Description
The Family and Client Support Specialist delivers a continuum of support to clients and families, beginning with arrival services and continuing through stabilization, wellness, community integration, and long-term self-sufficiency.
Responsibilities:
- Provide arrival services, including airport reception, housing stabilization, home setup, orientation, and connection to essential resources
- Conduct client intakes, assessments, and ongoing follow-up to identify strengths, needs, barriers, risks, goals, and priorities
- Develop and monitor individualized support plans and progress toward self-defined goals and outcomes
- Partner with clients and families to establish self-sufficiency goals and SMART goals that reflect their strengths, preferences, cultural context, and aspirations
- Provide holistic, wraparound support through advocacy, coaching, resource navigation, referrals, follow-up, and coordination with providers and partner organizations
- Assist clients and families in accessing healthcare, behavioral health services, public benefits, housing, education, employment, transportation, interpretation, legal resources, family support, and other community services
- Deliver support using trauma-informed, person-centered, family-centered, culturally responsive, and strengths-based practices
- Meet clients and families where they are, providing support in homes, community settings, schools, healthcare facilities, partner locations, and IRC offices
- Maintain regular engagement with assigned clients and families, including conducting in-person meetings at least monthly
- Support clients with applications, appointments, follow-up activities, provider communication, advocacy, and problem-solving to reduce barriers and advance client goals
- Monitor progress toward client goals and adjust support plans when strengths, needs, priorities, barriers, or circumstances change
- Collaborate with internal IRC programs and external partners to provide coordinated, family-centered support
- Build and maintain collaborative relationships with community organizations, healthcare providers, schools, government agencies, employers, landlords, faith-based organizations, donors, and other stakeholders
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in social work, public health, human services, psychology, sociology, or a related field preferred
- One to two years of experience in refugee resettlement, client and family support, human services, public health, social services, community-based services, or a related field preferred
- Experience working with refugees, immigrants, asylees, newcomers, low-income families, or culturally and linguistically diverse communities strongly preferred
- Strong advocacy, communication, active listening, cross-cultural engagement, and partnership-building skills
- Ability to prioritize client strengths, needs, preferences, dignity, safety, cultural context, and self-defined goals in decision-making
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and ability to use databases and digital tools for documentation, communication, research, data entry, and reporting
- Fluency in English required; proficiency in a language spoken by client communities preferred
- Valid driver's license, safe driving record, and reliable transportation required
Benefits:
- Competitive salary ($29.10-$30/hr)
- Comprehensive benefits package