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We are seeking a dedicated and compassionate Housing Outreach Specialist to support homeless and low-income individuals in achieving stable and sustainable housing solutions. Kitsap Community Resources provides an excellent work life balance with a Monday through Friday schedule and employer paid benefits for employees!

Job Title: Housing Outreach Specialist

Department: Coordinated Entry and Supportive Housing

Hourly Wage: $21.50- $21.50

Position Type: Full Time, Non-Exempt, M-F

Direct Supervisor: Coordinated Entry Supervisor

Work Environment: In person office setting, areas of which are open to the public. May commute for client visits.

Job Summary

Provide coordinated entry navigation services to individuals experiencing homelessness through outreach efforts in encampments, treatment centers, hospitals, jails or institutions.

Our Housing Solutions Center Outreach Specialists partners with social service organizations to provide care to homeless and low-income individuals, identify long-term housing solutions, and support households secure permanent housing. The Outreach Specialists will provide intake, assessment, referral and case management for persons who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The Outreach Specialists will also be responsible for documenting information and services into the Homeless Information Management System (HMIS). They will establish and maintain effective partnerships with other area service providers and landlords.

Client barriers may include but are not limited to mental health, substance use disorders, eviction history, unemployment, and medical illnesses. The Housing Outreach Coordinator will collaborate with other service providers in order to ensure each household is connected to the resources they desire for their success.

Special assignments for Housing Outreach Specialists include HEART outreach specialists and Recovery Outreach Coordinators ROAST. The HEART Outreach Specialist works alongside the HEART Coordinator and other community partners employed by Kitsap County to perform coordinated entry services in encampments in Kitsap County. The Recovery Outreach Specialists focuses on coordinated entry services in treatment centers and jails, with the goal of bridging people straight from treatment into housing and reducing relapse or recidivism.

KCR Mission, Vision, & Core Values

Mission:

Kitsap Community Resources (KCR) is a nonprofit, private, social services agency. We are committed to creating hope and opportunity for all low-income Kitsap County residents by providing resources that promote self-sufficiency and stability.

Vision:

We exist with a clear vision of creating a community where everyone has an opportunity to thrive.

Core Values:

Kitsap Community Resources core values are a vital part of each position, and employees are expected to uphold them to the fullest.

+ Integrity – taking care to honor our commitments in an ethical manner

+ Compassion – genuinely empathizing with those we serve

+ Excellence – demonstrating a high level of performance in all we do

+ Diversity – showing honor and respect to all individuals we serve

+ Collaboration – so we seek out partnership opportunities

+ Teamwork – supporting our employees and partners as we fulfill our mission

Job Requirements

Qualifications:

+ Required Education: Lived Experience; High School Diploma or GED with 2+ years working experience may be substituted for educational requirements.

+ Preferred Qualifications:

+ Multi-lingual (especially Spanish).

+ Experience working with individuals with high barriers to housing stability including mental health, substance use disorders, and medical illness, familiar with resources for families or individuals who are low-income or unhoused, understand the socio-economic systems at the root causes of poverty.

+ Capable of using Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, and Outlook.

+ Ability to pass State and/or Federal Background Checks as determined by position (prior to hire date).

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

+ Must demonstrate recognition and compassion for low-income peoples.

+ Must be aware and sensitive to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the American with Disabilities Act (ADA).

+ Demonstrated ability to input, aggregate and analyze data including generation of accurate and complete reports.

+ Demonstrated successful experience in preparing and processing documentation following relevant process and guidelines (such purchase requests, requests for payment, etc.)

License(s) and/or Certifications:

+ Reliable transportation to work.

+ Ability to obtain proof of insurability for operating an automobile.

+ Current Immunizations per Washington Administrative Code (can be obtained upon hire).

Essential Physical and Mental Functions

+ Position requires intermittent sitting, standing, walking, twisting, and bending.

+ Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds.

+ Simple grasping and hand manipulation required as well as reaching above and below shoulder level.

+ Must be able to build secure, nurturing relationships with client households.

+ Cognitive ability to recognize and address safety concerns.

+ Cognitive and emotional ability to work directly with clients in need, which may include homelessness, mental health issues, substance abuse, or other mental or physical barriers.

+ Must be able to work outside in a variety of weather conditions.

+ Cognitive ability to discern accuracy and apply to work as necessary.

+ Cognitive ability to read, write, and understand English.

+ Physical and cognitive ability to operate a motor vehicle.

+ Flexibility in the ability to manage and work with multiple agency programs.

KCR Basic Expectations

+ Must be able to exhibit regular attendance

+ Conducts business and performs responsibilities with honesty, empathy, and integrity in alignment with KCR Code of Ethics

+ Demonstration of service delivery that aligns with KCR Mission, Vision, and Core Values

+ Proactively takes appropriate steps to maintain a safe, clean, healthy, and professional working environment, seeks guidance from supervision/management when there are questions

+ Adhere to agency policies and practices including confidentiality, mandatory reporting, and ethical standards.

Responsibilities- Included but are not limited to

+ Meets with individuals who may be homeless to determine their emergency and/or permanent housing needs, screens individuals for program eligibility, and coordinates referrals with the appropriate housing providers.

+ Identifies other household primary barriers (employment, substance abuse, mental health, education, domestic violence, and health) and coordinates resource referrals for these services.

+ Assists the team in tracking and collecting and compiling client statistics and in the completion of program reports.

+ Is current on all community resources and assures all resource materials are updated in a timely manner.

+ Participates in meetings, conferences, training sessions and workshops as assigned.

+ Report to and accept assignments from the Housing Solutions Center Supervisor.

+ Service delivery of the Foundational Community Support (FCS) program for each qualified household on caseload including, but not limited to, submitting reauthorizations before expirations and meeting monthly FCS billing targets.

+ Demonstrate personal compliance with KCR Polices & Procedures, grant guidelines, and federal & state regulations.

+ Maintain recordkeeping and reporting systems to ensure accurate information, with timely completion and follow-up. Daily web-based data entry. Includes HMIS, CCL, Sharepoint, and other databases as assigned.

+ Work with individuals experiencing behavior health and substance use and other high-barriers.

+ Provide direct services to unhoused, at-risk of becoming unhoused, and recently housed individuals

+ Establish knowledge of and develop positive professional relationships with community programs.

+ Proactively reach out to and maintain communication by performing home visits (including hotels and encampments, phone calls, texts) when appropriate with clients. Ensure translation of knowledge to appropriate individuals.

+ Develop and utilize skills when working with individuals including trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, progressive engagement and strength-based coaching.

+ Work with Individuals, landlords, and community partners to ensure all program requirements are met.

+ Maintain positive working relationships with other staff. Actively participate in a team-oriented approach including attending all required team meetings.

+ Keep immediate supervisor promptly and fully informed of all salient information pertinent to the current discussion. Salient information includes prior case notes and suggested courses of action. Take prompt action when necessary.

+ Prompt communication with supervisor regarding when work activities extend beyond KCR working hours.

+ Seek out, participate in, and research for presentations in meetings, conferences, training sessions and workshop opportunities.

Behaviors

+ Demonstrates support of KCR efforts within the agency and community

+ Works collaboratively with supervisors, co-workers, and KCR participants

+ Takes personal responsibility for own words and actions

+ Demonstrates willingness to work toward the greater good of KCR

+ Demonstrates engagement in work activities by participating in meetings, events, and employee committees

+ Positively contributes to the workplace culture ensuring a welcoming and inclusive environment.

+ Proactively seeks out information and guidance in the performance of their job responsibilities.

+ Demonstrates a positive demeanor in all interactions with staff and clients and seeks guidance from supervision and management when experiencing difficulties.

Growth

+ Demonstrates a continuous quality improvement mindset through individual work, interpersonally, and in team settings.

+ Works consistently towards qualification completion including degree completion and/or required certifications/credential(s).

+ Establishes and communicates professional goals and demonstrates progress towards those goals which may include education, training, future career path, vertical job loading, shadowing, and job share.

+ Demonstrates initiative by seeking training opportunities and completing a minimum of 15 hours of professional development each year.

+ Maintain industry professional and technical knowledge by attending relevant workshops; reviewing professional publications and participating in professional organizations (e.g., WA-SAST, Washington Department of Commerce, etc.).

Work/Life Balance

KCR offers a robust benefits package to support balance between work and life outside the workplace.

+ Vacation, Sick, Personal Holiday, and other time off for life events such as Jury Duty, Bereavement, etc.

+ 100% Employer paid Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Long-term and Short-term Disability for employee only (dependents can be covered through payroll deduction)

+ 6.5% Employer Contribution to 401K after first 12-18 months of employment

+ Employee Assistance Program

+ Employee Wellness Program

+ Employee Growth & Development Training Programs

+ Communicates regularly with co-workers and supervisor/manager to relate wellness levels and awareness

All duties and requirements listed in this job description are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position; employees will be requested to follow any other job-related instructions and perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. Kitsap Community Resources reserves the right to determine the contents of KCR job descriptions.

Kitsap Community Resources is an “at-will” employer.

KCR recognizes that ideas come from a varied mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. KCR is committed to attracting and retaining a varied and highly skilled staff, by honoring experiences, perspectives and unique identities of the community in which we serve. KCR provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, nation of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state, and local law.

KITSAP COMMUNITY RESOURCES (KCR) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. KCR is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment.

All employment decisions at KCR are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex, pregnancy, age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. KCR will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.