Community Wellness Specialist (Outreach)

Job Overview: The Community Wellness Specialist (Outreach) will assist in implementing the Sacramento office’s Protection and Wellness programs, providing targeted services and assistance to newly arrived refugees and immigrants who have mental health needs, acute physical health barriers, and/or those who have been survivors of crimes, including hate crimes, fraud, and gender-based violence. The Community Wellness Specialist will work as part of a team to address the barriers and ongoing needs of Protection and Wellness clients through client outreach, community engagement, direct service coordination, individual health coaching, psychosocial support activities, and client education. This position will also assist in community engagement activities including workshops, coordination with partners, and outreach. The Community Wellness Specialist acts as a crucial link between IRC’s services and the communities we serve, through cohesive, bi-lingual services and support. This position reports to the Wellbeing Coordinator.

Major Responsibilities:

· With support, engage with community members and leaders to increase and improve our community-based external referrals to Community Wellness and other programming

· Provide case management and targeted support services to refugees and immigrants including individual coaching, health navigation, benefits assistance, access to community services, and ongoing care coordination.

· Coordinate with Receiving and Placement Caseworkers to ensure new arrivals are aware of and have supported access to vital Protection and Wellness services.

· With supervision, provide psychosocial support to individuals, families, and the community through wellness activities including implementation of screening tools, facilitation of client support groups, brief client interventions, and Mental Health First Aid Trainings.

• Provide comprehensive language access to clients through bi-lingual and culturally congruent services.
• Offer clients timely information on and referral to community service providers and resources, as needed.
• Address barriers faced by clients in accessing health, mental health, and victim services through advocacy and service coordination.

· Promote safe spaces for disclosure and conversations around mental health, wellbeing, and experiences of victimization including gender based violence.

• Facilitate community education activities including, but not limited to, presentations in Cultural Orientation, safety and crime prevention workshops, Wellness Workshops, and presentations for the local community.

• Assist in overall client wellness activities within the Sacramento office.

• Ensure accurate case notes and tracking of screenings, services, referrals, and outcomes; assist in reporting for relevant grants.

• Provide training and presentations on cultural competency and best practices in the community.

• Develop and maintain partnerships with organizations to ensure clients have access to services that meet their individual needs including, but not limited to safe housing, food and basic needs, and legal services.

• Oversee volunteers and interns involved, assigned to the projects.

• Participate in all program meetings, staff development activities, and fully engage as a member of the team.

• Other related duties as assigned.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Wellbeing Coordinator

Position directly supervises: N/A

Indirect Reporting: N/A
Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: The Community Wellness Specialist will work as a member of the Protection and Wellness team. This position will also develop working relationships with Resettlement and other department staff and will collaborate with internal programming to support achievement of program goals.

External: The Community Wellness Specialist will develop working relationships and support referrals systems with community service providers under the topic areas of heath, mental health, benefits assistance, and victim services. This includes, but is not limited to, insurance providers, the Department of Human Assistance, local healthcare clinics, law enforcement, housing providers, mental health providers, legal service providers, and domestic violence shelters.

Job Requirements:

· Associates degree with an emphasis in Social Work, Public Health, International Studies or an equivalent field of study required; Bachelor’s degree preferred;

· 3+ years of related professional experience required. Case management, community outreach or experience serving refugee populations preferred;

· Specifically looking for a candidate with the ability to speak Dari.

· Previous multi-cultural experience and demonstrated ability to communicate well with people of varied backgrounds strongly preferred;

· Thorough knowledge and comfort supporting others in crisis situations an asset;

· Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make presentations required;

· Strong computer skills, particularly Word and Excel required. Prior experience using data and tracking systems strongly preferred.

· Attention to detail and ability to organize and track large amounts of information efficiently and accurately.

· Commitment to teamwork and collaboration across all of IRC’s programs.

· Highly motivated with an ability to work independently, develop new classes and programming, and be a self-starter, maintaining responsibility for multiple tasks.

Working Environment:

· Standard office work environment coupled with regular travel in and around the service delivery area.

· Reoccurring need to provide services outside of traditional work hours (evenings and weekends).

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.