Job Description
Job Details Level Management
Job Location Petaluma Outreach - Petaluma, CA
Position Type Full Time
Education Level Not Specified
Salary Range $84,000.00 - $84,000.00 Salary/year
Travel Percentage Up to 25%
Job Shift Day
Job Category Nonprofit - Social Services
Description POSITION: Special Homeless Populations Coordinator
LOCATION: Petaluma, CA (Non-Remote)
SUPERVISOR : Coordinated Entry Director
STATUS : Full-Time, Exempt
COMPENSATION: 84K/Annually
AGENCY SUMMARY: Established in 1980, with 40+ years of experience, HomeFirst is a leading provider of housing services; prevention, outreach, shelter, interim, and permanent housing programming for individuals who are housing insecure or unhoused in the Bay Area of California. We believe that everyone has the potential to get housed and stay housed. We relentlessly focus on eliminating barriers to housing and creating stability for everyone we serve.
HomeFirst Services serves more than 6,000 adults, veterans, families, and young adults each year at multiple locations from Santa Clara County, southern San Mateo County, and Sonoma County.
Services include: - Homelessness prevention
- Emergency and cold-weather shelters
- Comprehensive Veterans' services
- Rapid Re-Housing programs
- Bridge Housing Communities
- Emergency Interim Housing
- Affordable permanent housing
- Permanent Supportive Housing
- Street-based outreach
- Coordinated Entry System and By-Name-List Operation
Benefits of joining the HomeFirst Team: - Professional growth opportunities within the organization
- 100% medical coverage for employees with an opportunity to add dependents for a shared cost
- 401k match up to 5%
- 12 observed holidays
- PTO accrual begins with 120 hours annually and increases with tenure
- 4 hours of Community Engagement PTO provided annually
- Access to our Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) services
- Pet insurance options available
PROGRAM AND POSITION SUMMARY: The need for a Special Populations Coordinator arose out of gaps analysis that showed that families and seniors populations are increasing among those experiencing homelessness in South Sonoma County. These populations have needs and barriers that are unique and require specific resources and approaches. The Special Populations Coordinator will develop a priority population focus once a year in collaboration with the City of Petaluma, who funds the position, and will carry a small caseload to test new approaches and develop referral pathways. The goal will be to improve the system of care for the priority population overall, and/or develop actionable recommendations for improvement in a final report at the end of each year. In addition, the Special Populations Coordinator will carry out smaller special projects relating to homelessness for the City of Petaluma. The Special Populations Coordinator will be accountable to achieving positive housing and stability outcomes for each client on their caseload, generating documented improvements in the system of care for their priority population, achieving agreed-upon metrics for quarterly City projects, and reporting on all of the above. This is a leadership position and as such candidates should have past leadership experience, formal or informal, in the field of human services.
DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES: Priority Population Focus
- Conducts systems gap analysis, and in collaboration with Director and City staff, establishes one priority population for focus at a time
- Conducts best practice research to support the needs of special populations residing in Petaluma
- Develops strategic partnerships to facilitate access to appropriate services and system gap resolution for the special population identified
- Pilots appropriate interventions and supports through maintenance of a small case load of 6 - 8 participants aligning with the priority population focus who primarily reside in South County
- Provides street and encampment-based case management to unhoused participants on the caseload
- Develops housing and engagement strategies for people on the caseload and effectively guides them through the system of care to permanent housing outcomes
- Provide linkage and coordinate services to community resources, including health care and shelter, vital documents and benefits applications, family reunification, Housing Problem Solving, etcetera.
- Utilizes best practices in homeless services including: Harm Reduction, Trauma-Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, Crisis Prevention and Intervention, and Safety Planning.
- Provide transportation of participants to critical appointments, housing move-ins, shelter, and additional destinations.
- Conducts client intake with those on the caseload
- Meets regularly with program participants at a frequency determined by the participants' needs.
- Attends the South County By-Name-List meeting and other county-wide meetings; follows action items set in the By-Name-List meeting
- Reports out on progress of above to City and other stakeholders quarterly, with one final report at the end of each fiscal year documenting strategic impact of yearly efforts to improve system supports for the priority population
- Represents and communicating the general needs, interests, and desires of people experiencing homelessness within the priority population in the community
Special Projects
- In partnership with City staff and Director, additionally establishes quarterly "special projects" that may include research or intervention to support additional special population services and City homeless services priorities, consisting of about 8 hours a week of work
- Collaborates with City and Director to develop special project scope and metrics, engages in activities to meet those metrics, and reports out at the end of the quarter on project outcome completion
General
- Attends all job-related meetings, including staff meetings, agency-wide meetings and regional meetings
- Represents the agency in public speaking events as requested
- Participates in opportunities for learning and skill maintenance/development, including internal and external training and workshops
- Complies with and upholds all local data sharing and privacy agreements
- Follows all agency policies and procedures
- Assists with other duties assigned
QUALITIES: - The Special Populations Coordinator takes creative approach to researching the needs of their priority population and forging new strategic partnerships to meet those needs. They take a data-driven approach toward improving system outcomes.
- The Special Populations Coordinator is self-driven, equally comfortable engaging with people experiencing homelessness in the field and working in office environments and is highly accountable to the needs of their caseload participants and funder.
- The Special Populations Coordinator is highly collaborative and enjoys a team-oriented environment. They actively foster a shared vision among varying stakeholders.
- The Special Populations Coordinator is consistently dedicated to a system that prioritizes the most vulnerable of the homeless population.
- HomeFirst is a diverse company in a diverse field, and the Special Populations Coordinator desires to work with people from a variety of social and economic backgrounds.
HomeFirst Services is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. Additionally, HomeFirst Services participates in the E-Verify program, as required by law.
HomeFirst Services mandates that all employees be vaccinated or render a religious or medical exemption effective September 13, 2021.
HomeFirst Services is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.
Qualifications QUALIFICATIONS :
Knowledge and Experience, General
- People with lived experience encouraged to apply
- 1 year experience in human services
- Demonstrated experience conducting research on special topics, documenting that research and using data to drive decisions
- Demonstrated experience creating new partnerships with external agencies or developing new referral pathways that fill resource gaps
- Leadership experience (formal OR informal) in the field of human services
- Basic data-visualization knowledge a plus
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Work (BASW) degree or related human services field preferred, not required
- Knowledge of homelessness and/or housing services required
- Bilingual in Spanish and bicultural preferred, not required
- Ability to walk long distances on rough terrain (such as trails, creek sides, and high-traffic areas
- Ability to lift and carry outreach supplies (usually in a backpack, up to 30 lbs.).
- Highly proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel
- Valid CA driver's license and insurance, and reliable transportation to use on the job
Job Tags
Holiday work, Permanent employment, Full time, Interim role, Local area, Remote job, Long distance, Shift work,