Employment Specialist Job at HomeFirst Services
POSITION: Employment Specialist
PROGRAM/LOCATION: Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF)
3180 Newberry Drive, San Jose, CA 95118
SUPERVISOR: Program Manager
Job Type: Non-Exempt
Job Status: Full Time
Compensation: $28.35 Hourly
AGENCY SUMMARY:
Established in 1980, with 40+ years of experience, we are the premier Silicon Valley provider of homelessness services. We believe that everyone has the potential to get housed and stay housed. We relentlessly focus on eliminating barriers to housing and creating stability for everyone we serve. HomeFirst Services serves more than 6,000 adults, veterans, families, and young adults each year at multiple locations from Gilroy to Menlo Park – all of Santa Clara County as well as southern San Mateo County.
Services include:
- Homelessness prevention
- Emergency and cold-weather shelters
- Comprehensive Veterans’ services
- Rapid Re-Housing programs
- Bridge Housing Communities
- Emergency Interim Housing
- Affordable permanent housing
- Permanent Supportive Housing
- Street-based outreach
Benefits of joining the HomeFirst Team:
- Professional growth opportunities within the organization
- 100% medical coverage for employees with an opportunity to add dependents for a shared cost
- 401k match up to 4%
- 12 observed holidays
- PTO accrual begins with 120 hours annually and increases with tenure
- 4 hours of Civic Engagement PTO provided annually
- Access to our Emergency Assistance Program (EAP) services
- Pet insurance options available
HomeFirst Services is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. Additionally, HomeFirst Services participates in the E-Verify program, as required by law. HomeFirst Services is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.
Role Summary
The goal of the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program is to end and prevent Veteran homelessness in Santa Clara County. Participants receive individualized case management and targeted financial assistance in accordance with Progressive Engagement, Harm Reduction, and Housing First models of service. The SSVF Employment Specialist supports this goal by providing employment support to Veterans such as resume building, job searching, interview prep and more. The Employment Specialist is responsible for ensuring that HomeFirst creates relationships and partnerships with employment partners in the community to betters support our Veterans. The Employment Specialist will assess Veteran’s employment needs at point of intake and throughout enrollment, assist Veterans in securing employment, resolve barriers to employment access.
Qualifications
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Work or a related human services field preferred and a minimum
Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge
- US Military Veteran is desired but not required
- Ability to quickly build trust and rapport in interpersonal relationships
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Exceptional listening, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills
- Experience in utilizing basic office software: MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel
- Strong facilitation and mediation skills
- Ability to develop and maintain relationships with community partners and outside agencies
- Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and be flexible with priorities
- Ability to make quick and sound decisions
- Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain priorities and meet established deadlines
- Exceptional organizational skills
- High level of flexibility and ability to prioritize appropriately
- Ability to work with people of diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds
- Understanding of PTSD
- Understanding of fair housing law and tenants’ rights and responsibilities
- Understanding of and sensitivity to the needs of the homeless
- Understanding of and sensitivity to the needs of the Veterans
- Understanding of and strong adherence to social work ethics
Other
- Valid CA driver license and auto insurance
- Ability to be added to HomeFirst Insurance
- Reliable personal vehicle
- Ability to lift up to 30 lbs. on occasion
- Ability to visit clients in the community, which may require walking upstairs
Qualities
The Employment Specialist is passionate about serving others and sees themself in a helping profession long term. They are pro-active and responsive to the needs of our participants, meeting them “where they’re at” and bridging the gap between the individual and our services.They manage their time well and demonstrate strong organizational abilities. With the support of program
leadership, the Employment Specialist participates in our culture of learning and increases their knowledge of evidence-based practices over the course of their employment. Together, we model the values and principles of HomeFirst within the agency and the broader community. HomeFirst is a diverse company in a diverse field, and the Employment Specialist seeks to work with people
from a variety of social and economic backgrounds. They are a highly collaborative member of our participant services team and enjoy a team-oriented work environment.
DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Direct Client Contact/Case Management (70%)
- Research job leads online, in newspapers, and through agencies and resources, and makes
- these leads available to clients
- Keep up-to-date regarding job fairs and Internet resources
- Assist participants in assessing their job skills for positions
- Instruct in job seeking, application procedures, resume writing, interview preparation and job
- retention skills and attitude
- Provide job search/career information workshops and presentations
- Facilitate employment/hiring events, such as job fairs and on-site job interviews with
- employers
- Develop employment opportunities for Veterans through networking, offering program
- education to employers, and other means
- Share employment resources with SSVF case management team
- Work with case managers and clients to develop and implement employment goals in the
- individual case management plan and provide support to help the clients achieve their goals
- Meet regularly with program participants and case managers at a frequency determined by
- the clients’ needs
- Assist employers to develop techniques to effectively supervise consumers and work to
- maintain satisfactory HomeFirst/employer relationship
- Provide appropriate referrals to other community services
- Assist with other duties assigned
Service Documentation and Evaluation (20%)
- Document via HMIS all Health Care Navigator activity within 3 business days and maintain all other case file paperwork and documentation
- Communicate regularly with other staff and service providers via email, incident reports and briefings
- Effectively utilize case conferencing and supervision to support Employment Specialist work
General (10%)
- Attend all meetings and required trainings as relevant to this position
- Assist with other duties assigned
HomeFirst Services is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. Additionally, HomeFirst Services participates in the E-Verify program, as required by law.
HomeFirst Services is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.
HomeFirst Services takes pride in its safety values, the wellness of our team, and respect for everyone we serve. Due to this commitment, HomeFirst Services is mandating that all employees be vaccinated or render a religious or medical exemption effective September 13, 2021.
Contact: Naya Kaur, Recruiter at 408-655-0178 or nkaur@homefirstscc.org
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