Outreach Worker
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Location: 743-749 East 9th St Cylar House
Salary Range: $17/hr – $20/hr commensurate with experience
About Housing Works:
Housing Works was founded in 1990; With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy. Housing Works established New York State’s first harm reduction-based, OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management, behavioral health, and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement, Housing Works operates 10 high-end thrift shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org
Housing Works fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment, among other lifesaving services.
Position Overview:
The Outreach Worker (OW) promotes the health and wellbeing of substance users and is the main link between clients and agency services. OWs conduct community engagement activities, including harm reduction-based outreach, overdose prevention training, and education for safer injection practices and other high-risk activities. OWs provide services within program catchment areas, with specific focus on parks, shelters, areas experiencing increased syringe litter, homelessness, and encampments in lower Manhattan. The OW will provide the community with Narcan and safer injection, safer use, and safer sex supplies, and offer referrals to HIV/Hep C testing and counseling and other supportive services. The OWs will work with other programs within Housing Works in an effort to strengthen ties between departments and lessen client risk across a broader spectrum. Duties may also include recruiting clients, administering questionnaires, data gathering, assisting with event organizing, and performing various administrative tasks.
Responsibilities:
- Primary Functions:
- Conduct outreach in assigned catchment areas
- Provide sterile injection equipment and safer injection materials/information and Harm Reduction strategies available to People Who Use/Inject Drugs (PWU/ID)
- Conduct initial assessments with clients to assess his/her/their health and wellness status and experience with getting health care
- Health promotion, health education, and risk reduction counseling
- Maintain routine communication and assist with coordinating the client’s navigation and goals with appropriate agency staff routine communication with all members of the care team
- Communicate with clients on a regular basis to keep them engaged
- Complete and submit documentation of services provided in a timely and efficient manner
- Adhere to workplace policies and procedures, including confidentiality, documentation, channels of communication, workplace culture, and conflict resolution
- Must be knowledgeable about community resources, including educational, social, and emotional support services available to clients
- Provide HIV/Hep C pre and post-test counseling and referrals for PrEP/PEP, and HIV/Hep C care as needed
- Secondary Functions:
- Attend meetings as deemed appropriate and related to the scope of service.
- Participate in quality assurance and quality improvement planning projects and activities as directed
- Participate in weekly staff and/or peer worker development meetings
Minimum Requirements:
- High school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) required or higher
- Ability to make data entries into database such as AIRS, e-Share, EiCare Good verbal, written, communication and interpersonal skills
- Use of computer software (Microsoft Office Suite including Word and Outlook calendaring, and Excel)
- Two years’ experience providing community-based outreach
- Culturally aware and sensitive to PWUD (People Who Use Drugs), PLWHA (People Living with HIV/AIDS), LGBTQAI, YIDU (Young Intravenous Drug Users), SMI (Severe Mental Illness), and MSM (Men who have Sex with Men)
- Persons with lived experience are encouraged to apply
- Preferable training in the following areas: Motivational Interviewing, Syringe Exchange and Harm Reduction, HIV Confidentiality, Risk-Reduction Counseling, and De-escalation
- Ability to make introductions and connections with members of the community
- Safer injection and overdose prevention training experience
- Good verbal, written, communication and interpersonal skills
- Documentation experience
- Bilingual in Spanish/English helpful
- Frequently walking to conduct services, often standing for prolonged periods
- Ability to work outside in varying weather conditions and hours
- Occasionally moving around to additional worksites
- Often carrying, lifting , and moving objects up to 25 pounds
**It is an essential job requirement to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 for this role. If you need an accommodation of any kind for religious or disability reasons, including related to this job requirement, please contact Human Resources.
Benefits:
We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion, based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books.
Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements. Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
This position is included in a bargaining unit of Housing Works’ New York City employees represented by a labor union known as the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (“RWDSU”). Accordingly, the RWDSU has the exclusive right to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment related to this position and this position may become covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (a “CBA”) between Housing Works and the RWDSU.
Last Updated on July 5, 2023 by HepFree NYC
