Outreach coordinator

A street outreach coordinator working would have a multifaceted role that involves a combination of organizational, interpersonal, and advocacy responsibilities. Here's a detailed breakdown of their skills and what they do.

Assist the street outreach captains in preparing for and planning out the logistics of outreach walks. Collaborate on the structure and steps needed manage a team of street outreach workers. Take notes during meetings, and draft up report backs from street outreach and other related events.

Support the Outreach captains in providing training and guidance to team members on effective outreach strategies, communication skills, and cultural sensitivity.

Collaborate with other service providers, government agencies, and community organizations to enhance the outreach efforts and share resources. Shadow organizations that do this well. Partner with recovery, mental health and transitional housing organizations and DAOs to better coordinate care for unhoused people seeking help.

Design and implement effective outreach strategies to engage with unhoused individuals in various neighborhoods and settings. For example, building relationship is an outreach strategy.

Organize and optimize outreach routes to ensure comprehensive coverage of areas with high homeless populations. This can be done during the walk or ahead of time.

Coordinate the distribution of essential resources such as food, clothing, hygiene kits, and information about available services.

Establish and maintain trust-based relationships with unhoused individuals, understanding their unique needs and challenges. Follow through on promises and show them that you authentically care about their well-being and goals.

For example:

YWAM builds relationships with their unhoused neighbors by offering a safe, community space in the Ellis room for people to come, eat, drink coffee, take showers and play pool. They build trust with their community so individuals are comfortable eventually asking for help.

Ensure accurate and timely documentation of outreach activities, including noteworthy interactions, services requested, services offered, services provided, and follow-up plans. At the start, most of this involves referring people out to existing organizations.

Compile and prepare to submit regular reports to funders, stakeholders, and management to prove that your team is making a difference in the lives of those you are serving.

Facilitate referrals to shelters, healthcare providers, mental health services, substance abuse treatment programs, and other relevant resources.

Build and maintain strong relationships with local service providers, government agencies, and nonprofits to enhance the support network available to unhoused individuals.

Be sure that the street outreach captains have the skills needed if the team encounters someone having a mental health episode on the street. Create or confirm a safety plan with the team for if a situation escalates. Always encourage them to walk away from escalated situations to reduce chances of conflict.

Mediate conflicts and provide support in situations requiring de-escalation. Make sure everyone feels heard and that there is a culture of open-mindedness and flexibility if two parties don’t agree. Make sure that the street outreach workers have basic de-escalation training so they can remove themselves or maintain peacefulness in challenging situations.

Facilitate regular team debriefing sessions to discuss challenging situations, share experiences, and provide emotional support. Together the team can work towards solutions for the struggles our unhoused neighbors face.

Metrics

When taking debriefing notes after Street Outreach Walks, be sure to note the success metrics of your group. Number of people you interacted with, helped, questions they had, needs they had, and resources or services you connected or will connect them with is vital information.

If possible, have at least one unhoused or formerly unhoused member of your organization. Their wisdom and guidance is paramount in designing programming for street outreach activities serving this population. It is good to balance your team with a diverse community of individuals who are passionate about supporting our unhoused neighbors.