Reentry Education & Employment Specialist

Reentry Employment Specialist

Founded in 1991, Hope Solutions, formerly Contra Costa Interfaith Housing, is a vibrant and socially responsive non-profit agency that provides permanent housing and vital support services to over 2,000 homeless or at-risk families and individuals in Contra Costa County. Over 40 faith-based communities support our work, although there are no religious requirements or affiliations to receive services.

Are you seeking a new role that fully utilizes your talents and potential—while helping to make the world a better place? If so, please read on!

At Hope Solutions— we envision a world in which everyone has a place to call home and the support of a strong community so that they can live with dignity and reach their full potential . We strive to be inclusive and responsive to community needs. We are committed to excellence and accomplish our work with integrity, respect, compassion, and humility.

Hope Solution's mission is to heal the effects of poverty and homelessness by providing permanent housing and vital support services to highly vulnerable families and individuals.

Could our mission be your mission?

We're adding to our team of passionate folks—who are on a mission to help make the lives of others better—through services and support that lead to a higher quality of life for our clients.

Here's a snapshot of some of the folks at Hope Solutions who help advance our vision to achieve—secure housing and the dignity of self-sufficiency for the homeless and at-risk families and individuals in Contra Costa County.

Reentry Employment Specialist provide targeted employment and education support for homeless clients enrolled in the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) program. Working collaboratively with program Reentry Support Specialist and referring Parole agents, the Reentry Employment Specialist will provide individualized, intensive & flexible support to homeless clients to assist them in engaging with opportunities to increase household income through employment.

Initial work includes assessing participants' employment histories, skills, and educational needs as well as potential barriers to employment, collaboratively creating a Household Income/Employment Plan, and accessing any resources needed to further the goal of increasing household income to remain housed. The Reentry Employment Specialist will provide services and referrals to educational and/or employment opportunities on an as-needed basis prior to, during, and post-placement.

All client services are participant-driven and delivered with a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach. Services may be provided in the community and in the home at the convenience of the program participant. Services are designed as short-term support to resolve a housing crisis, offer a flexible level of intensity as needed, and provide warm hand-offs to other providers if clients need further support after becoming stably housed.

Supervisory Responsibility:
None

Client Support:

• Use a Housing First, participant-driven approach for all services.
• Maintain awareness of culturally diverse consumer populations and perform duties in a culturally competent manner.
• Meet with identified individuals, complete assessments of clients' employment needs and strengths, and create individualized Education/Employment Plans that include the goal of sustainable, stable housing in addition to financial and case management support.
• Offer targeted job search and/or educational support based on employment needs assessment.
• Provide educational support to assist participants with job readiness, employment retention, and presenting themselves in a manner to successfully engage with potential employers.
• Assist participants with resumes, interview preparation, skill development, and completing/submitting employment applications.
• Communicate and collaborate with Re-entry Manager to ensure continuity of support to participant individuals.
• Offer services at the level of intensity requested by the individual, including flexible levels of intensity.

Community Outreach and Engagement:

• Maintain key relationships with community service providers such as Contra Costa…