SCEHEDLE: 40 hours, this is an amalgamation position serving as Activities Coordinator Wed, Thu, and Fri 6:45am – 3:15pm and as a Residential Counselor Sat, and Sun, 2:45pm – 11:15pm.

Pays $22.00 per hour DOE

This position carries a $1250.00 retention bonus payable at in equal installments at $400 at 3 months, $400 at 6 months, and $450 at 12 months.

“This bonus is only available to new, external hires to Pine Street Inn, including temporary staff who are thereafter converted to permanent employment status. This bonus is not available to Pine Street Inn staff or paid interns or paid co-op students who are seeking a transfer to this role. This bonus is only payable for work actually performed in this role. Employees who leave their position before they have worked all the time required for each bonus installment will not be eligible to collect further payment for their prior position, even if they stay at Pine Street Inn in another position.”

LOCATION: 28 Rockwell Street, Dorchester, MA 02124

JOB DESCRIPTION:4

Summary of the Position:

The Activities Coordinator will be responsible for the overall recreational therapy component of the Safe Haven Programs following the Housing First and Harm Reduction models. This position provides 24-hour coverage as the Activities Coordinator and 16-hours of day/evening counselor coverage. The Activities Coordinator will establish rapport with participants and create an atmosphere that encourages social interactions and engagement via structured in-house and outside activities in the community to chronic, mentally ill participants to reach their highest level of functioning. The Activities Coordinator will assist the program case manager on working with the participant on achieving IAP and housing goals. Duties will include assisting participants in discovering leisure time activities, Activities of Daily Living training, milieu therapy, and providing opportunities for hobbies, entertainment and work readiness. The goal of the work will be to enhance stability and psychosocial rehabilitation.

REQUIREMENTS:

Qualifications:

Education/Training:

Required:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Valid Massachusetts driver’s license

Knowledge/Experience:

Required:

• Minimum of two years prior work experience , community residence, or an inpatient setting
• Experience as a team member; familiarity with the concepts of psychosocial rehabilitation and consumer empowerment
• Some knowledge of chronic mental illness
• Experience working with dually diagnosed individuals
• Experience assisting people with ADL skills; experience planning recreational activities
• Experience conducting groups such as Human Rights, cooking or plant groups

Preferred:

• Previous experience working with a Housing First/Stabilization Model

Physical Abilities/SKILLS:

Required:

• Ability to respond to individuals in crisis
• Ability to climb multiple sets of stairs quickly and frequently
• Ability to accompany participants to outside recreational activities
• Ability to assist certain individuals with ADL skills
• Ability to purchase and transport supplies needed for activities

Mental Abilities/SKILLS:

Required:

• Ability to attend to multiple tasks, ability to tolerate stress, demonstrate patience
• Ability to resolve conflicts diplomatically with supportiveness and nurturance
• Ability to set limits when needed, and observance of appropriate boundaries
• Ability to be open minded about exploring creative new ways to help participants maintain housing stability
• Willingness to use continuing education as a tool to gain ideas for improving participant outcomes

Essential Functions Include But Are Not Limited To

• Meet and assist participants to provide them with activities enhance their housing experience that include discovering leisure time activities, ADL training, milieu therapy, and providing opportunities for hobbies, entertainment and work readiness.
• Conduct in-house recreational activities on a weekly basis, such as movie night, bingo, cards, music appreciation or other such pastimes.
• Conduct in-house activities on a weekly basis that promote independent living such as cooking, accessing community activities, money management.
• Confer regularly with other staff to promote program integrity and proactively identify any group issues that need addressing.
• Work with the Clinical/Lead Case Manager and Program Manager to develop multiple long-term recreational projects.
• Collaborate with the Housing Stabilization Team to develop clinical and therapeutic groups and activities.
• Organize community based activities and coordinate with other departments around the Inn, such as Volunteers, to facilitate getting tickets and other available offerings for the participants.
• Organize community based activities and network with community resources to access movies, admissions, and other enhancements for the participants in the program to facilitate community based activities.
• Set a tone of respect and support for all participants of the program.
• Work with participants in conjunction with the case manager to teach and reinforce good ADL skills, including but not limited to personal hygiene, budgeting, cooking, and leisure time activities.
• Assist participants in shopping, laundry, and other activities of daily living as needed or requested, in conjunction with the case manager.
• Guide the chronically mentally ill participants in an intentional progression towards increased autonomy, improved life skills, and enhanced quality of life.
• Involve participants in milieu to enhance connectedness with life satisfactions and responsibilities.
• Attend team meetings for staff to do activity planning in conjunction with other team members.
• Meet for regular supervision with the Clinical/Lead Case Manager.
• Maintain necessary documentation, electronic health records, and statistics in a timely fashion.
• Encourage participants to be responsible neighbors and to take an interest in the surrounding community.
• Plan, initiate, and participate in at least one group activity with participants per week.
• Provide informal, normalizing socialization opportunities for participants.
• Plan holiday and birthday celebrations with participants
• Work with interested participants one-on-one, encouraging them to rediscover hobbies and favored pastimes.
• Help participants to bridge the gap between years of institutional shelter life, chronic homelessness and present self-determination.
• Due to emergency or unforeseen program needs, reassignment to another Behavioral Health Division program is possible at any given time and may be on a temporary or permanent basis.
• Be able to provide residential counselor responsibilities as needed and on assigned days.
• Perform other tasks as assigned by the Case Manager Supervisor and Program Manager.

INTERNAL CANDIDATES, IF INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR THIS POSITION, PLEASE SUBMIT A PROMOTION/TRANSFER APPLICATION TO THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WITHIN 10 DAYS OF POSTING.

Pine Street Inn is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.