Community Activity Worker – Housing, Homelessness Response Division

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About the Department

The City of San Jose Housing Department’s mission is to strengthen and to revitalize the community through housing and neighborhood investments. The Housing Department has funded over 20,000 affordable apartments, oversees the Rent Stabilization Program that provides protection to both renters and mobile homeowners, and is implementing innovative programs to preserve restricted affordable apartments. The Housing Department also strives to make homelessness in San Jose rare, brief, and one-time, through the implementation of the Community Plan to End Homelessness. The Plan is a collaborative public-private partnership with the County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing, the Santa Clara Housing Authority, and Destination: Home, a nonprofit. The Housing Department manages four U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Programs entitlement grants in addition to numerous state and local grant programs. Over the past three years, the Housing Department has played a major role in protecting the City most vulnerable residents by investing over $150 million in funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Housing Department has a capital budget of approximately $333.5 million, an operating budget of $19 million and 109 full-time employees. The Housing Department is committed to creating a welcoming, equitable, and supportive workplace for all employees.

Position Duties

The Housing Department is currently seeking to fill multiple full-time Community Activity Worker vacanc ies in the Homelessness Response Division .

These are temporary (Overstrength) positions that are anticipated to be funded through June 30, 2025, subject to further extension as appropriate . If this position is not extended through the budget process, the City may seek to place you in other internal job opportunities based on your previous work experience.

Salary range for this classification is $49,904.40 - $60,758.88 a nnually .

This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The Community Activity Worker is an essential member of the City's Housing Department, supporting the Homelessness Response Team. This role focuses on engaging with and addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The position involves organizing and coordinating community services, providing information, and fostering relationships with people experiencing homelessness in the City of San Jose. The position will play a key role in street-based services offering direct client support, crisis response interventions, and community engagement regarding homelessness and homeless encampments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct outreach on a reactive basis, responding to community concerns by providing outreach to homeless encampments and addressing the needs and concerns of our community.
  

• Engage with both housed residents and those experiencing homelessness, fostering relationships, understanding their needs, and linking them to appropriate services.
  

• Facilitate access to individualized services, assessments, and shelter and/or housing options, ensuring that responses are timely and effective in addressing the crises of those in need.
  

• Work closely with other city departments, non-profit organizations, and community partners to coordinate a comprehensive response to homelessness.
  

• Document all outreach activities and interactions in EMS .
  

• Transport clients in a City vehicle, to shelter or other appropriate destinations .
  

• Respond to crisis related calls/concerns within the same day of the request.
  

• Performing contact and liaison work in explaining and interpreting City programs.
  

• Coordinating with governmental agencies, local businesses, and City Departments .
  

• Providing information to residents, housed and experiencing homelessness on accessing City services or other service providers .
  

• Rendering first aid in case of injury .
  

• May be required to provide bilingual translation, both orally and in writing.
  

• Make timely and accurate decisions in emergencies or crises with particular awareness of the need for the safety of all clients, staff, or volunteers involved.
  

Schedule:

This is a full-time position , typically scheduled Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Flexibility is required as the role may involve early morning, evening, or weekend work depending on the needs of the community and outreach activities.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Graduation from high school or equivalent (General Education Development (GED) Test or California Proficiency Certificate).

Experience: Two years of full-time equivalent experience (4160 hours) in organizing groups for community action.

Acceptable Substitutions: One year of college (30 semester units) may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

Job Expertise : Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Community Engagement: Demonstrates the ability to connect with residents, understand their needs, and coordinate resources to improve neighborhood conditions.

Communication Skills: Able to effectively convey information and interact with community members, city staff, and partners in both written and verbal formats.

Collaboration: Works effectively with city departments, community organizations, and other stakeholders to achieve common goals.

Problem Solving: Capable of assessing community needs, identifying solutions, and implementing programs that address those needs.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills: Builds positive relationships with coworkers, supervisors, and community members to foster a cooperative working environment.

Computer Skills : Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Social Awareness : Demonstrates the ability to read or sense other people’s emotions and how they influence the situation of interest or concern; demonstrates empathy and organizational awareness.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews .

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Vaishali Vashistha at vaishali.vashistha@sanjoseca.gov

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 10/28/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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