Street Based Outreach Worker

Central City Concern • Portland, OR

1d • 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 directly with people experiencing homelessness to facilitate connection with health care, shelter resources, transitional and permanent housing, and other social services. The CHOW assesses needs in the field, identifies programs and resources that best meet those needs, and helps remove barriers to accessing them. Program goals include helping participants enter shelter and TASS (SRV) sites, build trusting relationships with medical or behavioral health providers, and access food and material resources.

This is an AFSCME union-represented position based at Golden West in Portland, Oregon. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday off. The listed compensation is $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. The position may be subject to recall rights for employees previously laid off from a CCC union-represented position.

The role requires a high school diploma or GED and at least one year of qualifying experience, including work in human services, community health, social services, volunteer work, or internships. The worker must have a current driver’s license, meet CCC fleet safety requirements, complete driver training and recertification, and hold CPR certification before starting. The role requires a strong understanding of homelessness, poverty, and related medical and psychosocial needs; effective communication and documentation; and the ability to work respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds. Physical duties include bending, kneeling, reaching, and occasionally lifting up to 50 pounds. A pre-employment drug screen, TB test, and DHS background check are required.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED.
• At least one year of experience, which may include human services, community health, social services, volunteer work, or internships.
• Education and experience sufficient to carry out the responsibilities and demonstrate the stated skills and abilities, including experience in a community social service or healthcare environment.
• Current driver’s license, successful DMV background check, and an acceptable driver designation under CCC’s Fleet Safety Policy.
• Complete initial driver training within 60 days of being approved as a driver and maintain required recertification training.
• Excellent reading and comprehension skills.
• CPR certification before starting.
• Understanding of the causes of homelessness and poverty, the medical and psychosocial consequences of homelessness, and systems and processes that help complex and medically vulnerable patients secure and maintain housing, healthcare, and other social services.
• Adherence to Central City Concern’s drug-free workplace policy.
• Carry an agency-provided cell phone for work use.
• Physical ability to bend, stoop, kneel, squat, twist, reach, and pull, and occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.
• Pass a pre-employment drug screen, TB test, and DHS background check.
• Adhere to agency non-discrimination policies and interact respectfully with coworkers and patients across diverse ethnic, religious, political, cultural, lifestyle, and sexual-orientation backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to use trauma-informed care principles and Motivational Interviewing skills.
• Ability to relate to individuals and families across varied ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, age, and living circumstances.
• Ability to identify and share appropriate community programs and services for people experiencing homelessness, including shelter, transitional housing, withdrawal management, and behavioral health treatment.
• Understanding of participant care processes.
• Clear, concise oral and written communication, including participant-chart documentation.
• 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 de-escalation and care to people with complex behavioral and physical health concerns.
• Ability to maintain accurate records and paperwork, learn and apply training, and maintain strict patient-information confidentiality.
• Ability to transport patients in a company vehicle and 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.
• Conduct direct outreach to connect participants with requested services, including available healthcare and shelter services.
• Maintain a prioritized list of participants for whom the team is establishing service connections.
• Maintain updated participant charts, including CCC medical records when providing ongoing care coordination, with notes on contact effectiveness, interventions, and outcomes.
• Help participants engage with internal and external healthcare, shelter, and housing resources.
• Provide basic life-skills education and survival resources to support healthy behaviors and reduce barriers to participants’ goals.
• Attend and participate in learning collaboratives and outreach team meetings to identify best practices and improve outreach quality.
• Connect with Community Health Worker and Peer Support communities of practice.
• Complete accurate required documentation, including electronic records, in a timely manner and in accordance with regulations and office standards.
• Transport patients as needed in a CCC vehicle, taxi, or public transportation to program-related appointments, interviews, hospitals or clinics, shelters, and other resources.
• Follow state and federal privacy regulations, including HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, and CCC confidentiality, privacy, and security policies and agreements.
• Support compliance with community partners’ and outside providers’ patient confidentiality, privacy, security, and EMR-access requirements; promptly report breaches of protected health information or personal identification information to the CCC Compliance Department and a supervisor or designee.
• Attend mandatory CCC and Multnomah County Homeless Services Division trainings in a timely manner.
• Follow CCC policies and procedures and participate in compliance, quality assurance, and quality improvement activities as directed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Up to four weeks of PTO accrual in the first year, with accrual increasing 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 plus 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