Outreach Specialist - Seattle/Southwest Region

Title: Outreach Specialist

Location: Seattle District 1 - Southwest Region

Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm

Ray Range: $72500-$74500

Working at Evergreen Treatment Services makes a big difference in our community!

• ETS has been working to transform the lives of individuals and their communities through innovative and effective addiction and social services in Western Washington for over 50 years. Learn more about our mission and values.
• Change begins within. We strive to foster and sustain a diverse and inclusive community within our organization. Find out how we are working to achieve racial equity health equity and community justice.
• Our Clinic Services and REACH teams bring critical professional expertise and heartfelt compassion to the work they do every day to serve our most vulnerable community members. Check out the compelling stories told by our patients clients and staff members that provide more information and a clear picture regarding our organizations essential work.

REACH Mission and Values

The REACH Program of Evergreen Treatment Services works with individuals experiencing homelessness and behavioral health conditions to help them achieve stability and improved quality of life. The REACH mission is to foster community health and safety through outreach relationship healing interventions and systems advocacy for people who use drugs. REACH provides outreach-based-care coordination multidisciplinary clinical services and supports to access and maintain housing. All services are based in principles of harm reduction that offer respect and dignity to individuals moving through stages of change in their lives.

REACH incorporates a racial equity lens that includes naming the impact and actively dismantling systems of oppression rooted in White Supremacy while addressing the root causes perpetuating historical trauma and immense suffering in individuals lives. We are committed to building a robust behavioral health response that diverts people away from jail by rebuilding community and providing services to ensure those presently marginalized arent just surviving but able to thrive.

REACH offers an array of services ranging from survival support provided where folks are living outside to linkages to essential resources such as housing assistance to resolve legal issues health care entitlements and easily accessible treatment for substance use disorders and mental health conditions.

The REACH team is passionate about creating a hospitable and welcoming environment for all people while providing quality services on an individually tailored basis to our clientele. REACH values diversity of lived experience and is committed to racial equity and social justice and appreciates hard work creativity and a good sense of humor. People who have been impacted by the criminal legal system are encouraged to apply.

This dynamic position plays an important role in helping ETS accomplish our mission!

Job Summary:

• The Outreach Specialist role is part of the Outreach team that supports ETS mission through engaging clients living on streets and encampments with low barrier resource navigation maintaining engagement with case management services and establishing partnerships with other providers and organizations to coordinate care.
• This role makes a critical difference at ETS by conducting assessments and providing referrals to services such as shelter case management behavioral and physical healthcare substance use harm reduction resources and education and housing if able. REACH services are person-centered strengths-based trauma-informed culturally relevant and respectfully provided from a harm reduction perspective to promote client autonomy and dignity in how they access resources and services.
• The North Outreach Specialist will be based in District 5 region of Seattle working with the North Outreach Team. This position will work closely with the City of Seattle UCT to coordinate shelter referrals at eligible sites and partners in neighborhoods such as Lake City Aurora and Northgate.
• The position is (hybrid/full-time onsite) and the days and hours are M-F 9-5.

Responsibilities:

• Help ETS succeed in carrying out our mission through working together with other staff to transform systems of harm and inequity to create different approaches to improving community health and safety through addressing substance use and homelessness.
• Assist with the organization-wide initiative to reimagine our interconnectedness within our community to overcome the aspects of our society and organizational culture shaped by white supremacy and settler colonialism.
• Provide outreach to folks living outside in Seattle D5 to conduct health and needs assessments and provide recommendations for services and resource distribution
• Go to sites where individuals experiencing homelessness are located to make contact and explain the approach to potential clients.
• Assess clients needs for mental health primary medical care and substance use according to their stage of change focusing on reducing harmful consequences of behavior.
• Assess scope of need of unhoused client population in SKC and work with government and community partners to advocate for access to or creation of adequate services
• Refer clients to resources and services and support-maintaining engagement with service
• Develop and maintain a positive working relationship with program partners and referral sources to facilitate effective interagency collaboration and prevent duplication of services.
• Participate in case conferencing meetings for outreach and other homeless service providers to discuss clients with high barriers
• Maintain up to date data per REACH Outreach standards to coordinate care for clients and have accurate information on sites
• Document activities according to agency contract state and federal requirements.
• Connect with government and community entities to bring a coordinated system response which may include:
• City and County coordinators
• Public health assessments and care
• Hygiene and sanitation services
• Waste removal
• Law enforcement coordination
• Benefits Assistance
• Participate in relevant stakeholders government entity and community meetings to respond to help create an effective system response.
• Maintain professional and ethical confidentiality practices while communicating with community partners to maintain client privacy rights and advocate for client needs
• Utilize clinical supervision psychiatric consultation and peer support for exploring clinical intervention strategies countertransference resource development self-care and burnout prevention.
• Provide services consistent with ETS/REACH program policies and procedures.
• Local travel on behalf of the Agency is a job requirement.
• Attend REACH team meetings and other required meetings at REACH and with program partners.

Note: New and/or different duties and responsibilities may be assigned to this job at any time.

Qualifications:

Education and/or Relevant and Lived Experience (if applicable):

• High school diploma or equivalent required undergraduate degree with coursework in the social service field preferred.
• A minimum of two years experience in work related to social work or outreach programs.
• Demonstrated ability to respectfully engage with individuals experiencing homelessness and behavioral health conditions essential.
• Understanding and skilled at working with complex governmental and community partners to maintain service provision to clients
• Experience providing services from a harm reduction perspective is highly desirable.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Have an understanding of racial justice and social equity and a commitment to helping create an equitable environment for all ETS clients and patients as well as fellow staff.
• Must be able to pass a Washington State Patrol criminal background check.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients patients and staff from a wide variety of ethnic socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong interpersonal skills and verbal/ written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload work independently and complete tasks timely and efficiently.
• Dependable able to work under pressure receptive to change willingness to learn cooperative approach to problem solving.
• Flexible team player with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to work very independently and seek supervision when appropriate.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and use discretion when handling highly sensitive information.
• Ability to set boundaries resolve conflict and de-escalate issues.
• Computer literate with basic knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (or equivalent suites such as Google Workspace) as well as a high level of initiative in keeping current with technological changes. Skills needed include basic functions such as utilizing MS Outlook email and calendaring programs (or equivalent) and sending attachments using MS Teams or equivalent chat call and videoconference features and navigating search engines such as Edge or Google and carrying out browser searches and website benchmarking steps.

Additional Essential Information:

Physical Conditions and Requirements:

• The employee may be exposed to illicit drug residues and fumes or other bio-hazardous materials when carrying out job functions. There is also potential for exposure to bloodborne pathogens. ETS will provide employees with appropriate training to limit the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Policies and procedures are in place addressing each item specifically.
• The employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger handle or feel objects tools or controls; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear; frequently required to stand walk and kneel; occasionally to climb balance or stoop; rarely to crouch or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close color and peripheral vision and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is moderate.

Equipment Used:

• Computer photocopier fax machine phone and backpack.
• Possible use of a program vehicle for which a valid Drivers License and acceptable driving would be required.

Inclusivity and Reasonable Accommodation:

Evergreen Treatment Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin veteran or disability status. Note that a Washington State Patrol criminal background check will be conducted periodically as a condition of ongoing employment and candidates with prior criminal convictions will be invited to provide additional context as needed.

ETS will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability so that they can perform the essential functions of a job unless doing so causes a direct threat to these individuals or others in the workplace and the threat cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship for ETS. We also seek to provide reasonable accommodation for the interview process.