Outreach Advocate

JOB SUMMARY: Sycamores is a contracted provider with The City of Los Angeles, Mayor's Office of Community Safety, to operate the CIRCLE program, which stands for Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement, throughout the San Fernando Valley. This is a 24/7 unarmed response program that deploys trained teams to address non-urgent LAPD calls related to unhoused individuals. 

CIRCLE aims to create positive outcomes for unhoused individuals through rapport-building and connections to services and provide LAPD officers more time to focus on traditional law enforcement efforts. For consumers that are evaluated to need more intensive and immediate support, CIRCLE is integrated with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) network of Field Intervention Teams (FIT), which is the County's behavioral health crisis responder system served by Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams (MCOT) and Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams (PMRT), who can provide an in person assessment to determine if psychiatric hospitalization is necessary.

The CIRCLE Response Team Outreach Advocate is partnered with a Response Team Supervisor, who jointly will provide outreach and engagement to persons in need within the San Fernando Valley. The "team" will additionally respond to referrals from three Los Angeles Police Departments (Van Nuys, Mission, and Foothill) and will utilize the agency vehicle to respond to a community member in need. The Response Team Outreach Advocate is also responsible for providing stabilization interventions, advocating for client voice and choice, self-determination, and decision-making in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services. The Response Team Outreach Advocate will provide on-scene consultation to consumers regarding community resources, crisis intervention, and available community services i.e., housing, mental health services, medical treatment, and substance abuse services.

Starting Pay Range: $33 - $33.50 per hour (starting pay will be based on previous work experience and educational background.)

Shift Schedule: Saturday - Sunday 2 pm - 10:30 pm

JOB QUALIFICATIONS 

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Possess a high school diploma or equivalent degree.
• At least one year of job-related experience conducting street outreach to persons experiencing homelessness and preferably have previous lived experience in homelessness, substance abuse, or criminal justice involvement.
• Be self-identified as having experience with the process of recovery from a mental illness or substance use disorder, either as a consumer of these services or as the parent, caregiver, or family member of a consumer.
• Be willing to share their lived experience.
• Have a strong dedication to recovery.
• Agree, in writing, to adhere to the Code of Ethics.
• Valid California Driver License and a driving record acceptable to the Agency's insurance carrier.
• Ability to use agency vehicle with appropriate insurance for all transporting consumers and adhering to federal, state, and local motor vehicle safety standards when transporting children.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• The ability to physically manage and/or de-escalate consumers/residents.
• Frequent driving in the community with consumers.
• Frequent/continuous intermittent standing/walking, occasional/intermittent sitting.
• Continuous use of bilateral upper extremities in fine motor activities requiring fingering, grasping, and forward reaching between waist and chest level.
• Reaching at or above shoulder level may be necessary.
• Bending, squatting, kneeling, pushing/pulling, twisting, and climbing.
• Occasional/intermittent lifting and carrying objects/equipment weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Continuous use of near vision, hearing, and verbal communication skills in handling telephone calls, interacting with customers and co-workers and performing job duties.
• Requires physical presence in the office during shift.
• Ability to practice physical intervention for safety of consumers according to training and policy.
• Ability to operate a motor vehicle.

All candidates who are presented with a conditional offer of employment must satisfy a pre-employment background check, drug, and health screen.

Sycamores is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Further, Sycamores is a Fair Chance employer and complies with California Government Code Section 12952, Employment Discrimination: Conviction History.