Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) empowers homeless families with children to get back into housing and stay there. Our programs include Homelessness Prevention, Rapid Re-Housing & Housing Retention, Economic Justice, and Family Village Emergency Shelter. PHFS provides trauma-informed, culturally competent services to over 1,000 kids and parents every year. Our vision is to live in a community where every family has the support and community they need to thrive.
PHFS believes that intentional, systematic racism and oppression are primary causes of homelessness, and we are working to dismantle systems of oppression within our own organization and the community as a whole. PHFS serves a very diverse group of families, and our goal is to have a staff that reflects the diversity of the families in our programs.
Organization: Portland Homeless Family Solutions
Job Title: Bilingual On-Call Shelter Coordinator
Reports to: Shelter Program Manager
Job Specifics: No scheduled hours; employee will cover staff when they are sick or on vacation. This is an opt-in position; you can always decline shifts if you are unavailable.
Compensation: $18.50. Currently PHFS is offering a COVID related pay differential of an additional $3 per hour until the end of March 2022.
Benefits: once the employee has worked over 250 hours, sick time starts to accrue at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked
Close date: ongoing
***At this time, PHFS is actively seeking oncalls that are bilingual to help support our families. The most commonly spoken languages outside of English among our families are Spanish and Chuukese. Applicants who speak one or more of these languages will be prioritized for interviews. During the interview process you may be asked questions and asked to respond in the other spoken language.***
On-calls are reached out to and hired based on need. If you do not hear from us in a timely manner, it may mean we are not in need of on-calls at the time.
PHFS values diversity in its workforce and is an equal opportunity employer.
We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for this position, including people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, people with lived experience, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with criminal backgrounds.
Overview:
Portland Homeless Family Solutions operates the Family Village shelter for families with children located in the Lents neighborhood. The Family Village shelter has been designed using trauma-informed design and architecture, which research shows to help people heal from the crisis and trauma of homelessness.
Family Village has three shelter shifts – day shift, swing shift, and sunrise shift overnight. During each shelter shift, a team of shelter coordinators are on duty and responsible for maintaining a safe and welcoming shelter environment for families. Work focuses on building relationships, trust, and support in order to promote the strengths and capabilities of families experiencing homelessness during their shelter stay. PHFS is a passionate, compassionate, and authentic environment. Our shelters are staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The shifts that you’ll be asked to cover include:
● Day shift: 7:30am-3:30pm
● Swing Shift: 3pm-11pm
● Sunrise Shift: 10:30pm-8am
On-call staff are expected to be available to take shifts with no advance notice as well as scheduling shifts arranged ahead of time.
COVID-19 Update:
Our Family Village shelter is still operating during the current COVID-19 pandemic. PHFS has enacted multiple policies, procedures, and guidelines in order keep everyone healthy and to ensure not to spread the virus. Shelter staff are still coming to work though a small number of meetings and trainings may be available online.
PHFS requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a minimum qualification for employment. Proof of vaccination is required prior to employment or obtainment of an approved accommodation to this requirement based on a medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief that prevents them from being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Specific Job Duties:
Build relationships with parents and children who are living in the shelter; approximately 50% of our clients are children under 18.
Work with staff, volunteers, and residents to ensure that shelter is safe and welcoming to a broad diversity of families experiencing homelessness. This includes people of all races, nationalities, languages, ages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and family composition.
Facilitate the structure of the day; ensure that the daily and nightly routines are observed.
Be able to hold boundaries and enforce policies to ensure smooth shelter operation and a safe environment for all families.
Log daily activities using cloud based software, creating timely and accurate records on services provided.
Utilize a strengths-based approach with families as they manage shelter living, which involves supporting families with communal living, interpersonal conflict, and the stressors of homelessness.
Promote both crisis intervention and de-escalation approaches.
Initiate and maintain organization and cleanliness in shared shelter areas and workspaces.
Work effectively with PHFS staff; participate in team building, staff meetings, and organizational functions.
Communicate intentionally with families and staff involving issues of shelter management.
Support the daily operations and physical tasks of the shelter which include but is not limited to; cleaning, preparing rooms for new families, coordinating and cooking meals, maintaining a safe and clean kitchen and shelter environment (including making beds, washing dishes, sanitizing, etc.).
Communicate effectively with your team members to ensure shift duties are completed.
Skills and Abilities:
Be compassionate and non-judgmental in responding to families in need.
Maintain composure and facilitate order in a stressful environment with a particular focus on the stressors of communal living, parenting, and homelessness.
Must be able to maintain strict confidentiality and professional boundaries with all households.
Communicate clearly and concisely with clients and staff with a particular focus on verbal and written communication.
Build relationships and interact respectfully with parents and children with diverse backgrounds and lifestyles. This involves directly interacting with children on a regular, daily basis.
Set and hold professional boundaries in a compassionate way.
Support families in navigating resources in Portland and Multnomah County, including housing, schools, behavioral health, childcare, and other community resources.
Understand the effects of trauma and how trauma can impact homelessness and poverty.
Frequently use computers and mobile devices to access email, voicemail, texts, and documents stored in a cloud-based system.
Be able to learn new skills and apply that knowledge to different situations.
Be flexible in work routine and approach to daily schedule.
Be comfortable working independently with clients as well as with the rest of the PHFS team.
Oregon food handlers card upon hire
Ability to lift up to 25 lbs
Minimum Qualifications:
Experience working with individuals or families experiencing homelessness and a knowledge of local social services is a plus. Lived experience is highly valued.
Applicants who are bilingual in English and Spanish highly preferred; other applicable languages will also be considered.
Must be reliable and show up to work on time during every scheduled shift.
Must be able to be a team player and work effectively within a changing environment.
Must be self-motivated and work well in an unstructured environment.
Experience with crisis intervention and customer service.
Familiarity with computers and software such as Google Suite (G Suite) as well as the ability to utilize computers and mobile devices to access information via the internet is necessary. Ability to communicate and work collaboratively through email and google docs on a daily basis.
Overnight availability highly preferred.
Must be flexible to work on short notice for shifts.
Current vaccination for Covid 19 or obtainment of an approved accommodation to this requirement based on a medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief that prevents them from being vaccinated against COVID-19.
To Apply:
Send your resume and cover letter in .pdf format to hiring@pdxhfs.org with your name and the job title, “On-call Shelter Coordinator,” in the subject line. We do not accept calls, unless you are requesting a reasonable accommodation for a disability. To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact hiring@pdxhfs.org or (971) 323-3503.
Applications will be reviewed as they arrive and the position will be filled as soon as possible.