Office: 341 Village Blvd, Incline Village, NV 89451

Homeless Outreach Coordinator
Organizational Overview: Project MANA (Making Adequate Nutrition Accessible) is a hunger relief organization serving the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Since its inception in July of 1991, Project MANA has responded to the emergency food needs of the homeless, the elderly, the homebound, families in need, children and single parents.
Position Overview: The Homeless Outreach Coordinator will be responsible for providing Homeless Outreach, Access and Linkage to Treatment Services for the counties of Placer and Nevada, Behavioral Health Department, as a component of each county's Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Plan.
The Homeless Outreach, Access and Linkage to Treatment Program is a program that utilizes the Homeless Outreach Coordinator to go to where the homeless are in the North Lake Tahoe/Truckee area to:
1. Promote Safety: engage with homeless individuals in order to reduce the risk of harm and enhance safety (e.g., provide sleeping bags on cold nights); to stabilize acute symptoms via crisis intervention; and utilize opportunity for further work;
2. Form Relationships: engage with homeless people in a manner that promotes trust, safety and autonomy, while developing relevant goals;
3. Learn Common Language Construction: attempt to understand a homeless person's world by learning the meaning of his or her gestures, words and actions; promote mutual understanding; and jointly define goals;
4. Facilitate and Support Change: prepare individuals to achieve and maintain positive change by pointing out discrepancy; exploring ambivalence, reinforcing healthy behaviors and developing skills, as well as needed supports; utilize Change Model and Motivational Interviewing Principles;
5. Form Cultural and Ecological Considerations: prepare and support homeless individuals for successful transition and adaptation to new relationships, ideas, services, resources, treatment, and housing, etc.
This position will report to the Director of Operations and requires frequent travel and flexible working hours. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Responsibilities:
• Outreach:
o Provide outreach to homeless people where they are at- do not require them to come to you
o Go to remote outlying areas, as needed
o Provide essential needed items: socks, sleeping bags, blankets, jackets, clothes, personal hygiene items, etc.
o Support and assist individuals to utilize warming shelters, as they are available
o Ask the homeless individuals what services they need
o Create relevant goals jointly with homeless individuals
o Educate the homeless on mental health and substance abuse issues and resources
o Refer severely mentally ill homeless population to treatment and assist the homeless individual to attend treatment services
o Support individual with their first appointment to service providers and/or until the individual is comfortable with the service provider
o Assist individuals and/or families to apply for Social Security Income and other mainstream benefits (CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, General Assistance, etc.)
o Assist individuals and/or families connect to housing
o Assist individuals to connect to the CalWORKs One Stop office
o Refer appropriate individuals and/or families to the Behavioral Health Access Team
o Provide transportation to homeless individuals seeking access to services and/or treatment
• Collaborative Meetings:
o Participate in Placer and Nevada County collaborative meetings, including but not limited to the Nevada County Continuum of Care to End Homelessness Collaborative
• Food Distribution:
o Attend Project MANA's mobile food distributions weekly to provide support and get to know the community
o Other duties as assigned
• Community House:
o Maintain a presence at the Community House office in Kings Beach, CA up to twice per week
• Emergency Warming Center
o Provide outreach at the Emergency Warming Center during the winter months, as needed
• Database Management:
o Enter individual and/or family data and services provided into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
o Maintain data and provide reports for MHSA as indicated in the Evaluation Plan
Qualifications:
• Bachelor's Degree in social work or other related field or equivalent work experience
• 1-3 years relevant experience in the areas of non-profits and/or social services
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends
• Ability to meet face-to-face with homeless individuals of diverse backgrounds and disabilities, including physical, mental, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, etc.
• Ability to develop rapport, provide information, and provide referrals with sensitivity to cultural issues
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and be self-motivated and self-directed
• Ability to stand and/or walk for long periods of time; bend, twist, kneel and stoop; pull, push or carry heavy objects including the ability to lift up to 50 pounds on a frequent basis; and frequently climb in and out of delivery trucks.
• Ability to be physically active for long periods of time and to work within a fast paced environment. The applicant must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation
• Outstanding relationship and networking skills
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, on-time work ethic and exceptional attention to planning details
• Excellent judgment and creative problem solving ability including negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Strong organizational, time management and interpersonal skills
• Energy, flexibility and resilience with an ability to deal with difficult or unforeseen problems, remains calm and does not give up
• Knowledgeable about local community resources
• Bilingual or Spanish proficiency preferred
• Fluent in speaking and writing English
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel & Outlook
• Driver's license and transportation required
Compensation: $16/hr. This is a non-exempt position. Office is located in Truckee, CA.
Supervisor: Director of Operations
Please respond to this posting with 1) a letter telling us about yourself, your interests and why this work is inspiring to you, 2) your resume and 3) three references. No Phone Calls Please. Deadline to apply is 11/01/16. Apply directly to: .
Project MANA is an equal opportunity employer.

Locations:

Office: 341 Village Blvd, Incline Village, NV 89451

Warehouse: 10990 Industrial Way B5, Truckee, CA 96161