Crisis Focused Support Specialist-Kansas City, KS

Description

Position Summary:

Successfully promote and support the mission of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas as guided by Catholic Social Teaching. This role focuses on de-escalating high-stress situations, assessing safety concerns, and providing trauma-informed support to ensure the well-being of clients, volunteers, and staff. In addition to this primary responsibility, the position supports the Family Support Site Manager with food pantry operations, administrative activities, and volunteer coordination as needed. Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace the broadest definition of neighbor and the characteristics that make them unique, including age, gender, race, ethnicity, social-economic status, education, immigration status, national origin, language, family or marital status, political affiliation, disability and religious beliefs. 

Essential Functions:

• Crisis Intervention
• Respond to clients experiencing emotional, financial, or situational crises
• Utilize crisis intervention techniques to de-escalate and stabilize individuals 
• Assess immediate safety concerns, including risk of harm to self or others
• Provide trauma-informed support during high-stress situations
• Determine appropriate level of care or referral
• Coordinate with emergency services when necessary
• Document and follow up on high-risk situations
• Connect clients to internal programs and community resources
• Communicate clearly with supervisors regarding high-risk or complex situations

Operations Support

• Greet clients, volunteers and guests at front desk in a positive and professional manner.
• Perform daily reconciliation for front desk intake information to ensure it is completed and accurate. Assist in the submission of regularly scheduled reports.
• Provide supportive oversight of the volunteers, in conjunction with the assigned Program Support Specialist, at the assigned Family Support Center and work with site supervisor to ensure CCNEK mission and values are being demonstrated at all times. 
• Support training of front desk volunteers & food pantry volunteers on site with procedures for food pantry, answering phone calls and relevant site policies and procedures.    
• Support the oversight of volunteer front desk and food pantry schedule. Be prepared to utilize a substitute list and call volunteers when vacancies occur. 
• Assist volunteers with daily data entry in Apricot and other data-base systems as needed.

Food Pantry Support

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of food-safety guidelines as well as third party policies that govern the operations of the food pantry (ie: Harvesters and Second Harvest) and lead volunteers to implement the procedures as well.
• Assist with stocking and organizing deliveries and donations, as needed, to keep food pantry shelves well maintained.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

MINUMUM POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Demonstrate a passion for the mission of Catholic Charities.
• Must be willing to perform by the agency’s values: love, patience, kindness, faithfulness, self- control and joy.
• Catholic Charities promotes a diverse workforce. Employees are not required to be Catholic, however, employees of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas must understand that they are a visible representative of the Archdiocesan Church and as such will not publicly oppose the teachings of the Catholic Faith nor publicly advocate for any position in conflict with Catholic teaching, or the specific positions of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This requirement includes any public speech, demonstration, or writing including the use of social media or other digital technologies.
• Must complete VIRTUS training, background screening, drug testing, and any ongoing training as required
• High School degree or equivalent. Two-year Associates Degree preferred.
• 1–2 years of experience in crisis intervention is required
• Ability to work with diverse backgrounds.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to communicate and respect people from a variety of social, economic and ethnic backgrounds.
• Computer skills required; Outlook E-mail, Microsoft Office, data entry and phone skills
• Spanish speaking skills preferred.  

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Most of the job duties require the employee to sit for longer periods of time. Occasionally, the employee will be required to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• Most of the job duties require use of a computer, which require repetitive keyboard and mouse motions, as well as prolonged viewing of a computer screen.
• The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds or find assistance to do so.