Part Time Front Desk Shelter Attendant

About us

Randy Sams Outreach Shelter is a 501C3 charitable organization (a homeless shelter) in Texarkana, Texas. We provide emergency shelter, food, and clothing to the homeless in our midst, and the resources and tools needed to help them regain their independence.

Front Desk Attendant at Randy Sams Outreach Shelter:

Summary:
The Front Desk Attendant is vitally important to the proper running, safety, and accountability of the Shelter. The Front Desk Attendant is the first face or voice that a current or potential resident, donor, or community stakeholder encounters. It is our duty to treat everyone we counter with respect and dignity while enforcing rules, order, and proper consequences in the shelter in order to maintain client and staff safety, accountability, and structure. The position will report directly to the Shelter Manager but will also be under the assisted supervision of the Residential Case Manager and the Executive Director.

About Randy Sams Outreach Shelter (RSOS)
RSOS is an emergency shelter for adult men and women. It is the only low-barrier, 136-bed facility serving those who are homeless adults ages 18 and up for any reason in an 85-mile-radius.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• The safety and security of staff and residents (clients) is our number one priority and responsibility
• Breathalyzer and scan (for prohibited items) each resident who comes into the shelter each time they enter the premises, and check their belongings.
• Assist new residents in checking into the shelter. Conduct intake interviews and prepare paperwork for each new client.
• Take a photo of the resident for our Client Track database.
• Be caring and compassionate.
• Some may not be able to read. Please make sure the resident understands the documents they are signing.
• Answer the phone at the front desk and assist callers with obtaining and providing information in a kind, courteous manner such as pertaining to donations, bed availability, parole and probation officer matters, police matters, EMS, RSOS vendors, and medical facility inquiries.
• Log pertinent information about daily activities in the front desk logbook as they transpire legibly and accurately.
• Conduct resident exit process and paperwork timely, correctly and legibly.
• Provide residents with medication during med-check accordingly during your shift.
• Provide and log record of bus tickets provided, in accordance with administrative directives.
• Communicate with the Shelter Manager and any other administrative staff regarding any problems or concerns regarding residents, maintenance issues needing attention, or other relevant information.
• Enforce rules and regulations of shelter for the safety and security of all residents and staff.
• Keep work area and front lobby area clean at all times.
• Verify and ensure everyone who needs to exit the building every morning.
• Communicate via email and phone with staff.
• Conduct facility walk-through, checking for cleanliness and safety, and any other aspects you are directed to check for.
• Assist with chore list reminders for the residents.
• Make necessary announcements in the shelter.
• Contact police and EMT for emergencies.
• Write incident reports when necessary, and instruct residents to do so as well when complaints of incidents are made to you.
• Write up residents who are violating the RSOS rules and guidelines with the appropriate consequences in accordance with RSOS policies.
• Direct client job trainees and volunteers while on the desk.
• Conduct drug testing for clients when necessary and on a random basis, in accordance with directives from administration and RSOS policies./
• Exercise good judgment.
• Clean messes in the shelter as needed when residents create them, if they are not messes that the residents are able to clean.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Ability to think calmly and quickly, offering assistance in a fair, and consistent manner.
• Excellent proficiency in reading, writing, typing, hearing, and speaking.
• Strong work ethic, honesty, and patience.
• Ability to work well under direction
• Ability to work with diverse personalities, people with different backgrounds, and people with chronic illnesses/diseases.
• Ability to work with a chain of command
• Ability to handle (dispense & store) residents' medications in a consistently ethical, safe and accountable manner.
• Must have reliable transportation and not need to depend on staff or residents to get to and from work. Must be punctual and dependable.
• Must be able to sufficiently pass a background check that RSOS conducts. (A background check conducted by someone else you have been associated with is not sufficient.)

Restrictions:

• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds.
• May have some exposure to weather (when doing site checks in the backyard of the shelter, or when coming to work during inclement weather).
• Stand, stoop, kneel, carry donations and supplies.
• Must be able to work around individuals who may carry chronic illnesses and chronic mental health issues (the population we serve is an at-risk population for a variety of reasons).
• Must be able to clean up messes residents make when needed in the shelter.
• Must be able to manage highly stressful situations at times, while executing proper judgement in decision making, and fair treatment of residents.
• Must be able to take direction from supervisors.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $11.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Paid time off

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Evening shift

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

• Texarkana, TX 75501: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person