Community Response Specialist

Description

Position Title: Community Response Specialist

Employment Type/Hours: Full Time, 40 hours per week

Supervisor: Community Response Specialist Supervisor

Department: Community Programs and Education

FLSA Status: Exempt

FLSA Exemption Test: Professional Exemption

Starting Salary/Hourly Rate: $48,000/year

Last Updated: 9/10/26

Our Mission

Safe Berks provides a safe haven and support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through education, advocacy and a relentless commitment to prevent abuse. We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where individuals can be their true selves and feel empowered to stand up to all forms of oppression.

Our Values

SAFETY

We believe that freedom from physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological harm is a basic human right of all individuals. We know that domestic violence, sexual assault, oppression and privilege include power-based tactics that affect physical, emotional and psychological safety and we work to help survivors heal the wounds caused by power-based violence.

RESPECT

We value the dignity of all individuals while appreciating our differences and celebrating and honoring our diversity. Respect is reflected in the way we treat our clients, ourselves and members of the community. We believe our work requires us to reach out to marginalized individuals and communities and to create space to celebrate and nurture them.

EMPOWERMENT

We believe empowerment begins with recognizing and knowing that individually and collectively Safe Berks clients, staff and volunteers have the strength to make necessary change and to accomplish our goals. We recognize that success is defined by each individual given their experience, talents and culture and we celebrate this success.

EDUCATION

We will educate ourselves and our community to reject and prevent violence and oppression in our own lives and in the lives of the people around us. We recognize that our mission and values are transformational, and we must work with intention to break down social and cultural norms that continue to divide us.

HOPE

We believe that hope is key to our existence, to our ability to persevere and to achieve goals. We recognize that our work fosters hope and resilience and improves physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological well-being.

Equity and Inclusion

Safe Berks is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where all staff, residents, clients, board members, and volunteers feel safe and empowered to stand up to oppression of all kinds. We believe that the collective sum of our individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, creative outlets, innovative approaches and solutions, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees exhibit in their work represents the quality of our life-saving services. Reflective of the community we serve and embrace, we celebrate differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity, or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Position Standards

Direct Service Delivery Standard

• Employee demonstrates a commitment to exceptional service for all individuals seeking assistance from Safe Berks and does so in a manner that is trauma-informed and in line with agency values of safety, respect, empowerment, education, and hope. Employee always maintains confidentiality according to agency requirements, consistently follows agency policies and procedures, and makes good decisions within the boundaries of their position expectations.

Conduct and Behavioral Standard

• Employee responds to changing circumstances by being innovative and adjusting behavior to fit different situations. Employee performs work with a calm demeanor in stressful situations. Even in situations that may cause employee personal discomfort, they are able to be flexible and understand and balance others diverse views and beliefs.

Essential Skills Standard

• Employee has strong communication skills, which are essential to the work of an advocate. They express oneself clearly and effectively when speaking and writing. Employee practices active listening by facilitating two-way communication and ensures that information is understood by all parties. They share information in a timely manner using the most appropriate method and follows up with individuals requesting additional information, referrals, or assistance.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities (includes but is not limited to the following):

1.Create, schedule and facilitate/co-facilitate domestic and sexual violence training/education for various audiences of all professions, ages, and populations.

2. Provide drug & alcohol educational sessions and assessments to survivors residing in the Safe Berks Emergency Shelter Program.

3. Provide on-site response, advocacy, and confidential support services to survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault in a hospital setting, college campus, and/or community partner sites.

4. Provide short-term empowerment counseling, systems advocacy, and safety planning services.

5. Provide information and education regarding reporting options within the criminal justice system, under Title IX on college campuses, and filing petitions for protection orders within the civil court system.

6. Provide accompaniments to law enforcement interviews, Children’s Alliance Center forensic interviews, and court hearings.Provide confidential direct support services to survivors of interpersonal violence and sexual assault.

7. Provide in-person educational groups and virtual individual empowerment counseling sessions to incarcerated domestic and sexual violence survivors in the Berks County Jail System.

8. Oversee and maintain the Lethality Assessment Program and provide specialized training to law enforcement officers.

9. Coordinate and connect survivors to Safe Berks services and/or other community resources.

10. Create, foster, and maintain collaborations with community partners, social service agencies, healthcare professionals, administrators, and their staff.

11. Participate in healthcare related task force meetings and/or other community meetings as requested.

12. Provide Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Trainings to local businesses and organizations.

13. Attend and table events/activities within the community as requested including those occurring during non-traditional work hours.

14. Attend staff meetings, individual supervision, and department meetings as scheduled.

15. Maintain records relevant to program services.

16. Maintain annual minimum training requirements mandated by funding sources.

17. All other duties as determined by Community Response Specialist and/or Chief Program Officer.

Requirements

Educational & Experience Requirements:

Employment Experience (amount and kind)

• One (1) to Three (3) years of related experience in the human services field

Education (general level required or specific courses)

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Associate’s degree with equivalent work experience can be considered in lieu of Bachelor’s degree

Other Requirements:

• Completion of a background check request; FBI, State Police, and Child Abuse Clearances obtained within required timeframe under Act 153 through agency vendor
• Successful completion of required Advocate Training provided by agency
• Valid driver's license, current vehicle registration, acceptable driving record, and PA Minimum Liability insurance coverage of $15,000 Bodily Injury per person / $30,000 Bodily Injury per accident and $5,000 Property Damage, or $35,000 Combined Single Limit, if your position requires operating a personal o

If you have any questions about open job opportunities please contact Mindy Peiffer, HR Manager, at View email address on aiapply.co.