ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW: At Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, your knowledge and service in areas such as immigrants and refugees, mental health, social work, employment, and adult education, legal and financial services, health care, food assistance, shelter and housing, developmental disabilities and prison outreach can make a profound difference in the lives of many. Through more than 50 programs across the district and five surrounding counties, Catholic Charities is opening doors to help and hope. At CCADW, we continue to build an inclusive culture that celebrates a diverse workforce. We offer so much more than just a job. We offer careers. We take pride in our “promote from within” culture. We offer professional development, a comprehensive benefits package, a hybrid work model with both remote and in-office work, and a passion for building and motivating world-class, high-performing teams. Explore your career opportunity with Catholic Charities. Join us in Inspiring Hope and Building Futures.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington values the safety of our employees, our clients, and our visitors. In support of these values, if you are selected for this job, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except when vaccination is not medically advised or violates your sincerely held religious beliefs. If you are invited to join our team, you must submit proof that you are up to date with your COVID vaccinations, including the booster dose or you must request an exemption from your representative. New employees must either provide proof of vaccination or be granted a medical or religious exemption before working with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.

JOB SUMMARY: The Program Assistant provides primary support of female clients in residential facility in support of program goals and objectives. Female residents have access to the shelter 24 hours a day due to low barrier shelter and day program services being provided at this location. Female residents require access to the bathroom facilities during the same times that program assistant staff is maintaining cleanliness and safety of the bathrooms, dormitories and overall facility. Oversees daily shelter activities; enforces program rules and regulations; performs intake process and log entries; Provide a safe and orderly environment; addresses client behavior issues; and assist with maintaining cleanliness of the facility.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ability to work collaboratively within a team made up of workers who have a variety of job responsibilities (e.g. administration, case management and security personnel).
• Performs the intake process for all clients and reports client behavior issues to the program manager or case management team.
• Provides direction and crisis intervention to clients at the facility on an as needed basis.
• Assists in maintaining the cleanliness of the facility (sweeping, mopping, emptying trash, cleaning surfaces, etc.).
• Assists in maintaining clean dorm rooms throughout the day while occupied by female residents in the Work Program and female residents with approved reasonable accommodation requests who often have access to the dorm area 24
  hours per day for changing of clothes or performing other personal tasks. This includes pulling and washing bed linens, as well as making sure mattresses and bed railing are clean and free of debris.
• Assists in maintaining safety of clients and staff (CPI de-escalation, contacting 911, incident reporting, etc.). Responsibilities vary based on availability of security at location.
• Enforces established rules and regulations, and mediate and resolve conflicts among residents.
• Makes log entries for assigned shift.
• Informs Supervisor and all appropriate staff of all potential or existing program concerns relating to client and facility safety / security. Documents information in log book or other designated record. Provides urgent reports via phone when necessary.
• Participates in the quality improvement (CQI) process to deliver best practice services.
• Enhances the client environment by creating a hospitable and customer-oriented facility.
• Assist in providing safe storage and access for clients’ self-administration of medication, as needed.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE:

• High School diploma or GED required.
• Six months experience in the human service or customer service field, preferably with persons who are homeless.
• Basic computer skills in MS Office Software, web browsing, and navigation of MS Windows platform; or a willingness to be trained on developing computer skills.

SKILLS and COMPETENCIES:

• Ability to identify problems that are not easily defined and resolve them before the problem escalates.
• Ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking and writing.