About the Role:
This is an amazing opportunity to join one of Portland most admired nonprofits and a leader in serving our community's houseless and housing/food insecure residents. The Peer Support and Housing Specialist supports our Blanchet House day center services guests and residential program participants. Responsibilities include providing peer support and referrals, collaborating with Day Center Services staff members in service of our mission, and assisting residential program participants in their experiences and plans. In addition, the Peer Support and Housing Specialist supports our meal and donation services, which includes guiding volunteers in their service. This staff member fields shelter & housing and other referrals from Old Town InReach Program peers and Blanchet House staff members, helping clients access shelter, housing, treatment, and other services in the community. The Biligual Peer Support and Housing Specialist is responsible for assisting day center services guests and residential program participants for whom communicating in Spanish is preferred or provides for more effective assistance with their shelter, housing, recovery, or other needs.
Blanchet House is:
Founded in 1952, Blanchet House is a nonprofit social service agency whose mission is to feed, shelter, and aid those in need of compassionate, supportive restoration. In addition to serving three meals per day, six days a week at our downtown Portland location, Blanchet House shelters and assists homeless men in their transformation to self-sufficiency. We also operate Blanchet Farm, a 62-acre working farm in Yamhill County where men participate in 12-step/peer support recovery. Blanchet House of Hospitality takes pride in providing a safe, healthy, and respectful environment for everyone in our community.
Our Values:
Hospitality We welcome everyone into our home with kindness and compassion.
Dignity We respect the inherent value of everyone inside and outside our organization.
Hope We foster optimism and the belief that good things can happen when we work together.
Integrity We are honest, reliable, and trustworthy.
Community We build relationships and strive toward common goals.
Authenticity We honor everyone’s right to be their unique self.
Our Professional Community:
Blanchet House staff members foster a professional community and contribute to the organization’s wellbeing. Staff members take active roles in Blanchet House’s community and culture in a variety of ways in addition to their essential responsibilities. They advance the Blanchet House Mission, our core values, and our commitment to be a house of hospitality.
Blanchet House staff members act with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity. They value compassion and respect for the dignity of others in their work; and they promote the safe, healthy, and friendly experiences of all Blanchet House community members. They respect and support appropriate personal and professional boundaries.
Blanchet House staff members develop and promote professional, collaborative, and collegial relationships to the benefit of one another, our organization, and the communities we serve. Staff members exhibit a growth mindset about professional goals and growth. They respect and work effectively with people from different cultures and with different perspectives and experiences. They learn from and build on diverse cultural and community perspectives and experiences. They are open to learning how unconscious bias may affect how we interact with individuals representing a variety of cultural, ethnic, language, and life experiences.
The Position
Day-to-Day Responsibilities:
- Peer Support Specialist (Blanchet House)
- Provide peer support services to Blanchet House day center services guests, which includes providing referrals and helping meet their emergency needs.
- Provide de-escalation and crisis management services during meal services and between meals.
- Collaborate with Day Center Services and other staff to promote a positive and successful meal services culture, community, and experience.
- Supports our meal and supportive services, guiding volunteers and residents in providing a service environment that is trauma informed, safe, and compassionate.
- Housing Specialist
- Field referrals for shelter from Old Town InReach Program peers and Blanchet House staff. Work with clients 1:1 to assist with obtaining shelter and housing.
- Stay current and knowledgable of existing shelter and housing opportunities and availability.
- Stay current with trainings and other requirements required to make referrals to community shelters and housing.
- Connect housing & shelter clients with other supportive resources and services as appropriate or necessary for effective shelter/housing placement.
- Arrange transportation for clients to shelter or housing as appropriate or necessary.
- Maintain accurate and complete data and provide timely reports as required by Multnomah County.
- Develop professional relationships in the community in support of shelter and housing referrals, as well as other supportive services and needs experienced by clients.
- Support ServicePoint, HMIS, and other data management and collection required of or by Blanchet House.
Big Picture Operations:
- Role model positive community standards and uphold Blanchet House core values and workplace agreements.
- Interact with residents in ways that are trauma-informed, positive and uplifting, and with sensitivity to their lived experience. This includes when interactions involve disagreements, conflicts, or violations of Blanchet House policy, rules, or expectations.
- Respect confidentiality at all times (confidentiality should be tempered with sensitivity to the well-being and safety of other residents, Blanchet House staff and volunteers, and the organization).
- Promote and protect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of volunteer and donor information, Blanchet House financial accounts, and other data and digital systems, portals, and platforms.
- Be knowledgeable of Blanchet House emergency procedures and how to respond in the event of a crisis or emergency, including a medical emergency.
- Participate in Blanchet House’s culture and community and the day-to-day services of the organization.
- Provide program leadership and effective problem solving to promote effective operations.
- Demonstrate understanding as to how your responsibilities support and impact colleagues and the organization as a whole; take direction effectively; seek consensus with colleagues.
- Support Blanchet House’s sustainability efforts and commitment to zero-food waste.
- Support in-kind and financial donations by promoting effective and beneficial relationships with donors.
- Help to maintain Blanchet House policies, procedures, and expectations.
- Attend staff meetings and training, which may occur outside regular hours. This time is compensated and overtime eligible.
Your Strengths:
- Able to work with, direct, and serve others experiencing complex issues with compassion and respect for their inherent dignity; presents a positive, supportive, and friendly attitude.
- Able to work effectively in a trauma-informed environment and with individuals in a recovery and self-improvement program.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, listening, and coping skills; can develop strong relationships with diverse community members and when working with people with different backgrounds and life experiences.
- Possesses insight pertaining to matters of diversity, equity, inclusivity, and social justice; understands how implicit bias may affect working effectively with individuals representing a variety of cultural, ethnic, language and life experiences.
- Flexible and collaborative with an ability to reach consensus and respect differing points of view.
- Ability to effectively contribute to a professional environment and work with the highest regard for confidentiality and appropriate professional boundaries.
- Willing to learn new things and keep an open mind.
Qualifications:
- Excellent communication skills in English and Spanish, with sufficient oral and written English and Spanish fluency to communicate effectively about matters relating to health and welfare, housing and shelter, and benefits and social service resources.
- PWS or PSS Certification/licensure; other relevant licenses will be considered.
- At least three years demonstrated success working with individuals in recovery or experiencing trauma and mental health issues.
- Knowledge of chemical dependency, addictions, adult development, and mental health issues.
- Knowledge of housing resources, mental health and addiction resources, and other social service/health care resources.
- Understanding of root causes of homelessness and effective strategies for supporting persons with lived experience of homelessness or incarceration.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office programs including Teams, Outlook, Calendar and Excel. Comfort with virtual meeting platforms and learning new technology.
- Experience with housing data management systems such as ServicePoint and HMIS.
Schedule:
Blanchet House offers a 4-day workweek schedule for Day Center Services staff members. For this position, the schedule is Monday/Tuesday (can be 5:45am – 3:45pm or 8:45am – 6:45pm, depending on preference) and Friday/Saturday 8:45am – 6:45pm.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
While this position has no direct reports, this staff member is responsible for the effective supervision of residents and volunteers as needed.
Physical Demands:
Physical requirements are consistent with physical duties required of direct service workers in outreach and inreach environments, including standing and walking for long periods of time; stooping, bending, kneeling, climbing stairs and ladders, and other physical activity associated with the lifting/transport (push, pull, move boxes, sacks, and carts) of large quantities supplies.
Our Environment:
Many blanchet house clients experience physical and/or mental health disabilities, mental health and/or addiction crisis, and trauma. Blanchet house also serves a diverse community, and we serve regardless of an individual’s race, ethnicity, religious/faith, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Employees must be willing and able to safely and successfully work in this environment and with marginalized, vulnerable community members.
Intentional Equity:
Blanchet House is committed to advancing equity and justice in our organization and in our community. This commitment inspires the Blanchet House staff to:
- Be intentional in our work toward equity and inclusion.
- Work toward a deeper understanding of the historical, systemic, and contemporary structures and actions of racism and other forms of discrimination, prejudice, and bias.
- Achieve a great understanding of and work toward correcting our own implicit biases.
- Continually identify inequities, eliminate barriers, and innovate our practices to better serve each other’s experiences and needs.
- Staying engaged in the pursuit of equity and consistently seeking to repair and improve our understanding, practices, and services where we fall short.
Our Benefits:
Eligible benefits include: health/dental/vision coverage for the employee; Canopy Employee Assistance Program (incl. household members); Simple IRA program with employer match; free meals and parking at Blanchet House; cell phone stipend; a work anniversary bonus; enhanced holiday pay when working on-site; and a generous Paid Time Off/Paid Holiday benefit (>5 weeks in Year 1).
Background check, drug screen, and proof of authorization to work in the U.S. required prior to hire.
No phone calls please.
Blanchet House of Hospitality is an equal opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, color, sex, pregnancy), national origin, disability, age, gender identification, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state or local law. Our policy reflects and affirms Blanchet House of Hospitality’s commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.
Job descriptions are a summary of a position’s duties and responsibilities. They are descriptive in nature and do not necessarily define every function of a position.