SC2 Life Coach (Chicago)

POSITION TITLE : SC2 Life Coach

REPORTS TO : Associate Director of Reentry & Support Services

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicagos mission is to end the cycle of violence using Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s principles and teachings of nonviolence. Informed by a philosophy of nonviolence, Nonviolence Chicago will establish caring and sustained relationships with participants engaged in the cycle of violence. We will emphasize partnerships with community members, leaders, social service providers, and local law enforcement to reduce community levels of violence. We will help create a safer, healthier environment for young adults, youth, and their families. These general approaches will be specifically addressed using for major methods : Community Violence Intervention (CVI) / Street Outreach, Individualized Service Provision, Victim Support Services, and Nonviolence Training.

About the SC2 Collaborative

The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago is serving as the hub for the Scaling Up (SC2) initiative in the Austin community. The SC2 Austin Collaborative came together to begin scaling their promising programs throughout Austin to achieve community-level violence reduction by scaling up services to individuals at highest risk of violence. This unprecedented level of coordination, alignment, and investment in direct service provision to the highest risk individuals will not only provide lessons for local replication but may also serve as a model that can be deployed in other cities across the nation.

POSITION OVERVIEW : Reporting to the Associate Director of Reentry & Support Services, the SC2 Life Coach works directly with high-risk individuals in the community and accompanies them as they navigate the challenges associated to current or past involvement with the criminal justice system, work to establish a healthy and stable lifestyle, and overcome barriers to accomplishing their professional goals. This position not only provides services and resources to help achieve established goals, but also uses first-hand knowledge of the community to develop and maintain meaningful and effective relationships with participants, responds in the community as crises arise and draws out participant motivation to reach his / her potential. The SC2 Life Coach models prosocial behaviors and successful interpersonal relationships, provides the accountability necessary to achieving established goals, and mentors participants as they receive supportive services and attend court dates. As such, this role is a critical component of the long-term success of the SC2 Austin Collaborative.

This position may also be a member of a Violence Prevention-Community Support Team (VP-CST), an innovative effort to provide trauma-informed therapeutic interventions to individuals who have experienced chronic exposure to firearm violence. VP-CST teams are comprised of an outreach worker, life coach and clinician.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS / RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Utilize first-hand knowledge of the community and street conflicts to develop and maintain supportive and effective relationships with participants
• Using a trauma-informed approach, provide support, resources and accountability to a caseload of 15 participants at minimum
• Coordinate and complete intake process for every participant on caseload
• Establish and monitor participant goals
• Conduct and document in database a minimum of one in-person one-on-one support sessions each week with every participant on caseload
• Document in database the progress of each participant, including significant contacts, events attended (such as court dates) and feedback shared by external partners
• Assist participants with transportation to community supports, court, social service agencies, etc.
• Respond to crises in the community that impact participant safety and / or stability
• Provide linkages to needed supports, such as safe and stable housing or other community resources
• Create coordinated care, addressing gaps in information and services for each participant through regular communication with internal team members, participant family, and other service providers
• Work closely with referring partners and our community-based partners to ensure that goals are met
• Model prosocial behaviors and successful interpersonal relationships
• Serve as a mentor and draw out participant motivation to reach his / her potential
• Assist in facilitating cognitive behavioral intervention (CBI) groups to support participant self-regulation
• Provide accountability necessary to support participant achieving established goals, challenge antisocial behavior and consistently hold participants to high standards
• Serve as a member of a Violence Prevention-Community Support Team (VP-CST)
• Participate in trainings required of all VP-CST team members
• Document services provided in database, SmartCare
• Attend regular internal meetings about participants served by the VP-CST team and communicate and coordinate with team members about participant progress as much as Releases of Information allow
• Complete required annual trainings, such as nonviolence training
• Support and attend annual organization-wide staff events and participate in events hosted by community partners, as needed

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS :

The following educational qualifications are required for all life coaches to be a part of a VP-CST team :

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS :

SALARY RANGE :

Compensation is commensurate with years of related experience, position requirements, and candidate qualifications. The average salary for the position is $50,000.

BENEFITS :

The Institute puts our people first with a top-of-the-line benefits package.