Career Opportunities

ACTS provides a professional and welcoming atmosphere for it’s staff, as well as competitive salary and benefits.

ACTS understands it’s the talent of our staff that makes our work successful, and seeks to recruit staff with diverse perspectives and all walks of life to provide the best possible service to our neighbors in crisis.

It’s a great place to work where all are welcome!

ACTS is currently hiring for a Diversion Specialist Position.

Job Posting: Diversion Specialist

Overview: Area Congregations Together in Service (ACTS) is hiring for a Diversion Specialists positions as a part of the Homeless Connection Line (HCL). As the largest Access Point for the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC), the HCL provides phone-based diversion, mediation, and safety planning for households/individuals experiencing or at-imminent risk of homelessness. At this current time, the HCL operates Monday – Friday 8am – 9pm and Saturday – Sunday 1pm – 9pm.  Successful applicants will have the opportunity to take part in this multi-agency collaborative that is at the forefront of best practice for access to homeless services. The HCL and these positions are based in a shard space at the Homeward offices – but is currently being preformed remotely.

Scope: The role of the Diversion Specialist is to facilitate calls on the HCL to assist those who are within three days of losing housing or experiencing homelessness with access to safe alternatives to shelter or access to shelter through the shelter referral system. It includes answering incoming calls in a client centered, trauma-informed, solution-focused manner and providing access to housing-focused strategies that reduce the likelihood the caller will become homeless. This position works in partnership with the GRCoC, local service providers, government partners and funders to provide a comprehensive regional approach that aligns seamlessly with the Coordinated Entry System.

Hours: 40 per week (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: (May include, but re not limited to the functions listed below.)

• Conduct initial screening of callers to assess appropriate services suggestions and facilitate setting appointments for referrals and/or services.
• Respond to client calls by assessing the level of danger for domestic and sexual violence, mental health, substance abuse, and homeless issues and offers referral resources.
• Facilitate and provide housing-focused diversion and mediation services for households experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness.
• Ensure the collection of required service utilization, demographic, and outcome data and enters the needed data in the Homeward Community Information Systems (HCIS).
• Build strong, strategic relationships with community partners.
• Participate in case conferencing, as directed by the Care Navigation Team.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required. Flexibility in work hours and computer knowledge is imperative.

Education and/or Experience:

• Minimum Associate’s degree in a relevant social services field; or equivalent combination of education and experiences.
• Experience in homeless services and/or domestic and sexual violence field preferred.
• Knowledge of community resources and referral networks, and the capacity to identify and develop relationships with new resources and services as they become available.
• Knowledge of computer and office equipment, Microsoft Word and Excel.

Skills and Requirements:

• Outstanding communication skills, using appropriate language (verbal and written).
• Ability to articulate and demonstrate a clear understanding of homeless dynamics and interventions.
• Ability to manage a crisis phone line while maintaining empathetic listening and compassionate response skills.
• Ability to maintain personal and professional boundaries as well as represent the interests of the HCL and ACTS.
• Exemplification of excellence and performance that reflects the philosophy of the vision of the HCL and ACTS.
• Detail-oriented and strong organizational skills, with the capacity to develop and manage systems that ensure accurate and timely follow-up as well as documentation.
• Considerable knowledge of community resources and referral networks, and the capacity o identify and develop relationships with new resources and services as they become available.
• Successful completion of criminal background and credit checks.

Compensation: $33,000 – $37,500

To Apply: Please submit your resume and cover letter to info@actsrva.org by noon on Monday November 28th, 2022.