The Bilingual Outreach Specialist is a 40 hour per week, highly mobile position that is often the agency’s first contact with members of Baltimore City and Baltimore County’s underserved and limited English speaking communities.  The Specialist has two primary responsibilities: 1. engage, educate and triage victims in underserved communities who walk in to HRM or community partner sites, and connect them with safety and stability services and 2. educate the communities where underserved populations live and work on what Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is, what services HRM has to offer victims of IPV, what systems and laws are in place to assist victims of IPV, and most importantly, how victims can improve safety and stability.  The Specialist is a creative, energetic, problem solver who exercises initiative to seek out communities where new immigrants and underserved survivors live and work and routinely participates in community events to build trust in HRM’s ability to help.  The Specialist is a skilled professional who has excellent crisis intervention skills including empathy, compassion, listening, patience, and the ability to assess each victim’s situation relative to lethality, assist them in making a culturally informed safety plan and engage them in appropriate services. The Specialist is responsible for developing an excellent working relationship with other HRM programs and staff to ensure the timely, effective and seamless provision of services.  The Specialist must have the maturity and skills to work with people from economically and culturally diverse backgrounds in many different capacities.  This position is an essential staff position that works at multiple sites and in the community in all HRM locations: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County.  Flexibility to provide evening and weekend event coverage and presentations is needed about 30% of the time.

Current populations HRM is focused on reaching include the Spanish speaking and Latinx immigrant communities; and LGBTQ communities.

Primary Responsibilities:

·         Provides crisis intervention, empathy and culturally informed support to victims at risk of serious injury from domestic violence. 

·         Conduct high risk victim home visits with Baltimore County Police as part of the Baltimore County Police Lethality Program. 

• Under the direction of the Highlandtown Coordinator and Lead Outreach Specialist, identifies and reaches out to communities where underserved victims live and work, providing information on IPV, services available, and systems navigation.
• Identifies and reaches out to agencies and organizations that serve HRM’s underserved populations.  Notifies agencies of programming and services available to victims and facilitates partnerships to serve victims better.
• Inventories, orders and distributes food pantry commodities to victims of IPV in Baltimore County. 
• Works with program partners to supervise, train and schedule volunteers in the food pantry.
• Provides one on one safety planning, systems navigation, rights education, and resource referral for victims working with HRM staff.
• Under the direction of the Lead Outreach Specialist and Highlandtown Coordinator, uses information collected from formal and informal interviews with program participants, the community, and service providers, to make recommendations and adjust programming to best serve underserved victims within the HRM’s mission.
• Records all efforts and outcomes associated with outreach to victims in the client database (ETO).
• Shares responsibility with Contact Center Counselors for live response to calls, chats, and walk ins during designated shifts as needed.
• Travels to provide in person triage services for walk in victims at HRM sites, and at safe partner locations in the City.

·         Assists with outreach calls and data entry for Lethality Assessment and Follow Up Programs as needed, offering additional safety planning, intimate partner violence education, linkages to HRM programs and services, and information about other appropriate community resources.   Makes and documents three attempts to contact victims within 72 hours of receiving reports.

• Accompanies police on home visits in Baltimore County for limited English speaking victims.

·         Participates in Contact Center Team meetings and shares resource information.

*PLEASE DO NOT CALL REGARDING POSITION*

Experience/ Requirements:

• Associates degree in human services field or 2 years’ experience in call center or victim centered services.
• Two years’ experience doing outreach, answering hotline or working in customer service.
• At least one year of experience in direct service provision with one or more of the underserved communities focused on: Spanish speaking, Latinx immigrant, &, LGBTQ.
• Oral and written fluency in English and Spanish
• Excellent oral and written interpersonal skills with a strong ability to relate to a diverse range of individuals including victims, children, donors, business leaders, human service providers.
• Knowledge and understanding of intimate partner violence. 
• Knowledge or ability to learn database management systems; comfortable learning new systems.
• Knowledge of local human services programs/ agencies and housing resources.
• Demonstrated ability to work quickly and calmly in a crisis.
• Demonstrated ability to make decisions which de-escalate conflict and/or resolve a crisis effectively.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Clean driving record, current state driver’s license, and reliable personal transportation.
• Must pass Criminal Background Check.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE