Successful candidates for all AmeriCorps positions will perform their service hours on-site at Housing Forward or a partner agency, and will not be considered employees of the respective agency.
Housing Forward is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not discriminate against applicants for employment because of race, creed, color, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sex, or sexual orientation.
Job Summary: The Housing Case Manager is responsible for the coordination and delivery of quality direct case management and stabilization services for clients in the Supportive Housing Program in accordance with standards and practices required by specific funders. The Housing Case Manager is also responsible for providing housing advocacy and linkage services that help to support retention in permanent housing. NB: This job description may have an addendum that outlines specific scopes or tasks as outlined by the funding sources or agency needs. If such the responsibilities outlined in the addendum are considered as essential as the ones listed below.
The Intake and Assessment Coordinator will oversee the Entry Point (Coordinated Entry System) Triage/Pre-Screen, Intake, Housing Assessment and Sending Agency Housing Navigation processes as part of Coordinated Entry in Suburban Cook County. Coordinated Entry (CE) is a community-wide system to standardize and expedite the process by which people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness access housing and homeless resources. Through CE, people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness are prioritized for placement based upon highest level of need, and matched to services and housing based on their preferences and level of need.
The Intake and Assessment Coordinator is responsible for high quality prioritized lists of households assessed for housing and will troubleshoot any issues that arise. They will also review and approve Entry Point housing assessment (Phased Assessment) and housing eligibility documentation. They will provide support to CE intake specialists, CE assessors and Sending Agency navigation staff as needed to ensure Entry Point intake and assessment processes are effective and functioning according to CE protocols. The Intake and Assessment Coordinator will play an integral role in developing and integrating new domestic violence (DV) coordinated entry processes into Entry Point and supporting new DV CE Assessors.
The Housing Case Manager is responsible for the coordination and delivery of quality direct case management and stabilization services for clients in the Supportive Housing Program in accordance with standards and practices required by specific funders. The Housing Case Manager is also responsible for providing housing advocacy and linkage services that help to support retention in permanent housing. NB: This job description may have an addendum that outlines specific scopes or tasks as outlined by the funding sources or agency needs. If such the responsibilities outlined in the addendum are considered as essential as the ones listed below.
The Employment Training Specialist is responsible for the oversight of day-to-day operations of the Employment Readiness and Career Passport Programs, as well as helping insure growth and sustainability of the programs. The Employment Training Specialist is responsible for the ongoing coordination of job readiness services working with experienced skills-based, volunteers (HR professionals, computer instructors) along with the Housing Forward Job Developer to enhance clients' employability.
Actively promote volunteer opportunities to target congregations, civic groups, and local companies; assist with implementation of a volunteer management system; provide leadership in developing volunteer recognition opportunities.
The outreach and engagement specialist is responsible for 1) intake, assessment, and referral services to clients in the Emergency Shelter; 2) Assist in the facilitation of moving clients beyond shelter services by linking clients to Housing Forwad basic services and case management team; and 3) provide crisis intervention, advocacy and education on behalf of clients. The outreach and engagement specialist strives to build a trusting relationship with shelter guests in an effort to encourage access to services and housing and reduce the length of stay in the Emergency Shelter.
Food insecurity and poor nutrition go hand in hand. For those struggling with hunger, food choices are often prioritized based on an item’s cost, not its nutritional value. Long-term effects on children experiencing hunger include lowered academic achievement, decreased emotional development, and increased health problems. In the elderly malnutrition exacerbates diseases, decreases resistance to infection, and extends hospital stays. In providing emergency hunger relief, OPRFFP aims to deliver the very items our clients need most: nutrient-dense and protein-rich foods. The Nutrition Programs Assistant (NPA) is critical to the success of that goal by connecting targeted groups to healthy food through special programs. Thus, the NPA must be skilled in communicating and working with people of all ages, abilities, and walks of life. The NPA also supervises the volunteers who work in these programs. By combining outreach and volunteer management, the NPA helps build connections across age, ability, and interest, thus further integrating volunteers into the service model.
Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry (OPRFFP) is seeking full-time AmeriCorps member to cultivate the growth of a Hunger Free Community coalition by engaging community leaders and food-insecure community members to identify community assets, partners, leaders, and stakeholders for the development and implementation of a Hunger Free Community coalition dedicated to increasing community food security.
In 2018, OPRFFP joined the Hunger Free Communities Network. It now seeks to create a local network of agencies on the West Side of Chicago and surrounding suburbs, aligning the work of non-profits and community organizations interested in or impacted by the issue of food insecurity. OPRFFP currently engages nutrition educators, farmers, food justice advocates, and other local nonprofits, businesses, farmers’ markets, and health centers as partners to help end local hunger. OPRFFP, a non-profit organization headquartered in Oak Park, has provided hunger relief services for over 40 years. Serving residents of 13 zip codes, OPRFFP focuses its work in four main areas: 1) Direct Hunger Relief (food pantry, summer meals programs, home delivery, etc.), 2) Nutrition and Wellness Education, 3) Sustainable Food Solutions (food recovery/rescue, farmers, etc.), and 4) Hunger Free Communities (coalition-building, collaborations, advocacy).
The Employment Counselor works directly with Career Passport clients in all phases of the employment readiness program from outreach to intake to the intensive therapeutic/teaching phase to job search and post hire retention services. The Employment Counselor will also provide employment related assistance to clients on both an individual level and group level as warranted.
The case aide assists program clients with basic needs in the day-time Support Center and provides support to the program’s case management staff.
Housing Forward’s Prevail Program provides a wide variety of emergency assistance and support for individuals facing financial or housing crisis in west suburban Cook County. The Emergency Assistance Program works with individuals and families to address the immediate crisis through a combination of financial support, if available, and referrals to community based stability support resources. Housing Forward is part of the Suburban Cook County Continuum of Care and as such, collaborates closely with other area homelessness service providers and is a lead agency in Coordinated Entry. The Emergency Assistance Program Associate will assist with client case management, program services, report coordination and various administrative functions for Prevail’s Emergency Assistance Program. The Program Associate will play an integral role in assessing client need, initiating case management referrals and maintaining our community resource database.
The Director of Development and Communications provides strategic and operational direction for all fundraising and communication strategies and day-to-day development activities. The Director of Development & Communications is responsible for leading donor relations, major gifts and providing direction and guidance to the development team in the areas of special events, direct marketing and communication, corporate and foundation relations and provides oversight for new and renewal public and private funding applications and reports. This position is a member of the executive team and serves as a liaison with the Board of Directors, as well as manages the Resource Development and Communications Committee of the Board of Directors. The position leads and supervises the development team of 3FTE and one contractual position. S/he will serve as a leader of the organization, with an ability to motivate, inspire, and guide staff, board members, dedicated volunteers, and other professionals to meet annual fundraising goals.
The Community Health Nurse manages health services across Housing Forward’s programs, provides basic nursing care and medical case management for clients. This position oversees the seasonal medical clinic and coordinates its staffing with medical volunteers, coordinates health education sessions, serves as principal medical liaison with all medical partners to coordinate care, and assists clients in enrollment in health insurance.
The Job Developer is responsible for working with clients (homeless and at risk of-homelessness ) to increase their ability to secure and maintain gainful employment. The Job Developer is also responsible for identifying potential job placement opportunities for program participants and working to develop relationships with said placements. The Job Developer will interact with both participants and job sites in order to make appropriate placements.
Job Summary:
Working in a team, and under the Program Manager Sojourner House, the Engagement Specialist is responsible for 1) intake, assessment, and referral services to clients in the agency's Emergency Shelter; 2) assisting in the facilitation of moving clients beyond shelter services by linking clients to the agency's supportive services 3) Case management to clients currently participating in the Emergency Shelter and the Sojourner House programs providing crisis intervention, advocacy and educations. The Engagement Specialist strives to build a trusting relationship with clients in an effort to encourage access to services and housing and reduce the length of stay in the Emergency Shelter or Sojourner House
