Position Summary

The Hamilton-Madison House (HMH) outpatient mental health clinic is seeking to recruit a Community Liaison to play a major role in outreach and engagement with the local Chinatown/Lower East Side community. HMH behavioral health is a clinic identified by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) as a high need area. As such, it has been selected to participate in the CONNECT Demonstration Project to provide rapid access to mental health services in a more flexible and holistic way with the community and the whole person outside the clinic walls and beyond the traditional doctor/therapist-patient interaction. The Community Liaison will be responsible for outreach, engagement and active solicitation of community feedback on the needs of the community.

Primary Responsibilities

• Help to define main community players, including but not limited to community based organizations, schools, faith-based organizations, individual citizens.
• Working with BH leadership, design a strategy to engage community members in a meaningful way by participating in the identification of mental health needs, priorities, and create solutions to community problems/concerns.
• Collaborates on a regular basis with community members, community-based organizations, community boards, faith-based and other community leaders for the purpose of building effective communication, enhancing relationships, and collecting information.
• Regularly attends and represents the agency at community meetings and other events as it relates to community concerns (this includes meetings on nights and weekends).
• Schedule and coordinate communications such training, outreach, and community engagement-related meetings.
• Gather community input on ongoing basis on critical mental health issues, new needs, and gaps to address critical mental health issues.
• Synthesizes information and feedback from and to the community and brings it to the appropriate forums to inform policy and program development and implementation.
• Utilizes internet, technology, social media and publications to research issues affecting the community.
• Analyzes data and complex information to prepare clear, concise, and accurate reports, correspondence, records and other written materials.
• Disseminate training, outreach, and other community engagement materials to community members and stakeholders.
• Provides clients and their families with linkage to community supports and resources as needed.
• Coordinates client care by scheduling and accompanying to medical, legal and other necessary appointments.
• Assess housing needs, vocational/educational needs, and other concrete needs as it relates to social determinants of health and develop objectives and recommendations for treatment services.
• Provide supportive counseling to facilitate problem solving.
• Collaborates with team members, participates in team meetings, supervisions, case conferences and other pertinent meetings with interdisciplinary team

Minimum Qualifications and Skills

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and at least 1 year of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or high school graduation or equivalent and three years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above.
• Must have deep knowledge of the Chinatown/Lower East side neighborhood via currently living in the community or has grown up in the community.
• Demonstrated cultural proficiency and experience working with communities of color and/or communities in urban, underserved neighborhoods that bear a disproportionately high burden of illness.
• Positive attitude and strong interpersonal skills, including ability to build trust and maintain relationships with community partners and participating families.
• Able to apply principles, practices, and techniques related to designing effective and meaningful community engagement strategies
• Understanding of racial/social justice and equity issues.
• Some familiarity with mental and behavioral health, especially as it relates to severe mental illness, and substance recovery.
• Strong writing and/or communication skills; flexible schedule to attend evening and weekend events.
• Strong time management skills with attention to detail and ability to prioritize.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Experience utilizing social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, etc.
• Bilingual speaking abilities, Chinese(Mandarin/Cantonese) preferred, but not required.

Compensation: $36 per hour

Excellent benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance 15 vacation days, 12 sick days, 3 personal days, and 12 paid agency-wide holidays annually.

Hours: Full-time, Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week, occasional weekend hours

Hamilton-Madison House is an Equal Opportunity Employer