Job Type

Description

Days Off: Tuesday, Wednesday

Shift: Day (10:00am - 6:30pm)

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

About DESC:

DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing. Our vision is a community where no person is abandoned, ignored, or experiencing homelessness.

As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 3,000 people each day. Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness.

DESC Permanent Supportive Housing North End Sites:

DESC's Housing sites which includes North Star, Clement, Aurora, and Burbridge 

JOB DESCRIPTION:

We are looking for an energetic and dynamic Neighborhood Engagement Coordinator to join our Permanent Supportive Housing locations on the North End. This role will be supporting Clement, Burbridge, Aurora & North Star. In this role, you will work alongside other building staff to build relationships with our clients, other service providers and community members, and people seeking resources near these sites. We have a lot of neighbors who are curious, supportive and sometimes concerned about our program operations. Maintaining good relationships in every neighborhood is important to us, our tenants and clients, supporters, and partners. This position is highly independent, requiring creative thinking, excellent interpersonal relationships, and strong conflict resolution skills. If you are interested in providing critical survival services as part of a large team committed to serving our most vulnerable neighbors, then this is the role for you!

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Build relationships with nearby neighbors and businesses who may not be familiar or comfortable with DESC's clientele. This may include, but is not limited to, providing education about this population, offering empathetic listening, and helping address any non-emergent problems that may arise between our clients and other members of the community.
• Serve as DESC community engagement resource for program managers and onsite neighborhood coordinators. Create and manage communication strategies and resources for DESC program managers; conduct periodic team training on neighborhood relations.
• Develop successful working relationships with law enforcement, fire department, and other emergency personnel to ensure that client needs are met, and that emergency services are being utilized appropriately. Set up a regular check in with them for updates
• Provide engagement, resources, and referrals for non DESC tenants in the surrounding area
• Track complaints and bring leadership roles together to track trends within the programs 
• Prepare presentation materials for and hold neighborhood and community advisory meetings; communicate with neighbors through neighborhood newsletters as needed. Elevate meeting minutes to Housing Leadership Team.
• Proactively outreach and offer resources and referrals to those that are camping or staying outside on the streets of the neighborhood to connect them to services.  
• Help provide structure to the North End Neighborhood Coordinators
• Maintain the safety and security of clients and premises by proactively canvassing around the building premises and communicating/enforcing agency rules and policies.
• Discourage and report predatory and/or illicit behaviors.
• Act collaboratively with staff and clients to improve the safety and cleanliness of the building premises. Actively participate in staff meetings and in-service training(s).
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least one-year experience in human services (paid or volunteer), preferably working with adults. challenged by homelessness, mental illness and/or substance use disorder (SUD)
• Basic understanding of homelessness and various characteristics of homeless adult populations.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgrounds and disciplines.
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behavior.
• Subscribe to philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs, and of consideration and respect for clients.
• Commitment to the harm reduction model and to incorporating harm reduction into all aspects of the position.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in security or milieu management.
• Experience with mental illness and/or substance use disorder (SUD).

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit, communicate with other employees, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 40 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Salary Description