Occupancy Specialist, Men's Inn at Pine Street Inn in Boston, MA

Description

SCHEDULE:  40 hours, Sunday-Thursday, 10:45 p.m.-7:15 a.m.

Pays $21.40 - $30.00 per hour DOE (Salary ranges provided are based on relevant experience and skill set)   

LOCATION: 444   Harrison Ave.

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION:

The Occupancy Specialist will work with the 11-7 Shift Supervisor and ES Data Manager to oversee all aspects of the bed assignment and nightly reconciliation system, including meeting directly with guests and entering daily bed assignments. She or he will also support the triage and intake process, as needed, which may include updating all pertinent intake records, enrollment, assessing vulnerability and making appropriate referrals. The incumbent will work with the Supervisor to assist with training and support for designated staff to ensure consistent bed assignments, data reconciliation and data entry procedures are maintained seven (7) days a week. Working in conjunction with Pine Street Inn’s Program Evaluation department, the incumbent will be responsible for producing bed data/census reports to assist the Data Manager and/or Director in preparing daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports. The incumbent will provide Clarity orientation to new staff and ongoing technical assistance, when needed, regarding accurate and timely data entry into the PSI’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), Efforts to Outcomes (Clarity), and other mandated reporting programs/systems. 

The Occupancy Specialist will work from, adopt and enliven the following principles:

• Shelter is a temporary safety net, not a home. 
• All people experiencing homelessness, regardless of their housing history and duration of homelessness, can achieve housing stability in permanent housing.
• Never warehouse or institutionalize our guests in our shelters
• Everyone is “housing ready.” Sobriety, compliance in treatment, or even a clean criminal history is not necessary to succeed in housing. Rather, homelessness programs and housing providers must be “consumer ready.”
• Leverage guests’ their strengths, assets, and connections to move quickly out of shelters and to any other housing
• Recognize the impact of violence and victimization on development and coping strategies 
• Employ an empowerment model 
• • Maximize guest choices and control over her/his recovery based in a relational collaboration 
• Create an atmosphere that is respectful of the guests’ need for safety, respect, and acceptance 
• Emphasize the guests’ strengths, highlighting adaptations over symptoms and resilience over pathology 
• Minimize the possibilities of re-traumatization 
• Strive to be culturally competent and to understand each person in the context of his or her life experiences and cultural background 
• Solicit guest input and involve guests in designing and evaluating services

Requirements

EDUCATION/TRAINING:

REQUIRED: 

• High school diploma or GED
• Excellent computer skills 

PREFERRED: 

• BA in Social Services or related field
• Training in Customer Service and Trauma Informed Care
• Database management experience
• Bilingual, with an emphasis in English and Spanish
• Experience with Clarity or a Homeless Management Information System

KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:

REQUIRED:

• Minimum two (2) years’ experience working with a homeless population, providing direct care and/or referral services to homeless individuals
• Knowledge of the issues related to homelessness, particularly around housing needs, diversion opportunities, and impacts of head trauma/TBI, mental illness and substance addictions
• Strong writing, documentation and computer skills
• Practical experience supporting a homeless male clientele with multiple co-presenting needs
• High level of computer proficiency in database systems, including data entry, maintenance, quality assurance and report production
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong team approach; record of success working within large, diverse work teams 

PREFERRED: 

• Significant experience with Clarity, homeless case management, trauma informed care, motivational interviewing, diversion/triage, referral networks, housing resources and services available for homeless men