Homeless Outreach Case Manager

 
Are you interested in bettering your community and linking people to community resources? If the answer is “YES,” this position is for you!
 
 We are looking for a person who is passionate about engaging with our unhoused community, has a can-do attitude, and has experience with this population to become a part of our dynamic Community Services Department.   Be a part of the small yet effective team that provides creative, comprehensive, and compassionate solutions to help our city’s homeless community navigate life’s barriers.
 
 The Homeless Outreach Case Manager is responsible for assisting community residents and their families to navigate and access community services.   The position requires an adaptable, highly motivated, proactive self-starter with strong interpersonal skills.  The ideal candidate will be familiar and comfortable with unhoused individuals and street culture, and will demonstrate an ability to establish trusting, hopeful relationships with these individuals.

 If you are empathic and compassionate, possess excellent organizational skills, thrive working in a team environment, and are ready to contribute in this capacity, we want to meet you!  APPLY TODAY!
 
Applications will be accepted on a CONTINUOUS BASIS until position is filled.  This position may close at any time without notice.  Interested parties are strongly encouraged to submit application materials as soon as possible. 
 
This position may close at any time without notice.  Interested parties are strongly encouraged to submit application materials as soon as possible. 
 
This position requires the availability to work a flexible schedule that may require morning, evening, weekend, and holiday work assignments.
 
GENERAL PURPOSE
 
Under general supervision, performs outreach and case management to individuals deemed homeless residents of the City of Buena Park; provides intervention services; assists in obtaining resources from community organizations in conjunction with local government agencies, law enforcement, and community stakeholders and performs related work as required.
 
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

This is a part-time, non–benefited, position working approximately 20 hours per week. The Homeless Outreach Case Worker works collaboratively with our Police Department and partners in the North Orange County Public Safety Task Force to provide assistance and supportive social services to people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This position is differentiated from other Community Services program classifications by its work related to providing outreach, assessment of needs, and case management to interested and in-need homeless citizens.
 
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
 
The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to this class.
 

1. Establish and maintain effective and positive working relationships with clientele to provide paraprofessional counseling and case management services. 
2. Develop and maintain relationships with various public and private service agencies, community groups, and the faith-based community to obtain services for clients and stay abreast of new trends and practices in community outreach.  
3. Assess client needs and characteristics.
4. Identify short-term and long-term needs, provide resources and referrals based on client needs, and coordinate service delivery plans.  
5. Assist police personnel in non-enforcement situations involving homeless clients and obtain appropriate care for clients. 
6. Assist safety personnel with non-psychiatric emergencies such as transporting clients to substance abuse treatment.  
7. May interface with hospital personnel regarding emergency services and recuperative care for the homeless. 
8. May perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS GUIDELINES
   
Knowledge of:
Homeless assistance services and programs; principles and techniques of interviewing and paraprofessional counseling; social services programs and available providers; networking approaches to identify client-relevant support services; effective public relations and customer service techniques; modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment and applications related to the work.
 
Ability to:
Establish and maintain positive working relationships with supervisors, co-workers, volunteers, diverse groups of participants dealing with homelessness, and the general public; communicate effectively with persons displaying psychological and substance-induced behaviors such as depression, anger, and confusion; ability to communicate orally and in writing to sufficiently secure information from clients, convey information on services available and make effective referrals to services needed; operate modern office equipment (including computer) and applicable and specialized software; document and record information electronically and in written format, maintain reports, logs and files, and database; write clean and concise reports; work independently and use independent judgment and initiative.
 
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS
 
The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.
 
Physical Demands 
Work is performed indoors in an office environment and outdoors in the field. When work is performed outdoors and in the field, there may be exposure to the elements as well as related health hazards including blood and other bodily fluids/products and human-borne parasites. An incumbent drives a vehicle on City business, sits for extended periods of time, uses a computer, keyboard, and related equipment, stands, walks, reaches, bends, twists, kneels, reaches, and grasps, and may lift and carry boxes of records weighing 30 pounds or less. When in the field, an incumbent may walk on slippery/uneven surfaces and slopes, crouch, twist, climb ladders and stairs, and be exposed to construction materials and dust. An incumbent must be able to meet the physical requirements of the class and have mobility, balance, coordination, vision, hearing, and dexterity levels appropriate to the duties to be performed.
 
Mental Demands
While performing the duties of this class, the employee is regularly required to use oral and written communication skills; read and interpret data; thoroughly analyze and solve problems; exercise sound judgment in the absence of specific guidelines; use math and mathematical reasoning; establish priorities and work on multiple assignments and cases concurrently; meet intense and changing deadlines given interruptions; interact appropriately with staff, management, health and welfare agencies, nonprofit/community-based organizations, public and private representatives, the general public including persons experiencing homelessness, housing groups, committees, other public agencies and others in the course of work.
 
WORK ENVIRONMENT
 
Employees work partially in office conditions where the noise level is usually quiet, at or below 85 decibels levels, and partially work in the field and are occasionally exposed to loud noise levels, subject to heat and variable weather conditions, road hazards, vibration, and hazardous physical substances and fumes. While conducting outreach, the employee will be required to work in areas inhabited by homeless persons, including working in dirty environments and dealing with a variety of situations and challenging individuals.
 Any combination of training an experience, which would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is considered qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications is: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in psychology, counseling, human services, social work or a closely related field and three years of experience in a related field.