Guest Service Specialist

Community Forward SF; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Guest Services Specialist at A Woman’s Place Drop-In Center in San Francisco, under Community Forward SF, provides trauma-informed, culturally sensitive support to women experiencing homelessness. The role focuses on health, safety, and advocacy, with daily site operations and collaboration with clinicians, case managers, and security.

Responsibilities include de-escalation, outreach, and ensuring respectful treatment of participants, while maintaining the facility and participating in trainings

Qualifications

• Experience with the unhoused community.
• Ability to de-escalate conflict.
• CPR and first aid certification within 90 days of hire.
• TB clearance within 7 days of hire.
• Bicultural/bilingual in Spanish is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide culturally appropriate, trauma-informed services to participants.
• Support health, safety, and well-being of women at the center.
• Collaborate with clinicians, case managers, security, and staff to meet goals.
• Attend trainings and maintain facility cleanliness and safety.
• Assist with referrals, outreach, and advocacy as needed.
• Respond to participant needs and maintain dignity and respect.

Skills

De-escalation

English proficiency

Cultural competency

Trauma-informed approach

Education

High School Diploma or G.E.D.

Job description

Job Title: Guest Services Specialist

Location: A Woman’s Place Drop-In Center, 211 13th St.

Reports to : Assistant Manager

Status: Non-exempt, Union

Hourly Wage: $24.41/hour

Schedule: 3pm-11pm, Thursday-Monday

Community Forward SFis a collection of vital programs that ensures our neighbors experiencing homelessness have effective services designed for their unique needs. Whether one needs housing, medical shelter, a safe place for recovery, or calm in the face of intimate partner violence, we care for those most vulnerable in our community.

We are not just one program. We are a network of programs designed to work together to meet every stage of need. We focus on the hardest-to-reach, most vulnerable people: Women, Medical Crisis, Substance Use Disorder, and Older Adults. Our programs meet the needs of people, rather than demanding that people meet the needs of our programs.

JOB SUMMARY:

Guest Services Specialists provide culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, supportive services to participants of A Woman’s Place Drop-In Center, San Francisco's only drop-in center for all women. GSSes are frontline responders and are responsible for the daily operations of the site. They support participant health, safety, and well-being, provide supportive counseling, resources, information, outreach, and individual and systemic advocacy. The nature of work requires sustained physical effort involving considerable standing, walking, bending, and stooping.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Support our mission to promote stabilization, hope, and healing for women experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.
• Work collaboratively with clinicians, case managers, security and janitorial contractors, and other employees in an integrated team to meet shared goals.
• Ensure that participants are treated with dignity and respect, and that their physical, emotional, and psychological needs are adequately met while residing at the facility.
• Provide supportive individual peer counseling for participants as needed.
• Monitor and report on health & safety issues (including behavioral health issues) within the building; complete incident reports, safety exit documentation, and other paperwork as needed.
• Provide de-escalation and conflict resolution to participants as needed.
• Monitor all participants in the building to provide privacy and security.
• Respond effectively and in the moment to participants needs and requests.
• Assist participants with laundry, storage of belongings, hygiene supplies, donations, and other needs.
• In conjunction with site management, solicit, receive, and respond to participant input and feedback to improve program services.
• Assist in maintaining the cleanliness of the facility.
• Adhere to established policies and procedures.
• Attend trainings and meetings as needed.
• Other related duties as assigned.

BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE:

• High School Diploma or G.E.D.
• Previous experience with the unhoused community.
• Ability to work both independently and cooperatively.
• Ability to effectively de-escalate conflict
• Knowledge of homelessness, trauma, domestic/intimate partner violence, substance use disorder and recovery, HIV/AIDS, harm reduction, mental health disorders, neurodiversity, LGBTQIA+ communities, and systems of oppression.
• Ability to work sensitively with individuals from diverse cultures, languages, abilities, backgrounds, and identities.
• Ability to write and speak English effectively.
• CPR and first aid certification required within 90 days of hire.
• TB Clearance required within 7 days of hire.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bicultural, bilingual in Spanish or other San Francisco threshold languages
• Knowledge of San Francisco community resources.
• Experience working with at-risk client populations.
• Lived experience with homelessness and/or recovery.
• Peer Specialist certification or equivalent.
• 40-hour Domestic Violence Advocate certification or equivalent

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to stand and walk as needed throughout the shift for extended periods of time.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to sit and use a computer, including keyboard and visual display terminal, for extended periods of time.
• Finger, hand, and wrist agility.
• Ability to complete tasks in an environment where interruptions are the norm and background noise is present.
• Ability to move through buildings, commonly including stairs, between buildings, and out in the community.

Community Forward SF (CFSF) reserves the right to revise job descriptions or work hours as required.The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the person assigned to this position. Essential job duties are intended to describe those functions that are primary to the performance of this job. Other job duties include those that are considered secondary to the overall purpose of this position. This position description does not state or imply that the above are the only duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Employees holding this position will be required to perform any other job-related duties as requested by the supervisor and management. All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability. All jobs are subject to contract funding availability.

CFSF will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if CFSF is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Rights Department Fair Chance Act webpage.