Support Team-Outreach Advocate - Circle Program

JOB SUMMARY: Sycamores is a contracted provider with The City of Los Angeles, Mayor's Office of Community Safety, to operate the CIRCLE program, which stands for Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement, throughout the San Fernando Valley. This is a 24/7 unarmed response program that deploys trained teams to address non-urgent LAPD calls related to unhoused individuals.

CIRCLE aims to create positive outcomes for unhoused individuals through rapport-building and connections to services and provide LAPD officers more time to focus on traditional law enforcement efforts. For consumers that are evaluated to need more intensive and immediate support, CIRCLE is integrated with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) network of Field Intervention Teams (FIT), which is the County’s behavioral health crisis responder system served by Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams (MCOT) and Psychiatric Mobile Support Teams (PMRT), who can provide an in person assessment to determine if psychiatric hospitalization is necessary.

The CIRCLE Support Team Outreach Advocate is partnered with their Support Team Supervisor. The principal duty of the Support Team is to conduct follow-up engagement with individuals encountered by their colleagues, the Response Team, or other high-utilizers of emergency services, and encampments or individuals identified by the City and provide case management, connections to services and housing, transportation to housing solutions or other resources, and system navigation. The secondary aim of the Support Team is to support the Response Team, by responding to low-risk and low-priority diverted incidents and referrals when the Response Team’s estimated response time would exceed thirty (30) minutes. In these situations, the Support Team will jointly provide outreach and engagement to persons in need within the San Fernando Valley. The CIRCLE program responds to referrals from three Los Angeles Police Departments (Van Nuys, Mission, and Foothill) and will utilize the agency vehicle to work in the field with a community member in need.

Starting Pay Range:

$28 - $30 per hour (starting pay will be based on previous work experience and educational background.)

Shift Schedule: Monday - Friday 10am to 6:30pm

JOB QUALIFICATIONS 

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Minimally, one year of job related experience conducting street outreach to person’s experiencing homelessness.
• Preferred: Preferably has previous lived experience in homelessness, substance abuse, or criminal justice involvement. If the lived experience includes a history of substance use, a minimum of two (2) years of continuous sobriety prior to the date of employment is required, and ongoing sobriety must be maintained throughout the duration of employment.
• Agree, in writing, to adhere to the Code of Ethics.
• Maintain all licenses and certifications.
• Bilingual in Spanish fluency required.
• As this position requires the driving of company vehicles for crisis intervention, including the provision of urgent or emergency services, driving is an essential function of this position. Candidate qualifications therefore include:

• Valid California driver’s license.
• Acceptable driving record as determined Agency policy.
• Proof of auto insurance meeting minimum coverage requirements. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• The ability to physically manage and/or de-escalate consumers/residents.
• Frequent driving in the community with consumers.
• Frequent/continuous intermittent standing/walking, occasional/intermittent sitting.
• Continuous use of bilateral upper extremities in fine motor activities requiring fingering, grasping, and forward reaching between waist and chest level.
• Reaching at or above shoulder level may be necessary.
• Bending, squatting, kneeling, pushing/pulling, twisting, and climbing.
• Occasional/intermittent lifting and carrying objects/equipment weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Continuous use of near vision, hearing, and verbal communication skills in handling telephone calls, interacting with customers and co-workers and performing job duties.
• Requires physical presence in the office during shift.
• Ability to practice physical intervention for safety of consumers according to training and policy.
• Ability to operate a motor vehicle.

All candidates who are presented with a conditional offer of employment must satisfy a pre-employment background check, drug, and health screen.

Sycamores is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Further, Sycamores is a Fair Chance employer and complies with California Government Code Section 12952, Employment Discrimination: Conviction History.