Shelter Support Worker - Housing & Homeless Services

Colonial Group; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 28,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Bay Cove Human Services in Greater Boston is seeking a Shelter Support Worker to welcome and safeguard unhoused individuals. The role operates in a low-threshold, harm-reduction environment and emphasizes trauma-informed care to promote safety, engagement, and well-being across the shelter community.

The position is non-exempt, requires basic high school education, and offers crisis intervention, incident reporting, and collaboration with the team.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Demonstrated verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Individuals with lived expertise are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Provide care for guests and maintain safety by visual monitoring of all guests.
• Ensure safety of the guests and facility by conducting safety checks and monitoring areas.
• Facilitate a respectful and safe check-in process.
• Complete required documentation at intake, HMIS, incident reporting, etc.

Skills

Verbal communication

Interpersonal skills

Lived experience

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Windows

Word

Google Apps

Job description

Bay Cove Human Services’ mission is to partner with people to overcome challenges and realize personal potential. Bay Cove pursues this mission by providing individualized and compassionate services to people facing the challenges associated with developmental disabilities, mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness at more than 175 program sites throughout Greater Boston and Southwestern Massachusetts.

Job Summary:

The Shelter Support Worker is responsible for creating a welcoming and safe place for individuals who are unhoused. The shelter is a low-threshold environment anchored in harm reduction and trauma informed care principles. The goal is to support safety and engagement of people who are unhoused and experiencing behavioral health and/or substance use disorders. The Shelter Support Worker will promote safety by offering respectful support and consistent application of policies and procedures established for the safety of each person served and all stakeholders of the shelter community.

This is a non-exempt position.

Essential Functions of Position:

• Provide care for guests and maintain safety by visual monitoring of all guests, actively and respectfully interacting with guests and the team to ensure routines and safety procedures are followed and recognize that the majority of guests have endured trauma and employ trauma-informed care in all interactions.
• Ensure safety of the guests and facility by conducting scheduled safety checks, monitoring common areas inside the facility (entrances, stairwells, bathrooms, and other accessible locations), outside the program (parking lot, front of building, and area that trash is maintained, etc), and provide supportive feedback and redirection to guests when needed.
• Facilitate a respectful and safe check-in process.
• Complete required documentation at intake, HMIS (Homeless Management Information System), incident reporting, etc. as required.
• Follow safety plans and restrictions established by shelter leadership.
• Immediately communicate any safety concerns to colleagues and work collaboratively to identify and carry out a response plan and report incidents verbally to the supervisor on duty or on-call as soon as it is safe to do so and follow up with a written incident report as soon as the situation has stabilized and duties allow, but before the end of the shift.
• Provide crisis intervention and de-escalation as needed. Contact 911 when issues arise that cannot be managed safely in the setting (medical emergencies, guests not responsive to de-escalation techniques, etc.) and provide emergency intervention to stabilize the situation until professional help arrives (naloxone administration, basic first aid, CPR, etc.)
• Maintain confidentiality of all guests and their circumstances except for those team members, collateral partners, and emergency first responders with a designated need to know.
• Participate in all required team meetings, individual supervision meetings, and required training.
• Other job related duties as assigned

Requirements for the position:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Six months experience in health or human service-related fields preferred, preferably working with those who are unhoused and those experiencing behavioral health and/or substance use disorders.
• Demonstrated verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Individuals with lived expertise are encouraged to apply.
• Basic proficiency in word processing and other computer functions using Windows, Word, and Google Email and Apps.
  Personal Characteristics:
• Utilizes a flexible and responsible work style that meets evolving needs of the agency.
• Works with integrity and respects the dignity and value of all individuals.
• Exhibits mission through job knowledge, pride in work role, and advocacy.
• Promotes diversity and inclusion of all individuals.
• Works in a collaborative, compassionate manner with stakeholder/ partners.

Physical Requirements:

• Frequent interaction with providers, colleagues, customers, persons served, and visitors requiring the employee to communicate, as well as detect and interpret information, needs, and issues quickly and accurately, occasionally during emergency situations.
• Frequent communication of accurate information, instructions, and ideas so others will understand.
• Bending to retrieve, lift, and carry supplies and equipment up to twenty five (25) pounds.
• Frequent movement throughout the program, including up and down stairs, to access, obtain, or distribute supplies (sometimes pushing or pulling equipment), interact with persons served, etc.
• Undertake lifesaving efforts by conducting CPR via the provision of chest compressions and rescue breathing as needed until relieved by medical professionals.
• Remain in a stationary position for an extended period of time, as needed.

Bay Cove Human Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, or any other groups as protected by Massachusetts or federal law. All qualified candidates, regardless of background, are encouraged to apply.

Bay Cove Human Services does not offer visa sponsorships at this time and will require candidates to be authorized to work in the United States.

Pay Rate: $20.40 Hourly