Community Resource Specialist
BenefitsPulled from the full job description
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Health insurance
- Opportunities for advancement
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Full job description
Community Resource Specialist :
Vermont 211 is currently looking for new staff to help clients with connecting to local resources. If you are looking to join a team of committed, caring, and good-humored professionals, we encourage you to apply!
Ideal candidates demonstrate care, curiosity, compassion, and competence in connecting with clients from diverse backgrounds, communication styles, and various needs. With your help, we can improve and save lives!
Available Shifts:
- 8am - 4pm EST
- 2pm - 10pm EST
- 4pm - Midnight EST
Ideal candidates should have:
- Candidate has prior 211 experience
- Familiar with navigating DOS platforms (yes, the dinosaur software)
- Candidate has prior Refer software experience
- Candidate has prior Navigate software experience
Training will take place during daytime hours.
What to Expect During Our Hiring Process:
1. Application and Screening Questions
2. Phone Interview – approx. 30 - 45 mins
3. Virtual Interview – approx. 1 hour
4. Reference Check
5. Background Check
6. Employment Offer
Job Overview:
As part of our 211 contact center, you will assess callers’ needs and provide referrals to community resources. You will help Vermont residents in need of general information, food, shelter, mental health crisis intervention, and other community resources. With your help, we can improve and save lives!
Reports to: Vermont 211 Contact Center Manager
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $17.00+ per hour
Health Benefits Overview:
Full-Time employees are eligible for health benefits including 75% company-paid health insurance premiums:
o Health insurance
o Dental insurance
o Disability insurance
o Vision insurance
Other Benefits:
- 4 weeks of paid time off (CTO) – you begin accruing immediately!
- 11 paid holidays per year
- Up to 6% retirement contribution (403b plan)
- Employer paid Short & Long Term Disability
(Currently NO weekends or Holidays required)
Community Resource Specialist Job Summary:
What is Vermont 211?
Vermont 211 is a statewide information and referral helpline for health, human services, and government agencies. Vermont 211’s mission is to promote the health and wellbeing of all people in Vermont through a statewide information and referral system for streamlined access to community resources.
What We Do?
Community Resource Specialists sit at the heart of Vermont 211’s operations! These dedicated professionals work daily to serve the community by responding to diverse requests for help by call, text, and e-mail. Among other qualities, they demonstrate care, curiosity, compassion, and competence in connecting to help clients with various needs, backgrounds, and communication styles.
Community Resource Specialists sit at the heart of Vermont 211’s operations! An effective Community Resource Specialist assess callers’ needs and provides referrals to community resources. A successful Community Resource Specialists are able to offer support by call, text, and e-mail. You will help Vermont residents in need of general information, food, shelter, mental health crisis intervention, and other needed information about available health and human services.
Other aspects of this important role include handling afterhours requests for emergency housing on behalf of the State of Vermont’s program, offering reassurance and guidance during disasters and other emergencies, and as needed, helping clients who require crisis (including suicide) intervention.
How Do We Do What We Do?
To fulfill their mission, Community Resource Specialists are provided comprehensive initial training as well as continuing training. In addition to receiving ongoing support from Team Leads, Shift Supervisors, Management, and other members of the team.
How To Grow with the Organization:
Once you have mastered the responsibilities of a CRS and can demonstrate the ability to maintain excellent performance standards, the next goal is to obtain your AIRS-CRS certification. During the course of your employment, we provide opportunities to cross-train, become a subject matter expert on a topic of your choosing, and eventually expand into a support role as a Team Lead. Depending on vacancies there may be opportunities to advance into supervisory or management roles. Our organization also encourages networking. We often have on-site presentations from our partner agencies which allows you to make key connections with other human services agencies in Vermont.
Responsibilities:
- Answer incoming calls, email, and texts on an assigned schedule
- Ability to handle a high call volume in a fast-paced contact center environment
- Ability to simultaneously listen to callers, accurately enter call data via keyboarding, and toggle between databases
- Ability to meet key performance metrics
- Provide accurate, relevant information and referral to community resources (health, human services, and government agencies)
- Completes Emergency Housing intake as scripted.
- Understands eligibility guidelines as set forth by Economic Services Division.
- Uses ACCESS (state of Vermont system) to screen clients for eligibility.
- Informs clients of eligibility determinations.
- Refers or directly places eligible clients in hotels that accept the state of Vermont authorizations.
- Completes and submits billing voucher forms acurrately for State of Vermont programs.
- Maintains firm but respectful boundaries with challenging callers.
- Adheres to both United Ways of Vermont and Agency of Human Services confidentiality policies.
- Documents contacts per protocol (in Vermont 211 database and ACCESS).
- Communicates critical updates to other team members in a timely manner.
- Ensure quality engagement with clients by use of active listening and other rapport-building techniques
- Document contacts per agency protocol
- Offer support to clients who may experience barriers in accessing referred services, per agency protocol
- Provide crisis intervention according to agency protocols, including but not limited to calls pertaining to suicide, domestic violence, and child abuse
- Offer reassurance and guidance during disasters and other emergencies, in partnership with Vermont Emergency Management
- Research answers to new questions and requests for unknown services
- Attend (or watches recordings of) all-staff meetings, team meetings, trainings, conferences, and workshops to enhance professional skills
- Represent Vermont 211 and United Ways of Vermont effectively to agencies and groups both on the telephone and in person.
- Maintains integrity of contract with Agency of Human Services (AHS) and other contractual partners
- After one year of employment, achieves certification as an Information and Referral Specialist
- Ability to perform job with integrity and values consistent with Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS)
- Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality in day-to-day duties
- Other duties as assigned
Personal Qualifications:
Given the demands of this role, ideal candidates for this role will possess the following:
- Ability to engage effectively with a culturally, educationally, and socioeconomically diverse clientele
- Mission-oriented, with a strong desire to be of service to the community
- Effective verbal and written communication skills
- Willingness to learn about Vermont’s health and human services system (prior knowledge in this regard is a plus!)
- Positive, proactive, and adaptable
- Self-motivated and reliable
- Team player
Job Requirements:
- Associates or bachelor’s degree in human services, OR
- Associates plus minimum of one year of experience working in human services, OR
- Comparable High School diploma with 3+ years’ experience in social services and/or a contact center environment
- Strong organizational skills
- Excellent interpersonal and communications skills
- Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team
- Professional appearance and manner
- Ability to work with diverse leadership styles
- Ability to learn new technologies with ease
- Ability to talk and type simultaneously
- Ability to multi-task
- Ability to pass a criminal background check
- Must have reliable transportation
- Must have reliable personal Internet (no phone data)
- Strong service and problem-solving focus and ability to diffuse difficult callers, even while under pressure
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office
Experience:
- Call Center: 1 year (Preferred)
- human services: 1 year (Preferred)
- customer service: 1 year (Preferred)
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $17.00 - $18.00 per hour
Expected hours: 40 per week
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Day shift
- Evening shift
- Monday to Friday
- Morning shift
- No weekends
Application Question(s):
- Please type "I Understand" to acknowledge that you have read the following statement: Remote work is not designed to be a replacement for appropriate child/dependent care. Prospective remote employees are encouraged to discuss the expectations of working remotely with family members/housemates prior to entering a remote work agreement.
- Please type "I Understand" to acknowledge that you have read the following statement: Employees must be available by phone and email during their scheduled shift. All client interactions will be conducted on a client or company-based communications platform. Employee activity on organizational equipment/platforms and time can and will be monitored. Employees working remotely will be held to the same performance standards and review schedule as any other employees.
- Do you have a computer with at least 16gb of RAM and dedicated workspace that you can use for remote work?
- From the job description, which shift are you interested in?
Education:
- High school or equivalent (Required)
Experience:
- 2-1-1: 1 year (Preferred)
- Talk and Type: 1 year (Required)
- Contact Center: 1 year (Preferred)
- human services/social work: 1 year (Preferred)
- Call center: 1 year (Preferred)
Work Location: Remote