ACTES Outreach Professional

About Focus on Renewal

The Focus On Renewal StoRox Neighborhood Corporation (FOR) was founded in 1969. FOR founders led a group of mobilized citizens and community activists to create an umbrella organization for much needed social services now ranging from food security nutrition earlychildhood education support groups crime prevention and mental health services. Also included are arts programs for all ages and access to the StoRox Public Library. FOR has now grown to house 30 staff at four locations throughout McKees Rocks and Stowe Township. The Organization provides support to the people in our

neighborhood through programs for all ages designed to develop resilient contributing members of a thriving community. We work with a wide range of partners to ensure high quality programming is accessible to all 13000 residents of the StoRox Community.

Program and Position Overview

Achieving Change Through Transitional Employment Services (ACTES) is a new and critical program at Focus on Renewal. The Behavioral Health Manager is responsible for overseeing the quality and fidelity of the cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) component of the Allegheny County Community Violence Reduction Initiative transitional employment and service delivery program. This program is adapted from the READI Chicago model and developed in partnership with Heartland Alliance.

The Outreach Professional is responsible for recruiting and engaging directly with identified and referred participants in the Allegheny County Community Violence Reduction Initiative transitional employment program and service delivery program. This program is designed to support participants ages 18 and older who have experienced high levels of trauma and who are likely to be victims or perpetrators of violence. This program is adapted from the READI Chicago model and developed in partnership with Heartland Alliance.

The person in this position is responsible for practicing relentless engagement reaching out to the highest risk individuals in the community and working with them to prevent violence by modeling prosocial behaviors. The Outreach Professional engages participants in positive activities accompanying them through the case management process and connecting participants to additional services that the organization and partners offer. He or she addresses barriers to program entry to ensure participants meaningful participation.

The position requires an innate understanding and personal knowledge of the specific communities as it pertains to gang and group violence territory and service providers. The candidate should have experience in working with and engaging atrisk young adults and adults in structured leadership development activities. The Outreach Professional will report directly to the Site Staff Supervisor.

Duties

• Attend regular staff meetings partner meetings oneonone supervision meetings and community meetings.
• Participate in trainings to learn the principles of traumainformed care motivational interviewing conflict deescalation harm reduction and other relevant concepts and apply that knowledge in daily interactions with participants.
• Practice relentless outreach to ensure continued participant involvement in the program including frequent attempts/contact with participants through home visits street level engagement relationship building activities and prison or jail visits. Reach out to participants through referrals from approved partner institutions and organizations including (but not limited to the justice system probation and parole.
• Work with staff and other approved contacts and partners to identify potential participants who are the most at risk.
• Use assessment tools in the field in combination with community intelligence to effectively identify individuals at the highest risk of violence.
• Carry a caseload of approximately 15 participants.
• Serve as a general advocate for participants; provide mentoring and supportive case management services to participants in collaboration with Transitional Jobs (TJ) partner.
• Utilize trauma informed approaches and practices to support participants; establish constructive relationships with participants as a positive role model; facilitate conversations that are participant driven and utilizes restorative practices in all interactions with participants.
• Develop and deliver onetoone support sessions with participants that support conflict resolution and adoption of prosocial behaviors
• Provide linkage and support for individuals to enhance their use of opportunities and programs in the community (job programs GED drug treatment mentoring etc.
• Work with staff to facilitate proper referrals and supportive case management for court advocacy school enrollment counseling substance abuse services employment job training etc.
• Work with staff to support participants success in the program. This includes but is not limited to acting as support staff by attending cognitive behavioral groups being present during morning checkin assisting at work sites etc.
• Ensure timely information about potential and current participants and their safety is clearly identified and communicated both verbally and in writing to all staff. This includes but is not limited to hot spot mapping work crew providing information in ongoing case reviews etc.
• Prepare and submit reports per contract and as requested including incident reports.
• Enter timely program information into the appropriate data management system; document detailed case notes and other items as assigned.
• Outreach to the community (individually and as a team member) to build strong relationships with youth residents businesses and community groups
• Offer support services to participants families.
• Elevate the field of Street Outreach by modeling professional behavior and honoring commitments.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma/GED and two years of formal employment experience working with highrisk streetinvolved or other vulnerable populations or one year of formal employment experience working with vulnerable populations in combination with one year of volunteerism with highrisk streetinvolved populations.
• Bachelors degree preferred; Associates degree or 60 credit hours from an accredited institution highly desired.
• Excellent verbal communication skills and ability to communicate effectively in writing.
• Computer literacy commensurate to complete job duties.
• A valid drivers license is required. Must have a clean driving record (including but not limited to no convictions related to reckless driving DUI and no license suspensions/revocations in the past three years) as determined via a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) obtained (annually) by the hiring organization.
• Shows initiative in community involvement.
• Has an understanding of root causes of violence.
• Has shown concrete steps in advancing their lives. Areas of advancement include but are not limited to education vocation recovery and/or wellbeing.
• Demonstrates emotional maturity; good judgment; integrity; tolerance of differing points of view and beliefs; commitment to nonviolence
• Experience or training in crisis intervention preferred.
• Experience working on a team preferred.
• Ability to demonstrate empathy with participants and effectiveness in engaging target population.
• Ability to work oneonone and in groups with highrisk individuals to resolve conflicts and promote prosocial behaviors.
• Willingness to work on the street and in other unstructured situations.
• Willing to work late nights and on weekends.
• Individuals with criminal records and other lived experience are encouraged to apply.
• No current group or gang affiliations; no pending criminal cases.
• Must have a current Act 33/34 on file.

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.
• This position requires travel to sites across the region including program sites transitional jobs placement sites unsubsidized employer partners and other stakeholders
• While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• The employee is required to use hands to key handle or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is regularly required to sit stand and walk.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.