Bilingual Okanogan County Recovery Outreach Specialist

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITY

• Provide outreach recovery services for the Okanogan County Recovery Navigation Program, which is a collaborative project designed to divert individuals suspected of low-level drug offenses away from arrest and into social services rather than the criminal justice system.

PRIMARY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as point of contact for law enforcement, healthcare and social services professionals and others making Recovery Navigation Program referrals.

• Provide initial screening, harm reduction, immediate needs assessment to referred individuals.

• Manage, document, and maintain information regarding referrals in the database.

• Provide street outreach to engage referred individuals and to help facilitate client engagement with assigned case management support

• Provide after-hours on call phone response to Law Enforcement referring arrest diversions to case management; this may require in-person response during 24/7 call coverage periods (in person response will be based on protocol).

• Ensure effective and efficient communication and develop and maintain positive, collaborative relationships between all partners involved in referring and receiving referrals for RNP

• Engage participants on the street and at other facilities to establish a working relationship and provide ongoing case management services if desired

• With the participant’s input, develop and implement an individualized Service Plan which addresses the needs of the participant including food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, and substance use disorder treatment if desired. Reduction/elimination of drug/alcohol use through self-change methods if desired. Update this plan periodically to reflect movement toward goals and client needs.

GENERAL DEVELOPMENT

• The Field Based Outreach Specialist will act as the point of contact for referrals to the Recovery Navigation Program (RNP). Field Based Outreach Specialists are people with a personal, lived experience of substance use disorder (“addiction”) in stable recovery who now wish to help others who are suffering. Field Based Outreach and Case Management services are performed in the field, that is,outside of an office setting. This position will provide screening, outreach, engagement, and case management to individuals referred to the program. RNP partners include social service agencies, law enforcement, prosecutors and public defenders, healthcare, and SUD treatment agencies.

PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE/QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma or equivalent required. Further education/training is desirable.

• Must have competence using smartphones and be able to learn how to enter data into an electronic database daily.

• Recommend fully vaccinated for COVID-19

• Must have valid Washington State driver’s license

• Self-motivated

• Able to take direction from program leadership and community partner staff in positions of authority

• Outgoing and able to approach strangers to provide street-based outreach and engagement services to individuals with substance use disorders and/or with criminal legal system involvement

• Understanding of substance use disorders and harm reduction strategies along with a demonstrated passion for serving individuals experiencing homelessness and/or behavioral health challenges.

• Ability to effectively communicate and problem-solve under pressure in high stress situations

• Ability to respond non-violently to any situation

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

1) Employee is required to effectively communicate using Advance’s team norms and the following Core Dimensions

a) Respect—using manners and appropriate language; maintaining a person’s dignity and confidentiality; giving credit where due; asking others for their input and feedback

b) Empathy—to show someone you understand what they are feeling without judgment; engaged listening with no distractions; acknowledgment and paraphrasing; eye contact

c) Genuineness—tone of voice and body language are congruent; showing consistent behaviors over time; integrity (follow-through and follow-up); humility (admitting when a mistake is made)

d) Specificity—what details can you give so someone knows what “excellence” looks like; models or samples; one-on-one mentoring; alternate plans

2) Ability to communicate information to internal and external stakeholders, including clients/participants and their family members, staff, partner agency leadership, and occasionally local and regional elected and appointed officials which may be perceived by some as challenging and/or unwelcome, and provide effective responses for the purpose of community education, relationship building, stigma reduction, and/or creating shared understanding of program objectives.

3) Ability to form and sustain effective relationships with patients/participants, staff and community agency personnel.

4) Job duties require the employee to provide excellent customer service to all internal and external customers.

5) Employees are responsible for the resolution of conflicts that may arise because of disagreements both within and outside of our agency.

6) Bilingual in English/Spanish is of benefit but not required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Ability to be in rotation for 24/7 on-call response to law enforcement for arrest diversion referrals. Ability to be in rotation for working weekends

• Ability to flex schedule when necessary to accommodate special program needs, including nights and weekends

• Street outreach requires the ability to easily navigate city streets on foot and tolerate a variety of weather conditions

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $21.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location: In person

Salary : $21