Reentry Transitional Coach

POSITION OVERVIEW

Do you want to work to fill the gap that exists between returning citizens who have been recently released from incarceration and sustainable success? The Reentry Transitional Coach ensures that young men and woman, aged 17-26, returning from prison to the Stamford community are provided with the supports, skills and competencies that they need to remain arrest free and to gain employment. This position works with young men and women inside prison before their release, and upon release continues to engage them in our program and in their larger community to break the cycle of incarceration.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Relentless relationship building with young men typical time spent: 60%

• Engage young men and women in 1-1, face to face, positive, life changing relationships and become a trusted, go-to resource
• Address young mens and womens past and current traumas and stressors as they relate to the underlying drivers of current behavioral challenges
• Utilize Thoughts, Emotions and Behaviors (cognitive behavioral skills) to build students management and resilience
• Utilize teachable moments to teach/model interpersonal communication skills
• Provide skills building on the hoof (in real time)
• Use method of assertive friendliness actively seeking contact with young men rather than waiting to be greeted, or for a young person to ask for help
• Use Domus core principles to build relationships, most importantly never giving up and giving many chances
• Conduct and document weekly interactions with young men, including attendance at TEB and counseling groups, progress toward individual goals, workforce development assessments, and face-to-face meetings

Work readiness skills building - typical time spent: 25%

• Coordinate and conduct daily workforce development curriculum modules
• Facilitate and attend weekly life skills speaker series
• Utilize Thoughts, Emotions and Behaviors (cognitive behavioral skills) to build students emotion management and resilience
• Complete daily outcome ladder for program participants
• Create individual goal setting plans with young men
• Document weekly progress towards individual goal plans
• Document all skills building opportunities
• Supervise Domus work crews

Facilitating community relationships & connections typical time spent: 15%

• Explore prior family and community relationships of young men to strengthen relationships
• Assess initial needs of young men upon release, and facilitate resources including housing placement, transportation and material resource needs, legal and medical needs/paperwork
• Connect young men with appropriate community supports, including ongoing mental and physical health resources
• Develop and maintain relationships with outside community supports available to program participants

NOTE: This list is a guide. You will also be responsible for other tasks and projects as may be assigned by your supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelors degree preferred or experience working with target population required.
• Similar life experiences as the young men and women we serve, preferably have been incarcerated.
• Able to work one evening per week (4pm 8pm) and some weekends and other non-traditional work hours and respond to young people when needed.
• A great sense of humor!
• Willingness to work within systems, with a nuanced understanding of the balance of building relationships and advocating within an institution that is not operated by Domus.
• Commitment to the Domus mission, values and core principles.
• Valid drivers license and ability to be cleared to drive agency vehicle.
• Able to certified through the CT VIP prison certification program

SKILLS

Required:

• A strong work ethic
• High emotional intelligence, able to easily develop deep, trusting relationships with diverse individuals from many different backgrounds
• General computer literacy, and prior experience with Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Ability to receive and respond to constructive feedback
• Flexibility and adaptability, able to shift styles to fit the needs of a wide range of cultures, people, and organizations
• Ability to collect required data and respond to the data
• Ability to work in a program where we will be learning together as we continue to adapt our program model to help program participants reach their short and long-term outcomes
• Proficient written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work independently, prioritize multiple responsibilities and meet deadlines
• Ability to help young people repair relationships, using a variety of methods including a restorative justice model

Preferred:

• Spanish speaking.

OUR HIRING PROCESS AND TIMELINE:

• We will review applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
• To apply, you must complete the online application, submit a resume and a brief letter of interest.

Domus is an equal opportunity employer. Domus is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Domus does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.

COMPENSATION

• Salary range is $48,000 - $55,000 per year based on experience plus and additional $4,000 for any bilingual, Spanish speaking hires.
• Full-time, non-exempt year-round position, working a minimum of 40.0 hours per week. We believe in work-life balance, and there will be times when the balance tips to work and when the balance tips toward life.
• Competitive medical benefits, 403b plan and paid time off provided

CORE PROGRAM BELIEFS

• We believe that within each of us is a desire to move towards health and achievement, under the right conditions. It is our job to provide young people with those conditions.
• We believe that every young person wants to love and be loved. It is our job to love these young people, and to help them learn to love themselves and others.
• We believe in the power of belonging. It is a core human condition to want to be missed when we are gone. We will miss young people when they are absent, and we will express that: We didnt see you yesterday. We missed you. We are glad you are back. We will make sure every young person belongs in our community. No matter what. She drew a circle to shut me out. Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took her in (Edwin Markham)
• We accept young people for who they are. Right here. Right now. They do not have to change to be respected and loved and valued and be a member of our community. Behavior is not a condition of their worth as human beings.
• We believe that every young person wants to be in charge of their own life. To that end, we will give young people a voice in this program, and choices of how to best accomplish their goals.
• We are hungry to understand if our interventions are having the intended impact. We will be meticulous in our data entry, and ruthless in our hunt to understand the data and learn from it. If what we are doing is not working, we will set aside our egos, intentions and preconceived notions and we will change what we are doing.
• We believe that the young people with whom we work deserve our full attention and our best selves. Therefore, we will: NOT allow our personal beliefs or baggage to interfere with our work; we will commit to doing excellent work all the time on behalf of our young people; we will be honest and transparent with ourselves, our colleagues and our partners. To be very clear, by working in this program we are committing to:
• Engaging in self-care outside of work so that our personal issues dont interfere with our ability to focus on our young people;
• Open communication - Bringing all issues directly back to the person OR to the group session in a way that fosters a healthy team;
• Learning our craft before practicing on our youth;
• Giving and receiving honest feedback, even if it is uncomfortable to hear or say

Working Conditions

• Work will be performed inside of various Connecticut prisons, Domus Invictus site, or alternative venue as established by the Director.
• Expect to work a 40-hour week, including one late evening per week (4 8pm), and occasional weekends as established by the Director.
• Work will be under the supervision of the Director with periodic performance appraisals.
• Will be working with Reentry Counselors from various prisons in a team approach.
• Home visits and community outreach work will be performed in environments not controlled by Domus, some of which may be high risk at times.
• Work will be performed on Domus work sites leading landscaping crews , painting and maintenance