Job Title: Staff | Programs, Outreach

Reports To: Programs Manager

Department: Programs | SAVE — Cure Violence

Job Type: Salary exempt

Salary Range: $22.50/hourly

Objective of Role: Getting out and Staying out (GOSO) is implementing a SAVE Wagner Houses Cure Violence team, a replication of the gun violence prevention model conducted successfully by Cease Fire Chicago. The Wagner SAVE Cure Violence team will work with community-based organizations to implement a “Stop the Shooting” campaign. SAVE Cure Violence is a coordinated strategy to address shootings in Wagner Houses and to mediate gun violence between surrounding housing facilities. Skilled outreach workers are a key ingredient to the success of this initiative.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Help stop shootings by doing all that is required individually and in a team to prevent all shootings in the neighborhood assigned.
  • Getting to know all the highest risk persons and the people who know them
  • Working to gain trust in the surrounding community and the highest risk persons through outreach, so that they know the type of work you are doing in the community, will tell you when shootings and other violent activity occurs so that the team can intervene.
  • Support team in mediating possible acts of retaliation in the community
  • Working to understand why a shooting happened and to determine why it is that you and the team were not informed – developing strategies to be better informed the next time
  • Calling for assistance when situations require it
  • Working with a caseload of at least 15 clients
  • Anticipate and be responsive to Program Manager’s requests and needs Continuously keep Program Manager informed as to what is going on in the community
  • Identify youth who are gang members and those at-risk for joining gangs and intervene in their lives through case management to aid in solving current problems and preventing future ones
  • Serve as linkages and support for individuals to enhance their assistance and use of opportunities and programs in the community (e.g., job programs, GED, drug treatment, and mentoring)
  • Advocate for youth through court testimonies, when necessary
  • Participate, as necessary, in organizing responses to shootings and increasing visibility when shootings/killings take place (e.g., developing networks with other outreach program workers to coordinate an inclusive and strategic response)
  • Investigate causes of shootings/killings to assist in mediating situations and prevent retaliation between individuals and groups (e.g., working with the community, outreach programs and local law enforcement to gain information that may be helpful in preventing additional killings) and provide documentation
  • Identify and diffuse “hot spots” for shootings and violence (e.g., conducting eyeball surveys with residents and community based organizations to identify areas frequented by potential offenders) and provide documentation
  • Document shootings and other acts of violence prevented
  • Respond to shootings in other communities, when necessary
  • Support team in planning and executing both community and client events
  • Document detailed client case notes
  • Other duties as required

Essential Skills:

  • Knowledge of the East Harlem community
  • Effective Communication
  • Time Management and reliability
  • Interpersonal skills with a positive attitude

Core Competencies: 

  • Excellent work ethic
  • Commitment to working in a mission driven organization
  • Demonstrated personal ethics and values
  • Cross-team collaboration and cooperation
  • Team-player who works well with a diverse group of people

Qualifications:

  • Experience working with at risk youth and gang members
  • Experience or training in crisis intervention
  • Knowledge of Central Harlem Neighborhoods- specifically Wagner Houses

Compensation & Benefits:

  • Salary commensurate with experience. GOSO offers a competitive salary and benefits package

Please send a resume with cover letter to: jobs@gosonyc.org. Resumes without a cover letter will not be considered.

GOSO is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

About GOSO: Getting Out and Staying Out has a vision of a world where neither a person’s race nor their prior contact with the legal system determines their future. To work toward that vision, we partner with young people impacted by arrest or incarceration on a journey of education, employment, and emotional well-being. For many of our participants, that journey begins while they are detained or incarcerated, on Rikers Island or in youth detention centers. We work with all interested individuals, regardless of the charges that they face, engaging them in future planning through programing focused on education, employment, and emotional well-being while helping to meet their immediate needs, whether physical (warm clothing, commissary supplies), psychological (correspondence and communication to help maintain links to the outside world), or legal (coordinating with public defense attorneys on courtroom advocacy). Among the major programs that are under the GOSO umbrella are Stand Against Violence East Harlem (SAVE), GOSOWorks, and multiple education programs (including Pathways-to-Graduation, a high school equivalency program). GOSO served its participants and the Harlem community throughout the Pandemic and, in fact, expanded its budget in the past few years. We are currently building our external relations functions, including development, in order to position GOSO for continued growth and expanded impact on those at the heart of our mission.