Outreach Specialist -Young Mothers Program na Roca

About Roca

Roca is a fast-paced, data-driven, and relentless organization that serves over 1,800 high-risk young people every year. Founded just outside of Boston in 1988, Roca operates a nationally acclaimed Intervention Model with five sites in Massachusetts, one in Baltimore, Maryland, and one in Hartford, CT.

Over 37 years, Roca has learned that to impact urban violence, we must work directly with the young people and systems at the center of it. Roca’s Intervention Model engages young people at the center of urban violence in an intensive four-year program to address trauma, teach life-saving cognitive-behavioral skills, and break the cycle of incarceration and poverty that traditional youth programs alone can’t break. And, because it takes all of us, Roca also helps institutions like police and state agencies change the way they work with young people who are traumatized and living at the intersection of gangs, drugs, poverty, violence, immigration challenges, and involvement with multiple public systems.

Position Overview

The Outreach Specialist will report to the Director of Roca Hartford and will have the primary responsibility of engaging very high-risk young women through intensive street outreach, community partner follow-up, and coordination with Youth Workers. The Outreach Specialist will also be focused on building/vehicle safety and oversight, crisis intervention, and critical incident response. Additionally, the Outreach Specialist will stay up to date on community violence and safety issues in Roca’s service area of Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester, and New Britain. S/he will cultivate and manage partnerships with key systems and community partners. 

 Responsibilities

• Provide hospital response and immediate outreach to female victims of violence within Roca’s age range as identified by Hospital Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) partners. 
• Determine Roca eligibility for victims of violence referred through HVIP. 
• Carry a caseload of high-risk young women who have been impacted by community violence including victims of non-fatal shootings and stabbings and sexual violence.
• In collaboration with Director and Assistant Directors, engage with key partners to increase referrals, resources, and supports for participants and represent Roca as appropriate in community events, meetings, and learning communities. Build relationships with systems and community partners related to safety, including but not limited to local Police Departments, domestic violence partners, shelters, etc.
• Support Youth Workers in plans to engage young people who are off-track, who have not been engaged in programming, and who may need intentional conversations around safety issues. Support staff with eligibility assessment and vetting and assist in locating red flag participants who are difficult to find. 
• Work with staff and partners to gather key information on barriers (substance abuse, street involvement, affiliations, domestic violence, etc.).
• Maintain Safety List and update Safety Profiles with new information as needed and communicate with staff regarding safety in the building and community.
• Engage and build relationships with young people for the purpose of supporting behavior change and skill development including the teaching, application, and practice of CBT and harm reduction programming.
• Proficiently navigate and utilize Efforts To Outcomes (ETO), Roca’s performance-based management system to maintain up-to-date information on participant safety and outreach. 
• Provide coverage as needed for Transitional Employment Program work crew.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

The very nature of Roca’s work requires an individual of great commitment and energy to the mission. Roca seeks a highly driven individual who is in alignment with the culture and values of Roca.  In addition, the ideal candidate for this position will be a trustworthy decision-maker.  He/she will have a sense of humor, feel passionate and committed to direct work with high-risk youth, and demonstrate interest in coaching and supporting coworkers.  

Roca expects candidates to have the following skills:

• BA preferred/Equivalent experience accepted.
• 1-3 years of experience working with street involved high risk young people. 
• Experience in crisis response, conflict resolution, and/or violence prevention preferred.
• Capacity to think and act intentionally and strategically to help young people change behaviors.
• Capacity for creative problem-solving, conflict resolution, violence prevention.
• Strong written and oral communication.
• Excellent at organizing, managing and completing multiple complex projects and tasks simultaneously with thoroughness, accuracy, timeliness and good humor.
• Self-motivation, initiative, sound judgment, and commitment to ongoing learning are essential.
• Ability to work as a part of a team.

Requirements for this position:

• Valid state-issued Driver’s License and ability to travel around Hartford area. 
• Working knowledge of Hartford and surrounding communities. 
• Experience working with diverse cultures.
• Strong computer literacy.
• Flexibility with work hours/schedule as needed for programming and participant needs.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, and talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to push, pull, stock, and must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Work can be repetitive in nature. Specific vision abilities required by this job include depth perception, peripheral vision, the ability to distinguish basic colors and the ability to adjust vision to bring objects into focus. 

Work Environment: 

The position can work in outdoor and indoor environments. The noise level is typically moderate.