Shelter Specialist, Outreach (5182)
About The Position
The Outreach Specialist is a homeless shelter specialist tasked with common cleaning, logistics, and service-oriented job duties within the shelter, as well as a specific assignment of street-outreach duties during specific hours and days each week. While performing outreach duties, this person will address homeless issues and neighborhood concerns in an area directly surrounding one of Mercy House’s homeless shelters and serve as a point-of-contact for the program to the surrounding community. The main role of this position is to engage with nearby homeless persons on the streets, as well as with neighboring homeowners or businesses and promote safety and cleanliness in the immediate vicinity. The Outreach Specialist will provide referral and resource support to identified homeless individuals and be responsible for reporting daily on the state of the local homeless population and contacts met while on patrol. Key Functions: The Outreach Specialist will provide direct shelter support any time they are scheduled to provide logistics, and any time they are unable to complete outreach activities due to not enough staff (Outreach shifts require a minimum of two staff).
Requirements
- Must demonstrate working knowledge and mastery of trauma-informed care and non-physical de-escalation techniques
- Experience in crisis intervention and the ability to work effectively and safely around individuals suffering from active substance abuse and/or mental illness
- Strong communication skills in English; fluency in Spanish or other second languages is of significant value
- General Requirements Ability to work effectively with a diverse population
- Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize duties
- Ability to speak effectively before small groups
- Ability to clearly communicate information and instructions both verbally and in written form
- Ability to maintain a positive, professional, and safe environment while on duty
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others
- Physical Requirements Must be able to drive the company vehicle short distances for targeted outreach
- Ability to walk or otherwise ambulate throughout diverse outdoor environments, including up curbs, staircases, and across various terrains (e.g., hiking down dirt paths or grassy areas)
- Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at times
Responsibilities
- Shelter Support Assist in the implementation of daily shelter activities to ensure quality, client-focused, and trauma-informed delivery of services
- Encourage and discuss progress toward housing with shelter guests
- Assist with shelter setup, food distribution, and maintenance
- Assist with all cleaning duties and safety of facility including emptying trash cans and cleaning up spills, and general groundskeeping
- Provide safety and wellness checks
- Assist with receiving and verifying orders from vendors, completing tally sheets
- Post and update signs and service calendars
- Assist in the organization of supplies and facility’s needs
- Street Outreach Canvassing a predetermined area near the facility within an area approximately ½-1 mile around the shelter, to engage with homeless individuals and local businesses
- Conduct neighborhood patrols to minimize potential impact on the surrounding community and use local maintenance resources to address blight and abandoned property
- Work in collaboration with other social service and shelter providers, including the faith-based community, in order to obtain referrals and participate in collaborative solutions
- Distribute basic needs items such as bus passes and resource referrals, as budget and availability allow
- Provide recent arrivals with information they need to deter them from taking up residency on the streets, such as referrals to shelter, to other service providers from areas they left, or connections to relocation programs
- Assist local police and fire departments in “non-enforcement” response where appropriate
- Report daily on outreach activities, new contacts made on the street, and the positive impacts the team makes on the community
- Miscellaneous Perform ad hoc projects as appointed by Supervisor
- Provide additional training and resources for community outreach projects (e.g., point-in-time guidance, etc.)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
Number of Employees
1-10 employees
