Boston Public Health Commission
Triage Assistant Coordinator - Migrant-focused
Boston Public Health Commission, Boston, Massachusetts, us, 02298
Mission Statement
The mission of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is to work in partnership with communities to protect and promote the health and well-being of all Boston residents, especially those impacted by racism and systemic inequities. The BPHC sets an expectation that all staff and leadership commit, individually and as part of the BPHC team, to hold ourselves accountable to establishing a culture of anti-racism and advance racial equity and justice through each of our bureaus, programs, and offices.
Job Description
BACKGROUND
The Boston Public Health Commission's Homeless Services Bureau (HSB) provides emergency shelter, job training, behavioral health support, and housing services to unhoused individuals in Boston. The HSB serves close to 5,000 individuals every year and is one of the largest providers of emergency shelter in New England. HSB aims to make homelessness in Boston rare, brief, and one time. It does that by problem-solving with new guests at the front door to try to prevent anyone from entering homelessness to begin with. For individuals who do become homeless and use our shelters, HSB endeavors to help them quickly move out of homelessness and find a safe and stable place to live. After a client is housed outside the shelter, HSB staff provides in-home supports to help individuals avoid someone a return to homelessness. The HSB uses a Housing First and racial justice framework, which is built on the foundation that housing is a social determinant of health, a basic need that everyone deserves, and does not require sobriety. HSB believes that everyone, with the right support, can succeed in housing. HSB fosters evidence-based approaches such as trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and motivational interviewing in the delivery of services, and strives to deliver services that are accessible to all clients.
This position is part of our Front Door Triage team. Front Door Triage prevents individuals from becoming homeless or if they do from remaining homeless for long. They provide immediate, short-term services to new and returning guests by problem solving with guests right when they arrive to immediately identify a safe alternative to shelter. If individuals do need to stay at our emergency shelter, Triage staff provide time-limited services to help clients identify natural supports, mediate and reunify with family members, and connect to substance abuse, health and behavioral health, and housing supports. Our Triage team works as a system with other providers in the City of Boston to track data and collaborate with and prevent upstream referral sources. This position will focus specifically on our newly arrived guests, using the Front Door Triage duties and workflows to assess the guests' specific and unique needs and to rapidly connect them with placements outside of shelter. This position will work closely with other migrant-specific stakeholders, such as Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement, Mayor's Office of Housing and other Homeless Services providers across the Continuum to ensure the most effective interventions based on current best practices in housing migrant individuals.
DUTIES:
Diversion and Placement Services
Assists in the monitoring and recording keeping of the Front Door Triage phone line, which provides basic triage services to individuals over the phone to avoid inappropriate referral or presentation at shelter.Conducts problem-solving conversations with new and returning guests to explore all possible options to help individuals not enter/re-enter homelessness.Completes triage assessments on all new shelter guests to identify potential alternative placements.Uses progressive engagement and motivational interviewing to quickly and proactively to move guests out of shelter by implementing a diversion or placement plan.Facilitates reunification with clients' pre-existing and natural supports.Performs follow-up with clients to ensure they are safe and to connect them to community supports as needed to prevent recidivism.Works in collaboration with the Behavioral Health Department, to ensure that clients presenting with acute mental health symptoms are assessed for the most appropriate services and/or referral.Provides crisis intervention and supportive counseling to new shelter guests.Works in collaboration with other providers in developing program policies, record keeping, and communication systems to ensure a unified Front Door Triage and Assessment model for City of Boston.Department-wide responsibilities
Engages all clients using a Housing First approach, delivers services using principles of trauma-informed care and harm-reduction, and promotes racial equity.Works with internal and external partners to refer and connect clients to key services to help them find and succeed in placement outside of shelter, including but not limited to substance use treatment, housing navigation services, benefits and income maximization, and community-based resources.Develops, maintains, and shares information regarding referral sources for homeless guests by establishing contacts and working in collaboration with area social services agencies.Researches, arranges, and documents all aspects of a client's travel from shelter to external placement.Provides actual transportation for local placements via Program vehicles.Maintains up to date and accurate client files, and client records/documents, entering timely and accurate data into BPHC's and the City's HMIS databases.Actively coordinates with other departments to provide integrated services to guests.Attends and participates in regular team and/or Bureau meetings and trainings.Other duties as assigned.Minimum Qualifications
Requirements
Bachelor's degree with a minimum one (1) year human services experience. College level course work equivalent to an Associate's degree with two (2) years human services experience or High School diploma/GED and three (3) years human services experience may be substituted for above requirements.Commitment to racial equity, housing first, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction.Previous experience working with homeless, diverse ethnic and racial, and low-income populations with an understanding of barriers posted by mental health, substance use, immigration status, and criminal record.Strong organizational and communication skills.Ability to follow a defined program model of progressive engagement.Experience with motivational interviewing preferred.Ability to work in a team atmosphere.Computer proficiency including writing, sending, and managing emails, using and entering data into an online database, completing electronic assessments, entering and updating data on Excel.Valid driver's license.Bi-Lingual/Spanish speaking preferred.Additional Information
City of Boston Residency Required; Allston, Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Brighton, Charlestown, Chinatown, Dorchester, Downtown, East Boston, Fenway-Kenmore, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Mid-Dorchester, Mission Hill, North End, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, South End, West End, West Roxbury, Wharf district.A Criminal Offenders Records Information request must be completed for this position. However, a record is not an automatic bar to employment but is reviewed in relation to the job applied for.This position requires direct client/patient contact and as a result of such direct contact, certain immunizations will be recommended and/or required prior to commencement of employment duties.Any position that requires an advanced degree will be subject to education verification.The Boston Public Health Commission is an EEO Employer and all applicants meeting the minimum requirements are eligible to apply.The advertised shift and schedule are subject to change at the departments discretion.
Shift
Sunday -- Thursday
8am -- 4pm or 9am -- 5pm.
The mission of the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is to work in partnership with communities to protect and promote the health and well-being of all Boston residents, especially those impacted by racism and systemic inequities. The BPHC sets an expectation that all staff and leadership commit, individually and as part of the BPHC team, to hold ourselves accountable to establishing a culture of anti-racism and advance racial equity and justice through each of our bureaus, programs, and offices.
Job Description
BACKGROUND
The Boston Public Health Commission's Homeless Services Bureau (HSB) provides emergency shelter, job training, behavioral health support, and housing services to unhoused individuals in Boston. The HSB serves close to 5,000 individuals every year and is one of the largest providers of emergency shelter in New England. HSB aims to make homelessness in Boston rare, brief, and one time. It does that by problem-solving with new guests at the front door to try to prevent anyone from entering homelessness to begin with. For individuals who do become homeless and use our shelters, HSB endeavors to help them quickly move out of homelessness and find a safe and stable place to live. After a client is housed outside the shelter, HSB staff provides in-home supports to help individuals avoid someone a return to homelessness. The HSB uses a Housing First and racial justice framework, which is built on the foundation that housing is a social determinant of health, a basic need that everyone deserves, and does not require sobriety. HSB believes that everyone, with the right support, can succeed in housing. HSB fosters evidence-based approaches such as trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and motivational interviewing in the delivery of services, and strives to deliver services that are accessible to all clients.
This position is part of our Front Door Triage team. Front Door Triage prevents individuals from becoming homeless or if they do from remaining homeless for long. They provide immediate, short-term services to new and returning guests by problem solving with guests right when they arrive to immediately identify a safe alternative to shelter. If individuals do need to stay at our emergency shelter, Triage staff provide time-limited services to help clients identify natural supports, mediate and reunify with family members, and connect to substance abuse, health and behavioral health, and housing supports. Our Triage team works as a system with other providers in the City of Boston to track data and collaborate with and prevent upstream referral sources. This position will focus specifically on our newly arrived guests, using the Front Door Triage duties and workflows to assess the guests' specific and unique needs and to rapidly connect them with placements outside of shelter. This position will work closely with other migrant-specific stakeholders, such as Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement, Mayor's Office of Housing and other Homeless Services providers across the Continuum to ensure the most effective interventions based on current best practices in housing migrant individuals.
DUTIES:
Diversion and Placement Services
Assists in the monitoring and recording keeping of the Front Door Triage phone line, which provides basic triage services to individuals over the phone to avoid inappropriate referral or presentation at shelter.Conducts problem-solving conversations with new and returning guests to explore all possible options to help individuals not enter/re-enter homelessness.Completes triage assessments on all new shelter guests to identify potential alternative placements.Uses progressive engagement and motivational interviewing to quickly and proactively to move guests out of shelter by implementing a diversion or placement plan.Facilitates reunification with clients' pre-existing and natural supports.Performs follow-up with clients to ensure they are safe and to connect them to community supports as needed to prevent recidivism.Works in collaboration with the Behavioral Health Department, to ensure that clients presenting with acute mental health symptoms are assessed for the most appropriate services and/or referral.Provides crisis intervention and supportive counseling to new shelter guests.Works in collaboration with other providers in developing program policies, record keeping, and communication systems to ensure a unified Front Door Triage and Assessment model for City of Boston.Department-wide responsibilities
Engages all clients using a Housing First approach, delivers services using principles of trauma-informed care and harm-reduction, and promotes racial equity.Works with internal and external partners to refer and connect clients to key services to help them find and succeed in placement outside of shelter, including but not limited to substance use treatment, housing navigation services, benefits and income maximization, and community-based resources.Develops, maintains, and shares information regarding referral sources for homeless guests by establishing contacts and working in collaboration with area social services agencies.Researches, arranges, and documents all aspects of a client's travel from shelter to external placement.Provides actual transportation for local placements via Program vehicles.Maintains up to date and accurate client files, and client records/documents, entering timely and accurate data into BPHC's and the City's HMIS databases.Actively coordinates with other departments to provide integrated services to guests.Attends and participates in regular team and/or Bureau meetings and trainings.Other duties as assigned.Minimum Qualifications
Requirements
Bachelor's degree with a minimum one (1) year human services experience. College level course work equivalent to an Associate's degree with two (2) years human services experience or High School diploma/GED and three (3) years human services experience may be substituted for above requirements.Commitment to racial equity, housing first, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction.Previous experience working with homeless, diverse ethnic and racial, and low-income populations with an understanding of barriers posted by mental health, substance use, immigration status, and criminal record.Strong organizational and communication skills.Ability to follow a defined program model of progressive engagement.Experience with motivational interviewing preferred.Ability to work in a team atmosphere.Computer proficiency including writing, sending, and managing emails, using and entering data into an online database, completing electronic assessments, entering and updating data on Excel.Valid driver's license.Bi-Lingual/Spanish speaking preferred.Additional Information
City of Boston Residency Required; Allston, Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Brighton, Charlestown, Chinatown, Dorchester, Downtown, East Boston, Fenway-Kenmore, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Mid-Dorchester, Mission Hill, North End, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, South End, West End, West Roxbury, Wharf district.A Criminal Offenders Records Information request must be completed for this position. However, a record is not an automatic bar to employment but is reviewed in relation to the job applied for.This position requires direct client/patient contact and as a result of such direct contact, certain immunizations will be recommended and/or required prior to commencement of employment duties.Any position that requires an advanced degree will be subject to education verification.The Boston Public Health Commission is an EEO Employer and all applicants meeting the minimum requirements are eligible to apply.The advertised shift and schedule are subject to change at the departments discretion.
Shift
Sunday -- Thursday
8am -- 4pm or 9am -- 5pm.