Formation, Residential Support, or qualified external Mental & Behavioral Health providers according to established scope and referral pathways.
Do not create a separate intake silo or independently direct the work of another discipline.
Support Oliver Gospel's strategic movement from fragmented service delivery toward consistent, measurable, Christ-centered transformation by creating reliable access and handoff processes across programs.
Contribute access and referral data that help leadership understand demand, service gaps, community needs, capacity constraints, and progress toward measurable program outcomes.
Support the organization's role as a connector in the community by maintaining accurate referral pathways and identifying opportunities for better coordination, while remaining within delegated authority.
Coordinate appropriately with Spiritual Formation and other designated leaders when church or ministry partners are part of approved access, referral, mentoring, discipleship, or community-support pathways.
Support phased pilots and process improvements approved by the Director of Programs rather than independently expanding the scope of Program Access & Intake.
Demonstrate and maintain competencies required for access, screening, intake, eligibility processes, trauma-responsive communication, HMIS/data quality, confidentiality, referral, risk recognition, de-escalation, and interdisciplinary handoff.
Participate in supervision, competency assessment, training, coaching, and performance development.
Initiate strong, consistent communication with the Director of Programs and peers; participate actively in assigned meetings and complete follow-up responsibilities on time.
Work independently within established authority while staying aligned with organizational priorities, approved workflows, and leadership direction.
Navigate changing priorities and a high-volume workload with sound judgment, organization, accuracy, and appropriate escalation.
Receive feedback and correction with humility and contribute recommendations that improve access, resident experience, coordination, data quality, and program consistency.
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Director of Programs that are consistent with the purpose and level of the position and evolving organizational needs.