Substitute Support Staff

Project HOME; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Project HOME is seeking a Substitute Support Staff to provide temporary coverage across multiple sites, ensuring daily operations run smoothly and residents feel safe and supported. The role requires flexibility to cover shifts, strong communication, and ability to adapt to various tasks and settings.

Responsibilities include maintaining health and safety, logging visits, answering calls, engaging residents, and participating in meetings.

Qualifications

• GED or high school diploma required.
• ServSafe certificate at time of hire or willingness to attend class within 90 days for sites with meal service.
• Experience in behavioral health and/or homelessness.
• Basic computer literacy.
• Knowledge of crisis intervention and de‑escalation.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for working with staff and residents.

Responsibilities

• Maintain site health & safety, control access, log visitors, and document rounds.
• Answer calls, relay messages, and document shift briefings using staff logbook and databases.
• Engage residents respectfully and support recovery and community-building activities.
• Attend meetings and assist with general administrative duties.
• Support kitchen duties or medication monitoring at sites that have those services.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Resident engagement

Basic computer literacy

Education

GED or high school diploma

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Job description

At Project HOME, our mission is to empower individuals and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty through housing, healthcare, education, and workforce development. As a Substitute Support Staff, you will provide temporary coverage for regular staff during their absence across various Project HOME sites, ensuring continuity of daily operations and a safe, supportive living environment. This role requires flexibility to cover shifts as needed, strong communication skills, and the ability to adapt quickly to various tasks and settings.

What You Will Do:

Maintain Site Health & Safety

• Allow access to staff, residents, guests, and identified delivery people only. Assure all guests sign the visitor's log. Log-in deliveries.
• Conduct and document rounds of the building, including checking the safety and security of residents and the building.
• Address urgent and crisis situations. Use de-escalation strategies. Follow procedures regarding emergency services, on-call, and property emergencies (flood, fire).
• Ability to manage residents alone at the site with on-call assistance available as needed.

Communication and Documentation

• Answer incoming calls, take accurate messages, and transfer calls as needed.
• Participate in shift briefing with outgoing and oncoming staff and document shift summary in staff logbook, Microsoft Teams, and other database systems, as necessary.
• Follow site procedures to communicate with on-call staff during shift transitions.
• Maintain regular communication with their supervisors regarding their work availability.

Resident Engagement

• Establish and maintain healthy relationships with residents, be courteous and respectful of all residents, guests, and community members.
• Respectfully engage residents in a way that recognizes every person's recovery process is unique.
• Facilitate recovery and community building groups and activities as appropriate.

Additional Duties

• Attend meetings and training, including supervision, staff meetings, community meetings, team meetings.
• Assist with general administrative duties, such as faxing, copying, mailing, creating flyers etc.

Kitchen Support Duties (for sites with meal service)

• Prepare and serve meals/snacks as designated times as required. Maintain cleanliness of kitchen and oversee kitchen clean up (wash dishes, empty trash, etc).

Medication Monitoring Duties (for sites with med rooms)

• Assist residents to comply with taking their prescribed medications per medication monitoring policy and site protocols

What You Will Bring:

• GED or high school diploma required.
• For sites with meal service, ServSafe certificate at time of hire or willingness to attend class and pass test within the first 90 days.
• Experience working in behavioral health and/or homelessness.
• Basic computer/technology literacy
• Knowledge of crisis intervention and de‑escalation
• Good communication skills, both verbally and in writing, Excellent interpersonal skills to work collaboratively with all levels of staff and residents.

Core Skills:

• Basic computer/technology literacy
• Knowledge of crisis intervention and de‑escalation
• Good communication skills, both verbally and in writing, Excellent interpersonal skills to work collaboratively with all levels of staff and residents.

Who We Are

Project HOME is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness and poverty in Philadelphia. Through integrated housing, healthcare, education, employment, and supportive services, we empower individuals to break the cycle of homelessness and achieve lasting stability.

Our Supportive Housing team provides safe, affordable housing while promoting dignity, independence, and long‑term success. We believe every person deserves a place to call home and the support needed to thrive.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

WALKING/SITTING/STANDING.

Project HOME provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Project HOME prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type.