Outreach Advocate

**Position Title: Outreach Advocate**

**Reports To**: Director of Shelters

**Position Classification**: Hourly/Non-Exempt

COMPENSATION: $18.00-$21.72

Including 100% coverage by Groundworks of Employee's Individual Health Insurance Premium and Deductible.

*Pay offers will be determined based on a competency-based self-evaluation and hiring manager’s evaluation of readiness to perform in the role. This is a highly transparent and explicit process that supports compensation around experience and skills and takes the guesswork and opaqueness out of the typical offer processes.

**About Groundworks Collaborative**

Established in 2015, following the merger of the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center and Morningside Shelter, Groundworks is a dynamic organization committed to providing food, shelter and supportive services with dignity throughout the greater-Brattleboro area.

Groundworks’ mission is to work with individuals and systems to create solutions for ending hunger and homelessness for all people in our region. We envision a community in which all members have their basic needs met, including food security and a safe and dignified place to call home. We view poverty, housing and food insecurity to be byproducts of societal conditions, generational discrimination and public policy, rather than as a result of individual choices. Therefore, Groundworks fosters a culture of nonjudgement and compassion for the people we serve.

**Position Summary**

The Outreach Advocate works collaboratively with other team members, Groundworks staff at-large and community partners to engage and support unsheltered community members residing primarily in Brattleboro but also throughout Windham County.

This role is vital in both providing life-sustaining resources and support but also a connection to pathways out of unsheltered circumstances towards shelter, supportive services and ultimately housing.

This is a year-round role and the majority of the time in this role will be in our community and consequently often outdoors and sometimes in hard to access locations. While many might find this an interesting change of pace from office and shelter-based services, please keep this in mind.

**Responsibilities**

**Community Outreach (15%)**
- Outreach in places that persons without shelter are known to camp or gather.
- Work collaboratively with Groundworks colleagues and community partners on referrals regarding uncontacted persons w/o shelter.
- As the first point of contact with outreach contacts, respectfully and warmly offer engagement and support
- Explain program offerings and services as well as, when appropriate, policies and procedures and set clear boundaries

**Direct Outreach Support (30%)**
- Develop a relationship with program contacts through frequent outreach visits to foster trust-building and support participation in programs and other community resources
- Provide program contacts with compassionate, nonjudgmental, person-centered and responsive services
- Maintain current knowledge on resources; provide information and act as a resource for program contacts
- In emergent situations, triage and communicate with Groundworks staff and relevant community partners to bring in necessary resources and interventions
- As appropriate, refer clients to case management, Healthworks providers, Shelter waitlist and Coordinated Entry navigator
- Provide life-sustaining equipment and supplies to program contacts. Provide advocacy for program contacts when they encounter difficulties in sustaining their chosen camping location
- Provide bridging support to program contacts who have been temporarily removed from other GWC programs.

**Service Coordination (20%)**
- Complete a Coordinated Entry Assessment for each newly encountered person to determine permanent housing options and to be placed in the housing queue.
- Assist program contacts with accessing resources and making referrals; continue to engage with unsheltered homeless neighbors until shelter or permanent housing is obtained.
- Encourage and support program contacts in activities and events that increase ability to remain linked to care and/or behavioral health care, identify employment options or cash benefits, and identify housing options
- Research community resources that benefit neighbors experiencing homelessness.
- Assists with the planning and implementation of services that meets the clients’ needs to become stably housed

**Housing Navigation (10%)**
- Work in partnership with housing navigation staff towards program contacts finding permanent housing.
- As time allows and needs dictate, assist housing navigation staff in tasks related to finding program contacts housing.

**Create a welcoming and harmonious environment (10%)**

Build respectful community:

- Set the tone; model respectful, nonjudgmental and compassionate treatment for all
- Demonstrate Groundworks’ philosophy, mission, values and standards of excellence
- Solicit participant fe