What are the responsibilities and job description for the Community Health Worker position at Providence Housing Authority?
Purpose: The Community Health Worker (CHW) is a dependable and caring member of their community. The CHW works to improve the health and wellbeing of peers who are PHA residents in public housing by connecting them to health and social services, providing social support, and helping them to advocate for their health needs. Our CHW focuses on public safety, safe & healthy housing, and how the physical environment effects the health and wellbeing of families living in PHA. They engage in community building efforts to improve the safety of the neighborhoods that they serve, and to help residents come together to advocate for their housing rights.
Essential Tasks of the Position:
The Community Health Worker supports the PHA residents towards COVID-19 response and recovery; also addressing the social and health care needs of the PHA residents; connecting residents to primary care, behavioral health, and other resources either within the PHA organization or within the community.
- Work one-on-one with residents to address health concerns.
- Work one-on-one with residents to assess their healthcare and social service needs and to refer and connect to services whenever possible.
- Work one-to-one with residents to set health-promoting goals and help them to meet these goals.
- Engage PHA residents with the Arts & Health work in collaboration with the Healthy Communities Office and Arts, Culture & Tourism.
- Document all client progress in the case management databases.
- Maintain confidentiality of client information, processes, and data.
- Meet regularly with Resident Services Department (RSD) and other PHA staff for program development and event planning and to monitor and evaluate program success.
- Communicate regularly with community partners, service providers, employers and PHA directors.
- Attend monthly networking meetings convened by Community Health Worker Association of Rhode Island (CHWARI); to collectively problem solve and to share resources.
- Network with existing health and community-based organizations to learn about opportunities for their clients and share their clients’ needs with these agencies.
- Support the work of other Resident Services Department staff and Property Management staff to address resident social determinants of health.
- The CHW will be responsible for meeting on-the-job competencies, assessed by his/her supervisor.
Position Requirements and Qualifications:
Education Level
- High school diploma or GED
Experience in Related Field
- CHWARI CORE Community Health Worker Certification is preferred
Experience with customer service, social services, health care or community-related work is preferred.
Knowledge, skills, abilities, licenses and certifications
- Ability to speak both Spanish and English fluently and to write English fluently, required.
- Strong preference will be given to individuals living in public housing and participants in the Section 8 Program.
- Determination to make a difference in their own community.
- Excellent listening and communication skills.
- Compassionate, empathetic, respectful & logical.
- Open to working closely with clients who struggle with health-related issues of all kinds, including mental illness and addiction at all levels.
- Respectful, sensitive and non-judgmental towards individuals who may suffer from traumas and/or disabilities.
- Strong interpersonal and social skills with an ability to collaborate with a variety of individuals from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds.
- Strong presence in one-on-one meetings.
