Street Outreach Worker

The Street Outreach Worker is responsible for performing street outreach to the homeless in Utica, Rome, and elsewhere in Oneida County. The street outreach team is responsible for identifying homeless persons and families in unsheltered situations (cars, streets, abandoned buildings, out in the woods, etc.) as well as homeless persons and families who present at Oneida County Department of Social Services or at local homeless shelters or soup kitchens. The purpose of the outreach worker is to engage homeless persons and families to build trusting relationships that will provide a foundation for seeking and accepting services that will allow them to become independent and permanently housed. The outreach worker will provide information and referral services and resources as needed.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Conduct mobile outreach and create client service engagement opportunities for homeless individuals and families on the streets.
• Responsible for crisis response and intervention, shelter referrals, and linking families with the appropriate destination for continued services, including referral to and/or enrollment in the CoC’s Coordinated Entry System and linking individuals and families with the appropriate level of housing and services.
• Actively collaborate with other homeless services providers and community resources to facilitate access to the continuum of community services including, basic needs, food, clothing, shelter, hygiene, and laundry; housing assistance; substance abuse education and treatment.
• Assist homeless individuals/families with accessing resources and making referrals; continuing to engage and follow up with unsheltered homeless individuals/families until shelter or permanent housing is obtained.
• Assist in obtaining housing readiness documentation such as ID, social security card and income verification.
• Maintain complete client records, daily activity logs, mileage logs, and other reports as directed.
• Attend team meetings, case conferences, training workshops and community meetings as needed.
• Work in close partnership with the Mohawk Valley Housing and Homeless Coalition Planning Office. This includes participating actively in Mohawk Valley Housing and Homeless Assistance Coalition Plenary Meetings and assisting with the annual HUD Point-In-Time count.
• Assist with screening of potential program participants for Rapid Re-housing programs, which may include VI--SPDAT.
• Follow safety protocols for community street outreach.
• Complete required data entry into Homeless Management Information System Database (HMIS)

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in social work with 1 year or more working experience in a human service or related field - OR -
• Associate’s Degree in a human service field and 2 or more years of social services experience working with persons and families who are homeless or who have experienced homelessness. - OR –
• High school diploma/GED and 5 years’ experience working with persons and families who are homeless or who have experienced homelessness.
• Valid Driver’s License required.