Community Safety Ambassador (Outreach)

Summary of Position

Working in partnership with the Resource Navigator team as part of a comprehensive Care Team, Street Team members build rapport and trust with participants. They establish a consistent schedule of outreach and help to provide participants with support needed to move into more positive opportunities. Additionally, they support the Community Support Team on longer-range truce negotiation, conflict mediation, and incident and hotspots specific outreach.

Essential Responsibilities

The Street Team Member will have responsibilities in several or all of the following areas:

Participant Support

• Alongside Resource Navigators, build ongoing relationships and trust with participants largely between the ages of 12 to 30 who meet three risk factors and/or those referred through SCSI and RPKC network. Risk factors include:
  

• Regularly singled out by law enforcement, even if no arrest
  

• Has been shot and/or seriously injured from violence
  

• Has had a close peer, friend, or family member shot and/or killed in the last 3 years
  

• On probation, parole, electronic home monitoring, or have an active case
  

• Lives or hangs out in hotspots
  

• History and/or immediate risk for engagement in gun-involved activity
  

• Leverage relationships with participants to help shift their mindsets and support their growth, and connect them to pro-social activities, a positive peer group, and formal and informal community support
  

• Work alongside Resource Navigators to provide connection to services and resources as participants become ready to receive them
  

• Facilitate connection to resources by attending and coordinating transportation for participants to and from meetings, appointments, and events as needed
  

• Employ a compassionate and trauma-informed approach with participants who may have substance use disorders, untreated mental health issues, and significant trauma
  

• Advocate for the participants in court as needed
  

• Keep detailed participant case notes and documentation
  

Ongoing Participant Communication

Alongside assigned Resource Navigator:

• Connect with participants and establish a supportive relationship:
  

• Confirm receipt of referral within 1 business day
  

• Reach out within 3 business days of referral to potential participant
  

• With the assigned Resource Navigator, schedule an in-person meeting within 3-4 business days
  

• Within 5 business days of initial contact with participant, establish a strength and needs assessment and safety plan (process led by Resource Navigator)
  

• Alongside the participant, develop a comprehensive and individualized service plan based on participant needs and strengths (process led by Resource Navigator)
  

• Maintain consistent contact including phone calls, texts, and in person meetings with each participant in accordance with their phase:
  

• Phase One (1-6 months):
  

• Virtual: Daily
  

• In-Person: 3x per week
  

• Phase Two (7-12 months):
  

• Virtual: 3x per week
  

• In-Person: 1x per week
  

• Phase Three (12-18 months):
  

• Virtual: 2x per week
  

• In-Person: Minimum 2x per month
  

Community Engagement and Outreach

• Leverage credibility in the community to disrupt the cycle of violence
  

• In coordination with the Street Team Manager, participate in planning and staffing recurring and one-time outreach and community engagement including:
  

• Regularly scheduled events coordinated with community-based partners, businesses, schools, property managers, and other stakeholders such as:
  

• Pop-up events in areas of recurring incidents
  

• Positive presence building (community bbq s, resource provision, pro-social engagement activities)
  

• Positive place space supports (e.g. Safe Passages)
  

• Community healing projects
  

• In coordination with Street Team Manager and Community Support Team Manager, facilitate mediation to prevent violence and retaliation between individuals and groups
  

• Establish relationships by engaging with businesses, young people, residents, and other community members to gain trust and rapport
  

• Identify and connect with kn own neighborhood influencers to understand issues or history that may be increasing chances of violence in area
  

• Identify environmental changes that may be contributing to increased violence- dark areas, boarded up, construction etc. and work with Street Team Lead to identify potential solutions
  

• Participate in neighborhood clean-ups, graffiti removal, and property damage repair as needed
  

• Identify young people at-risk of gun violence and proactively connect them to community-based support
  

• Alongside the Community Support Team, support vigils and funerals to:
  

• Leverage relationships in community/crowd to help mitigate tensions/escalations
  

• Provide verbal de-escalation and mediation
  

• Offer support and raise visibility for community-based public safety
  

Requirements

Preferred competencies:

• Commit to understand deeply and seek to dismantle the systems of oppression impacting communities of color
  

• Value the intrinsic worth of young people and their unlimited potential
  

• Maintain a restorative justice orientation in relationship to staff, partners and participants
  

• Be a self-aware (know your strengths and weaknesses), engaged and adaptable team player
  

• Take ownership of projects, be self-motivated, and practice independent problem solving
  

• Be flexible about changing priorities and manage competing deadlines
  

• Observe the highest level of discretion in protecting confidential information and preserving database security
  

• Practice excellent oral and written communication, especially proactive communication
  

• Exercise a willingness and ability to execute routine administrative procedures and tasks
  

• Be proficient with mainstream office software such as G Suite, email and calendar scheduling tools