Triage Specialist

SCHEDULE:

40 hours ,

full time schedule, Thursday - Sunday; 9:00am - 7:30pm, may include early mornings, nights and/or weekend hours by prearrangement; this position is non-essential in the event of an emergency

Pays $23.48 per hour DOE

LOCATION:

444 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA and 363 Albany St, Boston, MA

JOB DESCRIPTION:

SUMMARY OF THE POSITION:

The Triage Specialist engages new shelter referrals in a triage assessment process which is designed to determine a guest's immediate level of need and assertively moves the guest to safe housing. The Triage Specialist will work with community providers of health and behavioral health services to coordinate care plans which do not rely on emergency shelter when other more appropriate medical and behavioral health services should be explored and utilized. The Triage Specialist will work to coordinate appropriate discharge plans for guests who are reentering the community from incarceration with a clear focus on upstream services which avoid unnecessary reliance on emergency shelter. The Triage Specialist will work within a best practice framework of Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing and Trauma-Informed Care and, whenever possible, will provide support toward family reunification and mitigating barriers to securing alternative options for safe housing. If diversion is not possible or appropriate, the Triage Specialist will initiate a full guest intake, frame the guest understands of a limited stay in emergency shelter, and establishes the foundation for the guest's work towards a more permanent housing solution - this will include triage housing placement within the first 30 days of Shelter. The Triage Specialist will provide exceptional customer service both internally and externally and will work in partnership with case management teams to provide integrated service delivery which furthers our mission to eliminate homelessness. The Triage Specialist will work under tight timeframes for accurately entering guest information into Pine Street Inn's approved Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Attention to detail and accuracy is critical in this position.

Schedule will change after training period, and may include weekends or evenings as part of the regular schedule.

The Triage Specialist will work from the following principles:
Shelter is a temporary safety net, not a home. The Housing Placement Team must assertively motivate guests and incentivize them to seek better alternatives using best practices.
All people experiencing homelessness, regardless of their housing history and duration of homelessness, can achieve housing stability in permanent housing.
Never warehouse or institutionalize our guests in our shelters.
Everyone is "housing ready." Sobriety, compliance in treatment, or even a clean criminal history is not necessary to succeed in housing. Rather, homelessness programs and housing providers must be "consumer ready".
Leverage guests' strengths, assets, and connections to move quickly out of shelters and to any other housing.
Recognize the impact of violence and victimization on development and coping strategies.
Employ an empowerment model.
Maximize guest choices and control over her/his recovery based in a relational collaboration.
Create an atmosphere that is respectful of the guests' need for safety, respect, and acceptance.
Emphasize the guests' strengths, highlighting adaptations over symptoms and resilience over pathology.
Minimize the possibilities of re-traumatization.
Strive to be culturally competent and to understand each person in the context of his or her life experiences and cultural background.
Solicit guest input and involve guests in designing and evaluating services.

REQUIREMENTS:
QUALIFICATIONS:
EDUCATION/TRAINING

:

REQUIRED:
Associates in a human services related field

Or

High School Diploma with a minimum of two (2) years of equivalent experience in a social service setting
Valid Massachusetts Driver's License
Strong computer and math skills, including familiarity with MS Word, Excel and ability to learn and successfully use MIS & HMIS programs

PREFERRED:
Certification, training, or formal education in counseling and/or case management
Bi-lingual - Spanish/English

KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE:

REQUIRED:
Minimum of two (2) years' experience delivering services to a challenged population often struggling with addiction and untreated or under-treated mental health concerns
Working knowledge of local resources available to Boston's homeless population
Working Knowledge of Housing First and Rapid Rehousing
Knowledge of the issues related to homelessness
Strong written communication skills

PREFERRED:
Practical experience in client assessment, diversion, mediation, negotiation, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma- informed Care, Crisis Prevention and Intervention, household budgeting, and service planning, recovery services - including mental health, substance use/abuse and traumatic brain injury
Minimum of two (2) years' experience in a triage or intake position

PHYSICAL ABILITIES/SKILLS:

REQUIRED:
Ability to stand for moderate periods of time
Ability to stretch, bend, lift and assist guests up and down stairs during difficult and/or emergency situations.
Ability to respond safely and quickly in case of emergency situations
Ability to sit for moderate periods of time at a desk in an office while interacting with clients and/or managing documentation and completing data entry
Must be able to drive a PSI vehicle for work use

MENTAL ABILITIES/SKILLS:

REQUIRED:
Excellent writing, documentation, math and computer skills
Ability to assess clients and make appropriate referrals
Ability to establish good working relationships with internal and external program staff
Strong decision-making, leadership ability and communication skills
Exceptional customer service
Ability to perform an array of difficult tasks at the same time
Patience in working with guests with untreated emotional/physical health needs and active substance use/abuse/dependency behaviors
Ability to work in intense, emotionally charged situations
Ability to help provide critical incident de-briefing

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
Perform client triage assessment and Touchpoints.
Divert individuals at the front door to housing situations which are better than emergency shelter to include family reunification and mediation.
Identify guests who would benefit from Rapid Re-Housing and other housing pathway referrals
Meet or exceed established program goals for diversions, triage assessments, triage placements and upstream follow up with hospitals and other community providers as needed.
As needed, develop and provide newly homeless and chronically homeless guests with detailed orientation to shelter services and housing placement opportunities as well as program timelines and limitations.
As needed, input guest intakes and other pertinent service information in the HMIS system.
Maintain thorough knowledge of human/social services opportunities available in the community, establish and maintain necessary contacts to reduce inappropriate referrals and discharges.
Successfully connect guests with mainstream benefits, community-based supports and resources.
Adhere to and model PSI policies, including illness prevention
Accept other work duties and work locations in the event of an emergency
Perform other additional assignments or projects as requested/directed by supervisor.

INTERNAL CANDIDATES APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION PLEASE SUBMIT A PROMOTION/TRANSFER APPLICATION TO THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WITHIN 10 DAYS OF POSTED DATE.

Pine Street Inn is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
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