INTAKE WORKER

Dept. of Homeless Services; New York (NY); On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of New York's Department of Homeless Services seeks a Community Associate to function as an Intake Worker within the Division of Shelter Intake. The role involves engaging with diverse communities, screening clients, and coordinating shelter placement with confidentiality and sensitivity.

Responsibilities include interviewing families, issuing referrals, liaising with shelters, assisting with inquiries, and producing statistical and narrative reports to support housing placement

Qualifications

• High school graduation or equivalent and three years of experience in community work or community centered activities related to duties above; or Education and/or experience equivalent to the above.

Responsibilities

• Interact with communities DHS serves to inform residents about programs and services.
• Interview families and issue social service referrals.
• Maintain liaison with shelters to convey placement information and coordinate transportation.
• Assist with handling onsite/offsite client inquiries confidentially during the application process.
• Prepare written monthly, quarterly, and annual administrative statistical and narrative indicator reports.

Skills

Relate well with others

Flexibility

Communication skills

Telephone manner

Computer operations

Team player

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Three years of community work experience

Job description

The New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is the largest organization in the United States dedicated to preventing and addressing homelessness. In partnership with other City agencies and nonprofit organizations, DHS works to prevent homelessness before it begins, reduce street homelessness, provide temporary shelter, and connect individuals and families to stable housing all with a focus on accountability, empathy, and equity.

DHS is committed to continuous improvement and employs innovative strategies to deliver high-quality services that support a swift transition from shelter to self-sufficiency. The agency manages hundreds of facilities and operates with a large team as well as a several billion-dollar budget to meet the diverse needs of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.

The Division of Shelter Intake is responsible for the oversight of the day-to-day operations of the agency’s Single Adult, Adult Families and Families with Children’s intake and assessment sites, both directly run and contracted providers. This Division is responsible for ensuring that the City’s most vulnerable population can access shelter, per eligibility criteria, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The Department of Homeless Services is recruiting for one (1) Community Associate to function as an Intake Worker who will:

• Interact with the various communities DHS serves to keep residents informed of the programs and services DHS has to offer to the homeless population.
• Interview families within the various communities and issue social service referrals.
• Maintain liaison with various community shelters to convey shelter placement information and facilitate transportation to various community shelters.
• Assist the Community Coordinator with handling onsite/offsite client inquiries with the highest level of confidentiality and sensitivity, during the application process.
• Perform high level responsible clerical duties, as assigned by the Site Manager, such as prepare written monthly, quarterly, and annual administrative statistical and narrative indicator reports that would share information in relation to shelter placements.
• Collect, analyze and evaluate on-site and statistical data from various sources, and communicate the results to superiors.
• Maintain liaison with various units to be able to process schedule and reports, and to coordinate and prepare case files and documents.

Hours/Schedule: Sun -Thursday, 3pm - 11pm.

COMMUNITY ASSOCIATE - 56057

Minimum Qualifications

Qualification Requirements

• High school graduation or equivalent and three years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to duties described above; or
• Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" above.

Preferred Skills

• Be able to relate well with others.
• Be flexible in responding to supervisor’s requests for priority tasks.
• Have good communication skills, be attentive to details and take pride in his/her work.
• Have an overall courteous and helpful telephone manner.
• Ability to perform computer operations.
• Be a team player and be self-motivated.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.