Street Based Outreach Worker

Central City Concern • Portland, OR

10d • $27 - $36 • Onsite

About The Position

Central City Concern’s Warm Welcome Program conducts direct street outreach to people experiencing homelessness. As part of the multidisciplinary Warm Welcome team, the Community Health Outreach Worker (CHOW) engages with people experiencing homelessness to facilitate access to healthcare, shelter resources, transitional and permanent housing, and other social services. The worker assesses needs in the field, identifies appropriate programs and resources, and helps remove barriers to accessing them. Goals include helping people enter shelter and TASS (SRV) sites, build trusting relationships with medical or behavioral health providers, and access food and material resources.

The position is based at Golden West in Portland, Oregon, and is scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday off. Compensation is listed at $27.09–$35.95 per hour; final compensation depends on relevant experience, education, credentials or licensure, and internal equity. For external candidates, the offer maximum is $31.44 per hour under the Union contract. This is an AFSCME union-represented role and may be subject to recall rights for eligible former employees.

The worker collaborates with outreach team members and community partners, provides direct outreach and care coordination, maintains participant records, and assists participants with accessing services and transportation. The role requires adherence to privacy, safety, documentation, and agency policies. The work includes field outreach with people experiencing homelessness and may involve responding to emergent situations and supporting people with complex behavioral and physical health concerns.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED.
• At least one year of experience, including work in human services, community health, social services, volunteer work, or internships.
• Education and experience sufficient to succeed in the role and demonstrate the described skills and abilities, including experience in a community social service or healthcare environment.
• Current driver’s license, successful DMV background check, and designation as an acceptable driver under Central City Concern’s Fleet Safety Policy.
• Complete initial driver training within 60 days of becoming an approved driver and participate in continued recertification training.
• Excellent reading and comprehension skills.
• CPR certification before starting.
• Understanding of the causes of homelessness and poverty, the medical and psychosocial effects of homelessness, and systems and processes that help complex and medically vulnerable patients secure and maintain stable housing, healthcare, and other social services.
• Ability to adhere to Central City Concern’s drug-free workplace policy.
• Ability to carry an agency-provided cell phone for work use.
• Physical ability to bend, stoop, kneel, squat, twist, reach, pull, and occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.
• Pass pre-employment drug screening, a TB test, and a DHS background check.
• Adhere to the agency’s nondiscrimination policies.
• Ability to interact effectively and respectfully with coworkers and patients across diverse ethnic, religious, political, cultural, lifestyle, and sexual-orientation backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to adhere to trauma-informed care principles and apply Motivational Interviewing skills.
• Demonstrated ability to relate to individuals and families from varied backgrounds, ages, socioeconomic circumstances, and living situations.
• Ability to identify and share community programs and services that best serve people experiencing homelessness, including shelter, transitional housing, withdrawal management, and behavioral health treatment.
• Demonstrated understanding of participant care processes.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely orally and in writing, including in participant charts.
• Ability to manage time and meet deadlines.
• Ability to develop relationships and communicate courteously and effectively with community partners, the public, patients, medical personnel, law enforcement and emergency responders, and coworkers.
• Ability to provide effective de-escalation and care to people with complex behavioral and physical health concerns.
• Ability to maintain accurate records and necessary paperwork.
• Ability to learn and apply provided training.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality regarding patient information.
• Ability to transport patients in a company vehicle.
• Ability to handle emergent situations with skill, confidence, and tact.

Responsibilities

• Work with Warm Welcome Street Outreach team members to identify and engage people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in areas of East Portland.
• Provide direct outreach to link participants with requested services, including available healthcare and shelter services.
• Maintain a prioritized list of participants with whom the team is working to establish connections to services.
• Maintain updated participant charts, including records in CCC’s medical record when providing ongoing care coordination with healthcare providers, documenting contacts, interventions, effectiveness, and outcomes.
• Assist participants in engaging with internal and external resources, including healthcare, shelter, and housing.
• Provide basic life-skills education and survival resources to support healthy behaviors and reduce barriers to participant goals.
• Attend and participate in learning collaboratives and outreach team meetings to identify best practices and improve outreach initiatives.
• Connect with Community Health Worker and Peer Support communities of practice.
• Complete and maintain accurate required documentation, including electronic documentation, in a timely manner and in accordance with regulations and office standards.
• Provide transportation, when necessary, in a CCC vehicle, taxi, or public transportation to program-related appointments, interviews, hospitals or clinics, shelters, and other resources.
• Comply with state and federal privacy regulations, including HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, and agency and partner confidentiality, privacy, and security requirements; promptly report breaches of protected health information or personal identification information.
• Attend mandatory CCC and Multnomah County Homeless Services Division trainings in a timely manner.
• Follow CCC policies and procedures.
• Participate in compliance, quality assurance, and quality improvement activities as directed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Paid time off, with up to four weeks of accrual in the first year and increased accrual with longevity.
• 403(b) retirement savings plan with employer match of 4.25% in the first year, 6% in the second year, and 8% in the third year.
• Up to 11 recognized holidays and two personal holidays, depending on work schedule.
• Medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage.
• Employer-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability insurance.
• Sabbatical program offering extended time off at years 7, 14, and 21.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED