Reentry Resource Coordinator

Summary

Civil Survival is looking for a Reentry Resource Coordinator to assist formerly incarcerated individuals across Washington State in overcoming barriers to successful reentry. Their work will supplement Civil Survival’s legal services program, which assists clients in reducing legal financial obligations (LFOs), vacating criminal convictions, and a variety of other reentry legal needs. The Reentry Resource Coordinator will be responsible for conducting an intake with each new Civil Survival client to assess the client’s non-legal needs, including housing, case management, employment, family reunification services, transportation, communication technology support, and education. After assessing the client’s needs, the Reentry Resource Coordinator will create a reentry service plan for the client, with a focus on culturally appropriate resources. After discussing the plan with the client, the Reentry Resource Coordinator will then connect the client to identified community providers. In order to connect clients to culturally appropriate services, the Reentry Resource Coordinator will build relationships with service providers across Washington.

Civil Survival is committed to maintaining a staff that reflect the diversity of experiences of the communities we work with. People of color, those directly impacted by the criminal legal system, people who identify as LGBTQ2IAS+, people who are fluent in languages other than English, and those with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Organization Description

Civil Survival organizes system-impacted people, provides legal representation, and advocates for policy reform to restore opportunity to communities harmed by the criminal legal system. We envision a world without incarceration, where people are not limited by their past and are valued for their humanity. Civil Survival was founded by people harmed by the criminal legal system to advocate for each other. Our foundational commitment to build an organization made up of members of the communities remains at the core of our identity. Most of Civil Survival’s staff identify as people of color and most have been arrested or incarcerated.

Civil Survival’s commitments to anti-racist and trauma-informed principles are centered in every aspect of our work. We offer regular race-equity and trauma-informed leadership training to all staff and ground all organizational decision-making in an anti-racist, equity-focused lens. Our leadership philosophy is rooted in the recognition that we all are continuing to grow and learn, and that can only be accomplished with regular feedback, especially from staff to leadership. We are deeply committed to transparent decision-making that centers the perspectives of all members of our team.

These values and commitments have allowed us to increase access to opportunity for those harmed by the criminal legal system. We have done this by:

• Organizing mass assistance days that provide legal financial obligation relief to hundreds of clients in a single day. During Civil Survival’s mass assistance day in Pierce County, the courts waived over $2.3 million in criminal legal debt.
• Leading systemic advocacy to make reentry legal relief accessible and automatic. Civil Survival recently led a coalition of organizations to improve Washington’s mandatory legal financial obligations (LFOs) motion, allowing the motion to provide relief to thousands of additional Washingtonians. Civil Survival also led the effort to pass HB 1412 and HB 1169, which allowed for restitution relief in over 100,000 cases and eliminated $600 in mandatory LFOs for every felony conviction.
• Hosting weekly Game Changer groups that provide justice-involved individuals a place to learn how to advocate for systemic change, overcome their own reentry barriers, and provide peer support.
• Providing free criminal history reports for anyone with a criminal record in the state of Washington.
• Supporting bills that expand legal rights for justice-involved individuals. Civil Survival was closely involved in securing the passage of the New Hope Act, which made significant improvements to Washington’s criminal record vacation process.

Job Description

The Reentry Resource Coordinator will assist Civil Survival legal services clients in accessing a variety of resources to address their reentry needs. Their work will supplement Civil Survival’s legal services program, which assists clients in reducing legal financial obligations (LFOs), vacating criminal convictions, and a variety of other reentry legal needs. The Reentry Resource Coordinator will be responsible for conducting an intake with each new Civil Survival client to assess the client’s non-legal needs, including housing, case management, employment, family reunification services, transportation, communication technology support, and education. After assessing the client’s needs, the Reentry Resource Coordinator will create a reentry service plan for the client, with a focus on culturally appropriate resources. After discussing the plan with the client, the Reentry Resource Coordinator will then connect the client to identified community providers.

In order to connect clients to culturally appropriate services, the Reentry Resource Coordinator will build relationships with service providers across Washington. Through these relationships, the Reentry Resource Coordinator will be able to identify providers’ capacity to assist new referrals and determine the appropriate referral pathways. When clients have discreet needs that can easily be addressed, the Reentry Resource Coordinator will assist with the needs directly. For example, if a client needs assistance figuring out how to obtain a driver’s license, the Reentry Resource Coordinator may provide step-by-step instructions to the client.

The ideal candidate for the Reentry Resource Coordinator position is a compassionate and empathetic individual with a strong commitment to supporting communities harmed by the criminal legal system. They should possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, enabling them to engage effectively with clients from diverse backgrounds. The ideal candidate is a self-motivated, team player who is able to manage a caseload of clients while handling other work assignments and deadlines efficiently.

The Reentry Resource Coordinator will be supervised by Civil Survival’s Operations Manager, who has a background in social services. They will also work very closely with Civil Survival’s legal team as they collaborate to develop holistic service plans for Civil Survival’s clients.

Responsibilities include:

• Conducting client need assessments;
• Creating reentry service plans specific to individual clients;
• Regularly assessing service providers' capacity to accept new referrals and tracking this information on an ongoing basis;
• Communicating available services to clients in a timely manner;
• Collaborating with service providers throughout the state to establish and maintain relationships and referrals;
• Facilitating access to peer support and leadership development opportunities through Civil Survival's Game Changer group for eligible clients;
• Creating and maintaining a system to track referrals and program outcomes;
• Supporting and participating in Civil Survival events and workshops;
• Responding to incoming mail from currently incarcerated individuals;
• Data entry in multiple software programs; and
• Other duties as assigned

The Reentry Resource Coordinator is the first position of its type at Civil Survival. The ideal candidate will be excited to help develop a new role and open to adjusting their scope of work should experience in the position suggest that a different approach would be more effective (e.g. offering more intensive services to a smaller group of clients, etc.).

Qualifications

·     Lived experience in the criminal legal system is preferred.

·     Detailed knowledge about, and connections to, reentry service providers, including those assisting with housing, case management, employment services, family reunification, transportation, communication skills/resources, education, and basic needs.

·     Experience providing direct services to clients involved in the criminal legal system is preferred.

·     At least one year of case management or certified peer counselor experience is preferred.

·     A skilled understanding of how to support clients who have experienced trauma, mental illness, and substance use.

·     Strong verbal and written communication skills.

·     Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with clients and service providers. The successful applicant will have strong conflict management skills and be able to tactfully engage with clients and external partners.

·     Strong organization skills, with an ability to manage a caseload of several dozen clients at a time.

·     A deep commitment to growth in a trauma-informed, anti-racist organization.

·     An understanding and empathy with the stresses experienced by clients who are impacted by poverty, mental illness, disabilities, unstable housing, substance use, domestic strife, and other barriers. Ability to help clients through the principles of harm-reduction—meeting clients where they are, in a way that is responsive to their specific needs.

·     Demonstrated cultural competence and sensitivity in working with diverse clients, communities, and colleagues.

·     Desire to work collaboratively with the ability to work independently.

·     Strong drive and initiative with the ability to manage time well in an environment of many concurrent assignments and deadlines.

·     Accurate and detail-oriented.

·     Knowledge of software programs including Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, and the desire to learn and develop skills within other software programs.

·     Ability to organize electronic files and email efficiently so that information is consistently saved in locations that are easy for staff to access.

·     Ability to use case management and electronic file storage systems to take case notes, chart referrals, and save case management information. 

·     Fluency in Spanish is preferred.

Location

All Civil Survival staff work remotely. In-person work will periodically be required to attend events, attend meetings, meet with clients and attend organizational retreats. Travel within Washington will periodically be required. Applicants from all parts of Washington State are encouraged to apply.

Compensation

Salary range is $27.48 to $39.11 per hour, depending on experience. The Reentry Resource Coordinator will work 40 hours per week. Within the position salary range, salary increases up to 4% annually, depending on performance. An additional annual cost of living increase is provided at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Benefits include:

• 401k match of up to 4% of salary;
• Generous medical and dental benefits for employees and dependent family members;
• 17 paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day;
• 15 days vacation, accrued annually, increasing to 21 days vacation, accrued annually;
• 12 personal days, accrued annually;
• Long-term disability insurance;
• Flexible Spending Account; and
• Monthly $50 employer cell phone contribution.

Benefits are provided consistent with current organizational policies and are subject to change. This is a Fair Labor Standards Act non-exempt, at-will position; continuation in the position depends on both performance and funding.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Civil Survival is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and fosters an environment free of barriers and discriminatory practices. Civil Survival actively promotes mutual respect, acceptance, teamwork and productivity. We are committed to maintaining an organization whose staff, Board and clients are diverse in background, experience, race, color, national origin, gender, age, religious affiliation, marital status, sexual identity, sensory, mental or physical abilities, veteran status, and other qualities that strengthen the program while reinforcing its commitment to basic fairness. Individuals needing a reasonable accommodation for the application or interview process should contact Julie Wilson (she/her pronouns) at julie.wilson@civilsurvival.org or 360-536-2319.

How to Apply

Please submit the following, as Word or PDF attachments, to Julie Wilson at Julie.Wilson@civilsurvival.org  by September 5, 2023, at 11:59 pm. The email subject line should clearly reference “Civil Survival Reentry Resource Coordinator.”

• Letter of interest: The letter of interest should include a description of any past experience, personal or professional, working with low income or other marginalized communities. We value lived experience in the criminal legal system and encourage applicants to share any lived experience in their letter of interest.
• Resumé.
• Names and contact information for three professional references. Professional references will not be contacted until the conclusion of the interview process.