Tiny Home Village - Site Support Assistant - Full Time

IMPORTANT:

Please include a cover letter with your application indicating why you are interested and a good fit for the position. If you've applied before, please remind us and let us know when you applied previously.

Position Title: Franz Anderson Tiny Home Village - Site Support Assistant

Pay: $21 – $24 per hour

Benefits: Eligible for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance following 30 days of employment; eligible for sick, vacation, and holiday leave

Hours: 4 positions available at full-time 40 hours per week and 2 positions available part-time at 30 hours per week; either Monday-Friday, Sunday – Thursday, Tuesday – Saturday, Friday-Monday; 5:00pm-1:00am or 1:00am -9:00am.

Location

This position will require working primarily out of the Franz Anderson Tiny Home village, located in Olympia, but may also require some local travel and working out of other professional/community locations in the area, such as other provider/service locations. While this position will require office-based/desk and indoor work, this position will also require working outdoors daily and for the majority of each shift’s hours. Working outdoors may expose workers to cold or inclement weather/the elements.

About Us

OlyMAP is an Olympia-based nonprofit whose mission is to support equitable access to safe, just, and warm places to call home for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Thurston County.

Project Summary

The WA State Rights of Way (RoW) Safety Initiative is a state-funded program aimed at assisting individuals living unsheltered or in camp communities on I-5 RoWs in connecting to shelter, housing and other resources/services. One of the primary goals of the program is to assist individuals living in these areas in transitioning to temporary and/or transitional shelter and housing. One of the shelter/housing options currently funded through the WA State RoW Safety Initiative and available for houseless individuals living on state RoWs is the Franz Anderson Tiny Home Village (FATHV). The FATHV, a 50-unit village for houseless single adults and couples without children, will be operated by OlyMAP and will have shared bathroom/shower/laundry/kitchen facilities on-site. The village will be staffed and operated 24/7 and is expected to be operational for at least 3 years, with the goal of transitioning all individuals living in the tiny home village to appropriate housing options, including permanent supportive housing that will be built nearby over the next few years. On-site services will include but not be limited to: site support/management, supported self-governance services, care navigation/case management, harm reduction services, resource/service connection.

Role Summary

FATHV Site Support Assistants (SSAs) are the primary staff responsible for facilitating basic “ground-level” operations, security and governance of the community during evening and weekend hours. During evening and weekend hours, SSAs will be the primary staff point of contacts for residents, neighbors and partners and will be responsible for working with residents, other program staff, partners and neighbors to maintain general community safety, health, stability, and well-being among FATHV residents. They are also the primary staff responsible for supporting the safety, health and stability of the immediately surrounding neighborhood by preventing, mitigating and addressing any potential neighborhood impacts associated with the FATHV during evening and weekend hours. There are 6 SSAs assigned to the FATHV and all are expected to collaborate together as a team and with FATHV Site Support Workers to carry out their responsibilities. During evening and weekend hours, SSAs will serve as the primary staff responsible for: basic facilitation and coordination of “on the ground” day-to-day community operations, security and governance; facilitating and ensuring resident connection to essential supplies, information, services, and community resources/support; supporting and facilitating existing supported self-governance processes and practices; serving as a point of contact for neighbors, residents and partners; monitoring and maintaining site facilities and cleanliness; monitoring entrances and exits; collaborating with residents and other staff to facilitate visitor policies and processes in alignment with Community Agreements and FATHV policies; assisting residents with de-escalation and crisis response support. SSAs will be supervised by either the FATHV Program Manager or Operations Manager. SSAs will be expected to work closely with other FATHV staff and the OlyMAP administrative team to support and coordinate services, safety, and stability for all village residents.

Role Responsibilities

Responsibilities of FATHV Site Support Assistants will include, but not be limited to:

1. Facilitating and coordinating “on the ground” day-to-day community operations, security and governance during evening and weekend hours, in alignment with FATHV policies, procedures, Community Agreements and contractual obligations, in addition to OlyMAP’s mission and values and Best Practices relevant to homeless services.

2. Outreaching regularly to residents of the community with the purpose of building rapport and relationships, checking in with residents about how they are doing, what support they may be in need of and working with them to meet identified needs.

3. Providing residents with up to date and accurate information related to community services, community events, and other information/updates relevant to supporting their safety, health, and well-being through regular outreach/communication and distribution of written materials.

4. Ensuring resident access to the site’s hygiene and common facilities by monitoring use of the facilities in alignment with Community Agreements and FATHV policies and completing basic cleaning and maintenance of common/shared facilities during their shifts (hygiene trailer, showers, restrooms, laundry, kitchen, common spaces etc.)

5. Coordinating access to and distribution of meals and food services on-site.

6. Monitoring site exits and entrances and facilitating visitor processes and practices in alignment with Community Agreements and FATHV policies.

7. Facilitating and managing any visitor processes and practices during evening and weekend hours, including sign-in and sign-out procedures, “intakes” for new visitors, maintaining visitor logs, ensuring accountability of visitors to the Community’s Agreements or exiting visitors in alignment with visiting hours and/or due to violations of expectations.

8. Completing regular “perimeter checks” to assist with limiting neighborhood impacts, ensuring good-neighbor policies/Community Agreements are upheld and maintaining neighborhood cleanliness.

9. Completing welfare/safety checks for residents, as needed and as appropriate.

10. Assisting the FATHV with responding to and addressing any neighborhood concerns, complaints or conflicts during evening and weekend hours, primarily through communication and follow-up with those relaying concerns, passing along communication and needs to the appropriate staff, documentation and assisting with any in-the-moment problem-solving or de-escalation that may assist with finding mutually beneficial resolutions

a. SSAs will communicate and coordinate with program management staff, OlyMAP’s administrative team, the City of Olympia and other stakeholders, as needed, to help troubleshoot challenges and to support improving the safety, stability, and quality of life of community residents.

11. Collaborating with other workers to support residents with in the moment de-escalation/crisis response when individual crisis, problematic behaviors, conflicts, or other emergencies arise.

a. SSAs are not emergency responders or professional crisis responders. Generally speaking, intervention/involvement in responding to crises should be limited to in the moment de-escalation and connection/referral to other services or emergency/crisis responders.

12. Participate in internal and external meetings as needed or required to coordinate services for residents and support program operations.

13. Providing camp community residents with up to date and accurate information about what Reasonable Modifications are, their rights to make Reasonable Modification Requests (RMRs), and how RMRs may be used to assist them in getting their needs met.

14. Completing regularly required documentation and data collection/entry in a timely and thorough manner, including but not limited to:

a. completing communication log entries

b. updating resident electronic and hardcopy files with case notes

c. completing incident reports

d. maintaining visitor logs/documents

e. documenting concerns, conflicts, complaints communicated or observed during shift

d. other documentation related to resident required paperwork, needs for support, concerns/complaints, and accountability or other challenges.

9. Collaborating with residents and other staff to facilitate alignment with existing Community Agreements, program policies and supported self-governance processes and expectations during evening and weekend hours. This may include, but not be limited to:

a. supporting residents in adhering to Community Agreements and agreed to governance processes.

b. supporting conflict resolution among/between village residents, centering trauma-informed, harm reduction, and transformative justice-based approaches.

c. Assisting with facilitating and supporting agreed-upon operations and intervening if decisions being made by the community are likely to cause harm to person or property, if the decisions being made violate Community Agreements, FATHV policies and contractual obligations or if the decisions being made are outside the scope of what can be determined by residents.

10. Completing all required trainings and providing all services using an approach grounded in anti-oppression practices and Best Practices such as, but not limited to; Harm Reduction, Trauma-Informed Care, Housing First, meeting people where they are, providing accessible and low-barrier services, Motivational Interviewing, Progressive Engagement etc.

11. Assisting team members with ongoing continuous quality improvement to enhance program operations, including problem solving, helping to develop program systems or procedures, or participating in team workgroups.

12. Other duties, as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Demonstrate an ability to support and practice a trauma-informed, harm reductive, culturally humble, non-judgmental, and compassionate approach to supporting people experiencing homelessness.

Ability to work in non-traditional settings and unstructured environments, such as during outreach to encampments or other community locations

Ability to work both independently and interdependently within a team.

4. Must maintain a current, valid driver’s license, and have an acceptable driving record.

Detail-oriented and ability to perform responsibilities and data entry and documentation tasks with a high level of accuracy, consistency, and reliability.

Demonstrate strong organizational and time management skills.

Demonstrate openness to continued learning and respectful feedback

Demonstrate strong interpersonal, communication, and listening skills.

Ability to maintain and assert personal and professional boundaries for the safety of yourself and others, including the ability to recognize your own needs/boundaries and voice them.

Ability to respond appropriately and professionally to crisis situations and situations that require de-escalation.

Support and contribute to a creative and respectful environment that promotes teamwork.

Support and uphold the mission, philosophies and values of OlyMAP.

Must successfully pass required background checks prior to an offer of employment

Demonstrate strong problem-solving, listening and de-escalation skills

Ability to navigate and sustainably work in/through complex, challenging and often changing situations

Demonstrate strong commitment to social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion

Demonstrate strong understanding of and/or commitment to learning about and utilizing Evidence Based Best Practices related to homeless services, including but not limited to: harm reduction, Housing First, trauma informed care, motivational interviewing, providing low-barrier services, de-escalation best practices etc.

Desired (not required) Qualifications

2 years of social work or homeless services experience or equivalent experience in relevant field and/or Bachelor’s Degree in social work, behavioral health or other relevant field.

Lived experience with homelessness, housing insecurity, substance use, behavioral health challenges or other lived experiences relevant to program/role.

3. Strong understanding and knowledge of social services and homeless resources in Thurston County

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $21.00 - $24.00 per hour

Benefits:

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

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Overnight shift

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Olympia, WA: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Application Question(s):

• Would you be able to interview Tuesday, July 18th or Wednesday, July 19th?

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $21 - $24