Community Engagement Specialist

Center-For-Alternative-Sentencing-; New York (NY); On-site; USD 47,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Vacation and PTO starting at 25 days

12 Paid Holidays per year

403(b) Retirement with company match

Employee Referral Program

Job summary

CASES is hiring a Community Engagement Specialist in Brooklyn, NY to provide trauma-informed, culturally competent support within the SRP. The role focuses on mentoring pretrial participants, connecting them to community services, and attending court dates as needed.

Responsibilities include building trust, coordinating referrals, and supporting participants’ goals while maintaining confidentiality and collaborating with staff. The position is full-time, on-site, with CASES benefits.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Lived experience in systems and communities impacted by social support systems.
• Strong organizational and communication skills, including confidentiality.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work independently.
• Proficiency with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Build authentic mentorship relationships with pretrial participants to support personal growth.
• Engage with participants using cultural sensitivity to motivate progress.
• Broker connections to pro-social activities and community supports.
• Facilitate peer support networks for youth participants.
• Accompany participants to court dates and advocate when appropriate.
• Provide advocacy to address needs and navigate systems during supervision.
• Engage participants at risk to promote engagement and trust with supervision.
• Develop community provider networks and referrals for services.
• Visit service facilities, assess service quality, and contribute referrals list.
• Facilitate meetings for services and accompany participants to facilities as needed.
• Serve as an accountability partner bridging participants and staff.

Skills

Lived Experience

Organizational Skills

Verbal Communication

Written Communication

Confidentiality

Interpersonal Skills

MS Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Self-starter

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

MS Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Community Engagement Specialist

Hourly Full-Time [Ben Elig] PROFESSIONAL Brooklyn, NY, US

Salary Range: $47,380.00 To $53,560.00 Annually

Job Title : Community Engagement Specialist

Job Summary:

CASES' Supervised Release Program (SRP) annually diverts 2,500 people otherwise facing pretrial detention at Rikers Island to community-based supervision and support services. Program participants include youth and young adults, people with substance use disorders and mental illnesses, and individuals who are homeless. About 88% of SRP participants identify as Black and Latinx. The program serves individuals of all gender identities and sexual orientations. While many SRP participants experience significant behavioral health and other service needs, they have not been found guilty of a crime and have limited obligation to engage in program services.

This context requires SRP community staff to expertly deliver culturally competent and trauma-informed approaches to help participants tap into their intrinsic motivation as they recognize and leverage their strengths and skills, typically including remarkable resilience. Community staff - including through mobile outreach in participants’ community settings - help participants fulfill Supervised Release Program court-mandated supervision. SRP community staff seek to leverage the pretrial supervision period - typically lasting about 5-6 months to help participants identify their goals and access services to support meaningful life improvements while fulfilling all court requirements and avoiding detention and incarceration.

Salary: The salary for the Community Engagement Specialist position is $47,380 (Uncertified) - $53,560 (Certified) per year.

Shift Hours: This position isfull-time Monday - Friday from 9AM to 5PM.

Workplace Flexibility:On-site

Location Address: 25 Chapel Street, 11th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

What you will be doing:

• Build authentic, long-term mentorship relationships with pretrial participants to support individuals to develop and commit to their own individual plans for change and growth
• Engage with participants using cultural sensitivity skills and establish mutuality through connectivity in order to motivate participants
• Serve as a broker to connect participants to pro-social activities, positive peer groups, as well as formal and informal community supports
• Facilitate peer support networks for youth participants to support these participants to maintain their commitment to positive behavior change and their identified goals
• Accompany participants to court dates, waiting with participant for court appearance and advocating for participant, if appropriate
• Provide advocacy and mentorship to support participants to address their needs, navigate systems, and progress successfully through pretrial supervision
• Engage participants who are at increased risk for poor pretrial supervision outcomes, complementing the work of case coordinators to promote participant engagement and trust with supervision
• Support the development of community provider networks conducting outreach to community providers and grassroot neighborhood groups to ensure participants have access to a range of services to address income support, clothing/food, education, vocational, employment, trauma, mental health, substance use, employment, healthcare, cultural, spiritual, care management, and housing needs
• Visit service provider facilities, assess the quality of services, and contribute to the list of referrals
• Facilitate meetings for participants to receive services and accompany participants to facilities, if appropriate and necessary
• Serve as an accountability partner for participants and bridge between participants and other staff members

What we are looking for:

• High school diploma or HSE required
• Lived Experience working in systems and communities impacted by social support systems is required
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent verbal and written communication skillsRespect for confidentiality
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Highly proficient in word processing and spreadsheet applications (MS Word, Excel), experience with PowerPoint
• Must be a self-starter and able to work independently

Additional, skills we are looking for preferred but are not essential skills:

• Conflict management and de-escalation skills preferred
• Credible Messenger training preferred

Employee Benefits:

CASES cares about employee wellbeing, and we offer a comprehensive benefits package to support you and your family, including:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Vacation and Paid Time Off - starting at 25 days-off annually, plus an additional summer self-care day.
• 12 Paid Holidays per year.
• Retirement 403(b) Competitive matching up to 6%.
• Employee Referral Program Visit www.cases.org/careers/ to learn more about benefits offered by the CASES.

Our Values

At CASES, we like to move with PURPOSE, which reflects our values:

• PEOPLE| Hold people's stories with dignity
• UNITY| Commit to a shared mission
• RESPECT| Celebrate the strength of diversity
• PROGRESS| Always work to improve
• OPTIMIZE| Make the best use of resources
• SOLUTIONS| Work together to solve problems
• EMPATHY| Seek to understand others

Although we would love to learn about the skills of every candidate, only selected candidates that are selected will receive a response. We encourage you to apply for any position(s) you feel you are qualified for.

CASES is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment with CASES is based solely on qualifications and competence for a particular position without regard to race, color, ethnic or national origin, age, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or marital, military, or citizenship status. We also actively recruit individuals with prior involvement in the criminal legal system.

Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm
35 hours per week excluding breaks