Shelter Specialist, Outreach (4113)

Status: Full-Time, Non-Exempt
Pay Rate: $20.50/hour
Schedule: Sunday-Monday: 4:00pm-8:00pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday: 12:00pm-8:00pm


Job Summary: The Shelter Specialist, Outreach is a homeless shelter specialist tasked with common cleaning, logistics, and service-oriented job duties within the shelter, as well as a specific assignment of street-outreach duties during specific hours and days each week. While performing outreach duties, this person will address homeless issues and neighborhood concerns in an area directly surrounding one of Mercy House's homeless shelters and serve as a point-of-contact for the program to the surrounding community. The main role of this position is to engage with nearby homeless persons on the streets, as well as with neighboring homeowners or businesses and promote safety and cleanliness in the immediate vicinity. The Shelter Specialist, Outreach will provide referral and resource support to identified homeless individuals and be responsible for reporting daily on the state of the local homeless population and contacts met while on patrol.

Key Functions: The following reflects management's definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Management may assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. The Shelter Specialist, Outreach will provide direct shelter support any time they are scheduled to provide logistics, and any time they are unable to complete outreach activities due to not enough staff (Outreach shifts require a minimum of two staff). Shelter Support activities will include but are not limited to:

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Shelter Support

• Assist in the implementation of daily shelter activities to ensure quality, client-focused, and trauma-informed delivery of services
• Encourage and discuss progress toward housing with shelter guests
• Assist with shelter setup, food distribution, and maintenance
• Assist with all cleaning duties and safety of facility including emptying trash cans and cleaning up spills, and general groundskeeping
• Provide safety and wellness checks
• Assist with receiving and verifying orders from vendors, completing tally sheets
• Post and update signs and service calendars
• Assist in the organization of supplies and facility's needs

Street Outreach

• Canvass a predetermined area near the facility within an area approximately ½-1 mile around the shelter, to engage with homeless individuals and local businesses

• Conduct neighborhood patrols to minimize potential impact on the surrounding community and use local maintenance resources to address blight and abandoned property
• Work in collaboration with other social service and shelter providers, including the faith-based community, to obtain referrals and participate in collaborative solutions
• Distribute basic needs items such as bus passes and resource referrals, as budget and availability allow
• Provide recent arrivals with information needed to deter them from taking up residency on the streets, such as referrals to shelter, other service providers from areas they left, or connections to relocation programs
• Assist local police and fire departments in "non-enforcement" response where appropriate
• Report daily on outreach activities, new contacts made on the street, and the positive impacts the team makes on the community

Miscellaneous

• Attend staff meetings and training workshops as needed
• Assist with guest services and program activities if necessary
• Perform ad hoc projects as appointed by Supervisor
• Provide additional training and resources for community outreach projects (e.g., point-in-time guidance, etc.)

Requirements:
Experience

• Must demonstrate working knowledge and mastery of trauma-informed care and non-physical de-escalation techniques
• Experience in crisis intervention and the ability to work effectively and safely around individuals suffering from active substance abuse and/or mental illness
• Fluency in Spanish or other second languages is of significant value

General Requirements

• A flexible work schedule including some schedule changes, some weekends, and evening shifts to meet the department's needs
• Detail-oriented and computer proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel required
• Fluency in Spanish is of significant value

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to drive a personal vehicle for short distances for targeted outreach
• Ability to walk or otherwise ambulate throughout diverse outdoor environments, including up curbs, staircases, and across various terrains (e.g., hiking down dirt paths or grassy areas)
• Ability to lift, bend, push, and pull up to 50 pounds
• Prolonged periods of standing and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Mercy House is an E-Verify employer. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees in the United States. Please click on the following links for more information.

E-Verify Participation Poster: English & Spanish (

E-Verify Right to Work Poster: English & Spanish (

Mercy House must reserve the right to modify, supplement, rescind, or revise all job descriptions to meet the overall needs of Mercy House except as to any language that establishes that the employment relationship is at the will of either the staff member or Mercy House.