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Olympia Mutual Aid Partners (OlyMAP) is a non-profit organization that provides support and services to houseless individuals living at camp communities in Thurston County. OlyMAP supports the right of all unhoused and marginalized persons to have a safe and warm place to call home by centering the voices and experiences of those with lived experience, addressing systems of oppression, and building bridges between housed and unhoused community members. OlyMAP utilizes a trauma-informed, strengths-based, and harm-reduction approach to providing services and support.

OlyMAP is currently hiring the following positions:

(Scroll down for full job descriptions and details!)

  • Data Entry and Coordinated Entry Intake Specialist (20 hours)

To Apply for a position:

  • Complete and submit an employment application with resume and cover letter included (complete the application form found on this page or use the following link: https://form.jotform.com/211707119180045. Be sure to upload your resume and cover letter before submitting the application.  
  • Your resume should include details related to your educational, employment, and volunteer experiences. Please include contact information for previous places of employment/volunteer work, as well as reasons for leaving prior places of employment/volunteer work. 
  • In your cover letter, please (1) Tell us what you would like us to know about yourself and your background; (2) Describe why this position interests you and why you believe you would be a good fit for this position; (3) Describe any experience you have that is relevant or related to this work and what you have learned from those related experiences; (4) Tell us about any skills you have that you believe would be beneficial to our team. Maximum length: 2 pages, minimum font size 12.
  • When you have submitted your resume, cover letter, and application, we will confirm the submission and follow-up based on decisions made by the Hiring Team.

Equity & Diversity

OlyMAP values diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and equity and we are committed to fostering and sustaining a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where all employees and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, socioeconomic or educational background, housing status, or disability, feel valued, heard, and respected. We are passionate about ensuring that our staff and volunteer teams reflect and embody this commitment.

People with lived experience with houselessness, housing insecurity, and/or mental health and substance use challenges, as well as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and bi/multi-lingual folx are encouraged to apply for all positions!

OlyMAP Program Overviews

Right of Way Outreach Program :

This program provides outreach-based site support and case management for
unsheltered persons living in identified state of Washington Right of Ways (ROWs) in Thurston County.
Site Support includes working with camp communities as a whole to improve overall
health, stability, safety, and the general well-being of camp residents, while simultaneously
reducing broader community impacts of unsheltered homelessness. Case Management
includes providing quality and accessible service connection support to residents of camp
communities, aimed at improving their quality of life, assisting with reaching self-identified
goals, and improving access to housing, health, stability, safety, and social services.

New Hope Village:

This program provides outreach-based site
support, case management and collective management support for the sanctioned tiny home village hosted at First Christian Church.

Stability Stays Program:

 

OlyMAP’s Stability Stays Program will provide temporary shelter at local hotels for unsheltered people living in Thurston County, in connection with case management and stability support services. Potential participants of the program include those living at the camp communities supported by OlyMAP through the Scattered Site Pilot Project who need temporary respite or increased stability for reasons related to specific types of service connection or health/safety risks (as outlined in OlyMAP’s policies). The program will also provide temporary stays for a limited number of people displaced by sweeps in Thurston County. Program participants will be eligible to stay for a minimum of 72 hours and up to 21 days, depending on their circumstances. We expect to serve an average of 2 people in the hotel at a time and an average of 6 people per month. The program may support more people at one time when responding to sweeps. During such times, the program may be providing support for up to 20 people at one time.

 

This program is funded through the end of 2023.

Safer Spaces Outreach and Advocacy (SSOAP) Program:

The SSOAP is a 6-month pilot project with the goals of:

  • identifying and utilizing more effective strategies for identifying, reducing and addressing challenges and impacts related to hazardous or illegal burning at specific camp communities located within Thurston County
  • expanding access to needed/requested education related to allowable and safer burning, garbage removal, warming, water purification, cooking and lighting practices
  • improving the overall health, stability, safety, and the general well-being of camp residents,while simultaneously reducing broader community impacts related to  unsheltered homelessness
  • connecting community residents with essential harm reduction, survival, health and safety supplies, with an emphasis on those that enable allowable and safer burning, warming, garbage removal, water purification, cooking and lighting practices
  • collecting, documenting, analyzing and reporting data related to the strategies and services used throughout this pilot, their impacts, strengths/successes and barriers/challenges

This pilot project also represents an actionable step towards expanding OlyMAP’s outreach programs and services, as well as towards the broader community goal of expanding of our local homeless response system’s shelter-in-place and hazardous weather response efforts.

 

Current job openings & descriptions

POSITION TITLE: Data Entry & Coordinated Entry Intake Specialist

REPORTS TO: Coordinated Entry Program Manager

SALARY: $22/hr

BENEFITS: Eligible for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance following 60 days of employment; eligible for sick, vacation, and holiday leave

HOURS: Part-time 20 hours per week; Monday-Friday 11:00am -3:00pm or 4:00pm. (specific hours are flexible and can be negotiated)

LOCATION: This position is primarily based out of our downtown Olympia office but does include working from community partner locations in Olympia 1-2 times a week for Coordinated Entry outreach. Additionally, outreach to homeless encampments may be required at times.

Position Summary

Coordinated Entry (CE) is the centralized process that is used in Thurston County to provide housing to individuals experiencing homelessness. When someone is homeless and needs housing, they complete the coordinated entry assessment and are put into the housing system and waitlist until a unit becomes available for them.

 The Data Entry and Coordinated Entry Intake Specialist will work in a small team to help single adult households experiencing homelessness in connecting to CE by providing relevant resources and referrals, conducting community outreach related to CE, completing CE assessments and all relevant data entry. In addition, the CE specialist will also utilize problem-solving conversations to identify housing, shelter, and other resource solutions that may be available. The person in this role will be trained to conduct Coordinated Entry assessments and data entry and will provide additional resource connection to assist households in gaining access to housing, shelter, and other services. This specialist will also conduct coordinated entry outreach as part of a team to households experiencing homelessness in Thurston County, including households living in camp communities, cars and RVs, and in other service provider locations in Thurston County to try and reach a wider demographic.

Additionally, this position will serve as one of the primary staff responsible for answering the Coordinated Entry Hotline Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, which serves as a resource for individuals in Thurston County looking for assistance related to housing, shelter, or other adjacent needs. Support may also be provided for families with children and/or youth and young adults, as well as victims of domestic violence. This position will work closely and collaborate with other community providers, partners, and workers within other OlyMAP programs.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Answer calls directed to OlyMAP through the CE Hotline to ensure that all CE calls are answered, returned, and/or appropriately routed in a timely manner. OlyMAP is responsible for being available for calls routed to us through the CE Hotline Mon-Fri from 9am-5pm. The person in this position will not be the only person responsible for answering the hotline but will be assigned days/times during the week for managing the hotline. Specific days/times for this position will be determined based on the availability and work responsibilities of all individuals on the CE team.
  • Assist with Coordinated Entry assessments during weekly walk-in hours. OlyMAP will have weekly “walk-in” hours every Thursday from 11-3 where individuals seeking access to CE may talk with OlyMAP workers and complete assessments at our local office. The person in this position will assist in greeting, screening, and checking-in participants who come to walk-in hours and provide services and assessments during walk-in hours.
  • Complete all necessary data tracking and entry responsibilities in an accurate, timely manner. Databases utilized will include Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), Ragic, and other Microsoft Office tools.
  • Complete CE intakes and assessments while doing outreach to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and in-reach to other service locations across the County, including but not limited to: outreach to the City of Olympia mitigation site, camp communities, shelters, clinics, hot meal sites and other places in which the unsheltered population is temporarily residing or where people go to access services.
  • Establish and maintain relationships with existing community outreach teams and CE partners, including but not limited to Greater Regional Outreach Workers League (GROWL), Partners in Prevention Education (PiPE), Olympia Downtown Ambassadors, Capital Recovery Center, City of Olympia Crisis Response Unit, HOST, Olympic Health and Recovery Services, Arrest and Jail Alternatives, etc.
  • Participate in community meetings as appropriate and as applicable to the Coordinated Entry system, including Homeless Housing Hub, Coordinated Entry Committee, Name-by-Name meeting, GROWL etc.
  • Provide all CE related services grounded in OlyMAP core philosophies, including a housing first, harm reduction approach and low barrier perspective, ensuring households are screened in and not out
  • Remain knowledgeable and up to date with changing policies and procedures at the federal, state, and local level as it relates to Coordinated Entry and similar programs that interface with the Coordinated Entry system.
  • Participate in necessary organizational and team meetings, trainings, and continuing education opportunities as directed by OlyMAP and their direct supervisor.
  • As appropriate and as able, provide households in need with immediate basic need resources, such as, food, clothing, transportation resources, survival and hygiene supplies etc. and directly connect/refer them to the appropriate coordinated entry point for the population or other needed services.
  • Other duties as assigned.

 

Minimum Qualifications

  • Direct experience providing case management or other supportive services to houseless and/or other underserved populations.
  • Demonstrate an ability to support and practice a trauma-informed, harm reductive, culturally humble, non-judgmental, and compassionate approach to supporting people experiencing homelessness.
  • Must maintain a current, valid driver’s license, and have an acceptable driving record.
  • Comfortability with and ability to answer a hotline with frequent calls
  • Ability to work in non-traditional settings and unstructured environments, such as during outreach to encampments or other community locations
  • Ability to work both independently and interdependently within the CE team.
  • Detail-oriented and ability to perform responsibilities and data entry with a high level of accuracy, consistency, and reliability.
  • Demonstrate strong organizational and time management skills.
  • Demonstrate openness to continued learning and respectful feedback
  • Demonstrate strong interpersonal, communication, and listening skills.
  • Ability to maintain and assert personal and professional boundaries for the safety of yourself and others, including the ability to recognize your own needs/boundaries and voice them.
  • Ability to respond appropriately and professionally to crisis situations and situations that require de-escalation.
  • Support and contribute to a creative and respectful environment that promotes teamwork.
  • Support and uphold the mission, philosophies and values of OlyMAP.
  • Must successfully pass required background checks prior to an offer of employment

Preferred qualifications:

  • Having a degree in a related field, such as human services, social justice, political science, etc.
  • Computer experience and proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel), Google Suite, Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), Ragic and database management and/or feels able to learn how to use above systems proficiently
  • Lived experience with houselessness, housing insecurity, and/or mental health and substance use challenges
  • Training and experience in navigating Thurston County housing and social services, networks, and resources related to homeless services
  • Training/experience with de-escalation, conflict resolution, and providing supportive services utilizing trauma-informed, harm reduction, strengths-based, and culturally humble and competent approaches.
  • Bi-lingual or multi-lingual.