Intake Counselor, Prevention

About St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin (SVdP):

Hunger, poverty, and homelessness hurt everyone. As a charitable social services organization, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County’s mission is to work daily to help individuals and families with food, housing, and crisis assistance to restore dignity and a chance for a better life.

We are affiliated with one of the oldest and most effective charitable organizations in the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization of nearly 700,000 people headquartered in Paris, France that helps people living in poverty in 142 countries on five continents.

In the US, membership totals 172,000 in 4,600 local communities. However, we are an independent, nonprofit organization that is governed by its own Board of Directors and is solely responsible for its own fundraising and program operations. All of the donations we receive serve the people of Marin.

We believe that everyone needs food, housing, dignity and a chance for a better life – no one can do it alone. Our goal is to provide compassionate care and critical services to residents of Marin County who are struggling to make ends meet, but are not receiving the help they need.

Here in Marin, since 1946, our key crisis assistance programs support over 8,000 people annually and have grown to include a free dining room, a homeless outreach team, and housing and crisis assistance.

If you seek work that is more than just a job but the opportunity to give back to your community, then SVdP may be the place for you. We are looking for staff who are ready for a career with a mission-driven organization, hold diverse experience and skills, and want to join a committed and excited community. If this sounds like you, we would love to have you join our team!

Position Overview

The Intake Counselor, Prevention plays a critical role as the first line of communication for clients in need of assistance.

The Intake Counselor, Prevention responds to calls from clients from two phone support lines for those who are housed and unhoused, as well as those who are monolingual or bilingual Spanish language speakers. The primary focus of this role is to assess client needs and provide them with the most appropriate resources.

This position speaks with the client to gather all pertinent information on their needs, collect all supporting documentation related to that need, determines the client’s eligibility for various programs, thoroughly documents the assistance provided, provides referrals when necessary, and submits requests for the need to be fulfilled. The person in this role participates in the organization’s

Help Desk services offered from 1:00pm-3:30pm every Wednesday and will be available to meet with clients in person during business hours as needed for further assistance.

Primary Responsibilities

• Coordinate services for SVdP clients by providing support, meeting with clients in person to complete applications or gathering documents to receive assistance or benefits and referrals to other agencies when needed
• Respond to client requests within 2 business days and submit assistance requests within 1 business day of receiving documentation from the client
• Develop and maintain knowledge of local community resources to connect clients with the best available support
• Engage respectfully and effectively with individuals from a range of backgrounds, maintaining a trauma-informed approach to support
• Maintain thorough records of client interactions, documentation, and outcomes in HMIS, Apricot and other internal SVdP systems
• Attend all staff meetings (monthly), departmental staff meetings, and training
• Hold familiarity with community resources that are available to SVdP clients
• Work with other SVdP community partners (Ritter Center, Homeward Bound, Community Action Marin, etc.) to connect clients with resources that are not offered through SVdP
• Collaborate with referral sources to facilitate access for clients
• Meet weekly with the Program Manager, Rapid Rehousing to discuss, strategize and brainstorm solutions for complex client situations
• Ensure that any program participant complaints, concerns, and reports are forwarded to the Director of Operations per the SVdP Grievance policy

Benefits Package

SVdP is committed to providing a robust benefits package to complement compensation.

In general, benefit eligibility begins at 30 hours weekly. Eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire.

Our package includes:? Very competitive compensation package commensurate with equivalent positions in Marin County and the Bay Area. This role starts at $32.00 per hour. All of our roles meet or exceed the 50th percentile of comparable positions in the Bay Area.

Annual cost of living adjustments (COLA)’s are provided annually if financially feasible and end of year holiday bonuses also offered if feasible. These are not guaranteed? 14 annual full day and 3 annual half day paid holidays for FT roles. Two (2) paid Floating Holidays?

Very generous vacation accruals that increase with tenure. Equates to 15 days of vacation accrual in first year, increasing to 25 days accrual by the 10th year of employment? 12 Paid Sick days accrued each year, as well as three (3) paid mental health days?

75% employer-paid medical insurance for employees and dependents with choice of plans, some buy-up options for a small fee. One 90% Kaiser Permanente high deductible employer-paid medical plan with accompanying Health Savings Account that is employer funded?

75% employer-paid Dental insurance for employees and dependents? 75% employer-paid Vision insurance for employees and dependents? 75% employer-paid Chiropractic and Acupuncture coverage for employees and dependents? 100% employer-paid Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance for employees?

Pre-tax flexible spending accounts – medical and dependent care? A 403B retirement savings account with annual employer contribution? Commuter Programs – pre-tax parking and transit coverage

Requirements

Qualifications & Required Skills

• Bilingual English and Spanish fluency in both verbal and written form required
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, sociology or another relevant field preferred but not required; equivalent work history and experience may suffice
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills required
• Proficient in the Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, and Outlook) and able to communicate efficiently and quickly and keep excellent records of client assistance
• Ability to learn and effectively use software programs deployed in the operations of SVdP programs
• Must be available to communicate with colleagues and clients during business hours (9:00 am-5:00pm) and maintain consistent access to email, SharePoint, Teams, HMIS, Apricot, phone calls and texts
• Basic understanding of trauma informed care concepts and practices
• Must be within commutable distance to the SVdP offices and be able to work in office 3 full workdays out of each workweek
• Prior experience working with adults in crisis, people who are or were previously homeless, individuals living with various mental health diagnoses and/or recovering from substance/alcohol abuse, or participants in permanent supportive housing is preferred
• Experience working in the social services field, with a wide range of knowledge about available community resources is strongly preferred
• Demonstrated effective written and oral communication skills, and the ability to effectively articulate the SVdP mission, vision, and message to clients and collaborators

SVdP of Marin County is a proud equal opportunity employer supporting workforce diversity; candidates representing a variety of backgrounds are encouraged to apply.