Social Services Assistant (Bi-Lingual Spanish)

To apply, please send your resume, cover letter, and salary expectations to resumes@peoplesrc.org

POSITION OVERVIEW

People’s Resource Center (PRC) is hiring a Bi-Lingual Spanish Social Services Assistant to work 40 hours/week to provide direct service to clients at our Westmont facility and to coordinate PRC’s client registration process that is consistent with program goals and priorities. The primary office location is in Westmont but there will be traveling to the Wheaton location. The Social Services Assistant is part of the team supervised by the Director of Social Services. Candidates must be available to work 5 days a week, including Tuesday (full day), Wednesday (full day), Thursday (afternoon/evening), Saturday (morning) and either Monday (full day) or Friday (full day).  

People's Resource Center (PRC) is a not-for-profit, social service organization founded in 1975 by community members looking to help neighbors who were facing financial hardship.  Inspired by social justice heroes like Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day and Jane Addams, founders Dorothy McIntyre, Father Tom Peyton and a group of volunteers sought to do more than start a local food pantry. 

Today, PRC meets people’s basic needs by providing nearly 30,000 DuPage residents access to food, clothing, connections to mainstream social services and emergency financial assistance.  In addition to our basic needs assistance, PRC offers empowerment programs including job assistance, literacy tutoring, computer training and art classes.  Services are provided from 2 owned facilities – Wheaton, IL and Westmont, IL and from over 30 partner locations throughout DuPage County.

The values that guide our actions and decisions and that are embedded in our culture are:

1. Dignity and Respect: Recognizing the dignity of each person who comes to us, we create a welcoming and respectful environment in all of our programs and communication.
2. Creative and Innovative: We express our mission directly. We try things in the community. We are willing to jump in to new areas in order to address an unmet need.
3. Responsible Stewards: We welcome those who need resources, as well as those with resources to share.
4. Compassionate: We listen, we encourage, we try to get to know our families, we provide some help and guidance, we advocate, in a spirit of kindness and compassion.
5. Integrity: We place a high priority in living out of our principles, in our relationships, programs, and organizational practices.

PRC offers a generous compensation and benefits package to our full time employees, including:

• Medical insurance – HMO, PPO (80% employer paid)
• Dental insurance – PPO (80% employer paid)
• Flexible Spending Account participation
• Short Term Disability (100% employer paid)
• Life Insurance (100% employer paid)
• SIMPLE IRA retirement plan & company match
• 23 days of Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 12 paid holiday

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE POSITION  

Provide direct service to clients

• Complete applications for government and mainstream benefit programs accurately
• Ensure accurate community resource information is available for client referrals
• Provide information, support, and referrals to clients who present in crisis
• Continually identify and research new community resources to meet the needs of clients
• In collaboration with empowerment program staff, ensure PRC clients are receiving appropriate internal referrals and resources
• Provide data quality control by reviewing client database system, reviewing service sheets for accuracy and ensuring appropriate client services are entered into client database system

B. Coordinate and supervise the registration process for all programs

• Understand the registration process, identify improvements, resolve problems and issues and communicate changes and updates
• Prepare waiting area and intake stations
• Working with Volunteer Coordinator, identify, implement and improve upon the process of recruiting and screening registration volunteers
• Interview, select and orient new registration volunteers
• Schedule, train, support, recognize and supervise registration volunteers
• Schedule volunteers for food pantry registration and ensure adequate coverage
• Prepare and conduct periodic training sessions for volunteers

C. Assist with Family Connections

• Conduct screening and client assessments to determine eligibility according to established guidelines
• Develop a service plan including financial goals, self-sufficiency and housing stability plan, and use of case management with families
• Provide case management for designated families
• Participate in client staffing/case review meetings Ensure accuracy and completeness of client files and forms

D. Assist with the management and disbursement of financial assistance funds 

• Conduct pre-screening interviews and client assessments according to established guidelines
• Provide case management for designated families
• Communicate with payees to ensure timely financial assistance
• Ensure accuracy and completeness of client files and forms
• Ensure accurate and timely entry of client data into all applicable databases including ServicePoint HMIS database, Client Central Database, and Social Services Database
• Adhere to internal department procedures to ensure efficient and effective service delivery

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

A. Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in social work
• 3 years of comparable work experience in social services or related field required
• Experience working with volunteers preferred

B. Essential Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

• Commitment to PRC’s mission, values, and community focus
• Enjoys working in a social service organization and with the public
• Bilingual English/Spanish required
• Ability to work independently, with a team, and with a diverse group of individuals
• Ability to work effectively with people from other countries & speaking other languages
• Ability to work effectively with volunteers
• Strong organizational, communication and time management skills
• Able to maintain a high level of confidentiality
• Must work well under pressure and have the ability to respond to client problems
• Knowledge of mainstream benefits preferred
• Knowledge of local or DuPage County resources for low income residents preferred
• Proficient in MS Word, Excel, Outlook and Internet search engines required
• Knowledge of MS Access and Google Docs preferred