Temp Outreach Specialist-Sonoma

Job Details

Level: Entry

Job Location:

Sonoma County - Sonoma, CA 95476
Position Type:
Full Time
Education Level: High School
Salary Range: $24.98 - $24.98 Hourly

Travel Percentage :
Up to 25%

Job Shift: Day
Job Category:
Nonprofit - Social Services

Established in 1980, Home First is a nonprofit organization passionately working to end homelessness. We serve the Bay Area community through low-barrier programming and systems leadership – meeting each person where they are by offering support and resources that address immediate and long-term housing needs. With nearly 45 years of experience, we view housing as a fundamental human right and understand that solving homelessness requires a collaborative effort.

Home First Coordinated Entry System Outreach team’s purpose is to locate participants who have been identified as eligible for a housing intervention through the Coordinated Entry System who are not already connected to a provider for case management. This team will reach vulnerable participants who have so far not been successfully referred to a housing opportunity because they are difficult to find within Sonoma County.

The CES Outreach team consists of two Outreach Specialists and a program manager. The team will be headquartered in the Home First Santa Rosa office and will respond to CES outreach needs throughout Sonoma County. The Outreach Specialist is accountable to a high participant contact success, documentation and policy compliance, and maintaining effective partnerships in the community.

The Outreach Specialist prefers fieldwork over office-based work, and is self-driven and flexible in a day-to-day that rarely follows expectations. The Outreach Specialist has a “whatever it takes” approach to moving people into housing, meeting barriers with creativity and meeting clients where they are. The Outreach Specialist is persistent and takes an inventive approach to locating participants and problem-solving barriers. The Outreach Specialist is highly collaborative and enjoys a team-oriented and collaborative environment.

They actively drive progress towards shared goals for their participants among varying service providers. This position will connect highly vulnerable individuals with referred housing opportunities and various providers; the Outreach Specialist must be organized and accountable to multiple priorities. Home First is a diverse company in a diverse field, and the Outreach Case Manager desires to work with people from a variety of social and economic backgrounds.

• Direct Services (60%)
  • Provides 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:
    Housing First models with a strength-based approach, Harm Reduction, Trauma-Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, Crisis Prevention and Intervention, and Safety Planning.
  • Proactively advocates for participants and collaborates with community partners to successfully connect the participant with the referred housing opportunity and gather necessary documentation.
  • Ensures homeless verification for participants follows HUD and contract standards.
  • Conducts a warm handoff of the program participant to the identified supportive services provider.
  • Refers located participants to service providers immediately and no later than one business day.
  • Understands and engages in executing various outreach strategies to locate and re-engage participants in services.
  • Provide access and coordination to emergency shelter, meals, showers, and laundry services to unsheltered program participants.
  • Makes timely and accurate decisions in emergency or crisis situations with awareness of the need for the safety of all clients, staff, or volunteers involved.
  • Ability to listen, comprehend, and effectively communicate information both in writing and orally with all individuals.
  • Communicates effectively with service providers to complete warm hand off with clients.
  • Other duties as assigned.
• Documentation (25%)
  • Documents,…