Outreach Associate
Denver, CO
Outreach & Engagement Services - DOES /
Full-Time /
On-site
The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. The Coalition advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being, and stability of those it serves.
This Outreach Associate will operate in a close team model within a larger collaborative of fellow outreach workers, outreach behavioral health navigators, street medicine nurses, and other service providers from CCH and partner agencies dedicated to the coordinated engagement of individuals surviving unsheltered in encampments scheduled for closure under Denver’s Encampment Response initiative. Services provided include but are not limited to: relationship building and trauma-informed engagement; crises intervention; provision of basic needs (socks, food, cold weather gear, etc.); facilitation of prioritized access to non-congregate shelter, medical and behavioral healthcare; transportation; client advocacy; and linkage to Encampment Response case management and housing navigation supports. The position will also build relationships and collaborate with Denver’s HOST (Department of Housing Stability) Outreach teams, Denver Police, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Parks and Recreation, non-congregate shelter providers, housing programs, and other city entities as needed to best engage and serve those living in locations identified for Encampment Response resources.
Coalition Benefits
- Choice of HMO or PPO health insurance coverage options: full-time employees contribute only 1% of their earnings for their own HMO health coverage and no more than 4% of their earnings for coverage of eligible dependents. We’re proud to offer same-and opposite-sex domestic partner coverage.
- Choice of dental insurance or discount plan.
- Vision insurance.
- Flexible spending accounts for health care / dependent care / parking expenses.
- Free basic life and AD&D insurance coverage.
- Employee Assistance Program, a problem-solving resource available to you and your household members.
- Dollar-for-dollar retirement plan matching contributions up to 5% of earnings with 3-year vesting.
- Extensive paid time-off, including 9 holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and three weeks of vacation for new full-time employees in their first year.
The effective date for your benefits will be the first of the month following your date of hire.
Essential Job Functions
- Works collaboratively with homeless service providers in the Denver area to provide optimum coordination, communication, and continuity of services to individuals and households who are chronically homeless, vulnerable, and living in places not meant for human habitation.
- Builds relationships with clients with the ultimate goal of non-threatening engagement, information and resource dissemination, case management interventions including but not limited to: facilitating access to alternative/non congregate shelter options when appropriate and available; obtaining identification documents, benefits, and basic needs; addressing acute medical and behavioral health care concerns; reconnecting individuals to previously established relationships with service providers and case managers; referring and facilitating access to longer-term providers of case management, housing, and substance treatment services; and reunifying individuals with family when appropriate. When appropriate housing is not immanent or available, continues to help clients explore ways of improving material and emotional aspects of their lives.
- Documents all engagements and services provided to clients and records entries in the HMIS database within 2-4 business days of the contact. Documents other grant-required information in a timely manner in the formats provided.
- Attempts to obtain all needed data elements for HMIS records upon the first encounter whenever possible or gathers such information as quickly as possible for entry of a complete HMIS client record.
- Works as a member of the Denver Street Outreach Collaborative (DSOC) to provide face-to-face outreach services to individuals and households who are homeless and surviving unsheltered in public places or places not meant for human habitation. Seeks to engage clients in a trauma-informed and culturally humble way, assist them in recognizing and defining their own service needs, inform them of available services, and help them access those services.
- Transports individuals who are homeless using a personal or organizational vehicle.
- Accepts referrals from CCH staff and other agencies and collaborates with staff of all agencies to provide high quality service. Reports back to referral source in a timely fashion to inform them of client disposition and additional services needed.
- Participates in all necessary case conferencing, strategic planning meetings and huddles to ensure continuity of client care.
- Identifies persons who are eligible for existing CCH programs and assists clients with connecting to the appropriate intake staff in those programs.
- Participates in the Point in Time Survey, the Customer Satisfaction Survey, Street Medicine, Behavioral Health Outreach, Emergency Cold Weather Outreach, and other collaborative and community efforts, as needed.
- Responds to requests for outreach engagement from HOST and other City officials within 2 business days.
- Is available by cell phone during all assigned shifts.
- Returns all e-mails and voicemails in a timely manner.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications Summary
- Bachelor’s degree in human services, social work, psychology, international relations, or related field preferred, not required.
- Bilingual English/Spanish required.
- Previous outreach experience with people experiencing homelessness preferred; or previous experience in a related direct human service field working with underserved populations.
- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Experience, competence, and sensitivity in working with chronically homeless individuals, especially those who have difficulty engaging with mainstream services, experience significant behavioral health challenges, or are otherwise impaired or disconnected. Awareness of and aptitude for practicing the precepts of Trauma Informed Care and cultural humility.
- Ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations, and to deliver services in a culturally humble manner.
- Skill in advocating, negotiating, and navigating within complex systems, particularly in sensitive situations and with vulnerable individuals who are marginalized and mistrustful of service providers and public institutions.
- Sound critical thinking and decision-making skills.
- Consistently superb customer service skills; excellent interpersonal/assertive communications skills demonstrating a high degree of emotional intelligence.
- Ability to function as a member of an interdisciplinary team and work with collaborating agencies.
- Ability to manage tasks and activities in an environment that often includes interpersonal conflict and chaos.
- Skill in operating office equipment such as computers, software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, Office 365, e-mail) and telephones.
- Availability to work flexible hours, which may include a combination of either early mornings or late evenings during cold weather emergencies, and some Saturday shifts.
- Ability to pass automobile insurance carrier’s motor vehicle record investigation and CBI.
$20.64 - $25.14 an hour
WHERE A CANDIDATE IS PLACED IN THE COMPENSATION RANGE DEPENDS ON TOTAL RELEVENT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Employee must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to safety or health of self or others. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. Employee will perform job according to applied laws. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is committed to delivering services, making employment-related decisions, selecting volunteers, and selecting vendors without regard to age over 40, race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, military status, or any other applicable status protected by law.
