Job Opening: Family Winter Shelter On-Call Overnight Staff

Job Title: Family Winter Shelter On-Call Overnight Staff
Department: Social Services
Reports to: Family Winter Shelter Coordinator
Hours: Non-Exempt, 6:30 PM - 7:30 AM up to three nights per week.
Status: Temporary Position through March 2012 (may be extended to April if funding permits)
Compensation: $11.34/hour
Location: Outer North East Portland

SUMMARY
Provide overnight staffing for Winter Shelter for Homeless Families. This program is intended to provide a warm sleeping space for up to 100 homeless people (approximately 30 homeless families) at a time during the winter months with minimal barriers to entry. Single homeless women may also be sheltered. Winter Shelter hours of Operation are from 7 PM to 7 AM every night until March 31, 2012 (April if funding permits). A back-up staff person is provided if additional support or help is needed. While this is a minimal barrier program, rules exist around on-site drug and alcohol use, child abuse, hate speech, sexual harassment and other forms of intimidation and violence and the overnight staff enforce those rules.

CRITICAL PERFORMANCE FACTORS:
1. Work with the Family Winter Shelter Coordinator and volunteers to ensure that the Winter Shelter is safe and welcoming to a broad diversity of homeless families including people of all races, nationalities, languages, ages, abilities and families of all configurations (two parent, single parent male, single parent female, same sex parents, extended families and others).
2. Provide basic intake and orientation to all Winter Shelter guests on a nightly basis, including but not limited to reviewing Winter Shelter rules, drug and alcohol policies and emergency procedures.
3. Distribute food, blankets, bedding and other needed items in a fair and equitable manner to homeless families utilizing the Winter Shelter.
4. Assist Winter Shelter volunteers and community groups and help them to have a positive volunteer experience.
5. Enforce the Winter Shelter rules.
6. Notify police, fire, emergency medical or other emergency personnel if warranted by events in the Winter Shelter.
7. Meet weekly with supervisor and participate in bi-monthly department staff meetings and monthly all staff trainings as scheduling permits.
8. Assist each family utilizing the Winter Shelter to obtain information about agencies that may be able to help them access housing or other services. These agencies include but are not limited to Human Solutions, First Unitarian Church, JOIN and Impact Northwest. Some of these agencies may also provide a warm place that homeless families can access during the day. (Human Solutions requires a criminal background check before families can access the Daybreak day shelter.)
9. Refer households to other services provided by Human Solutions as appropriate, including but not limited to housing specialists, RentWell classes, other anti-poverty educational groups, the Day Shelter and domestic violence and employment support services.
10. Maintain accurate, complete, up-to-date daily documentation of families served and their basic demographic information. Enter data into ServicePoint. Submit paperwork in a timely manner.
11. Provide regular fire watch walk-throughs and record these on a form provided by the fire marshal
12. Record each shifts activity in the Winter Shelter log book.
13. Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge and abilities required.

Knowledge of:
• Social and economic issues creating poverty, working successfully with practices and techniques related to people with low income to achieve greater self- sufficiency.
• Community resources and agencies providing social services needed by the homeless population helpful but not required.

Ability to:
• Deliver Winter Shelter services
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with Winter Shelter guests
• Empower and support homeless and low income persons in life choices and change
• Work cooperatively with volunteers and staff
• Develop and maintain productive working relationships within Human Solutions
• Be culturally sensitive to diverse client populations
• Prepare and maintain clear, accurate, complete and timely records
• Maintain strict confidentiality and professional boundaries with all households served
• Understand and follow complex written and oral instructions, rules and procedures
• Represent Human Solutions professionally, accurately and effectively
• Work independently and at the same time be a vital and contributing part of a team.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
• Experience either living in or working with people in poverty
• Experience with crisis intervention, customer service preferred but not required
• Spanish or Russian fluency preferred but not required.
• General computer, word processing and spreadsheet skills.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; sit; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and distance vision.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

TO APPLY
Please send resume with cover letter and contact information for three professional references to: Amie Diffenauer via email to adiffanauer@humansolutions.org. Letters of reference are not necessary, simply the names and contact information of people who can provide a professional reference. This position is open until filled. Please no phone calls.