COMMUNITY INTERVENTION SPECIALIST

BID/JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

COMMUNITY INTERVENTION SPECIALIST

Department of Family and Support Services

{Homeless Service Division}

Number of Positions: 1

(Additional vacancies possible pending budget approval)

Starting Salary: 68,616

This position is open to the public and all current City employees covered under the City's collective bargaining agreement with AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY, AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES (AFSCME) - BARGAINING UNIT 1, 3, 4 & 5. Only employees in City job titles in this bargaining unit are eligible to bid.

BID INSTRUCTIONS: Apply on the bid site: https://chicago.taleo.net/careersection/103/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en AND

1. Check the box on your profile titled "Currently employed by the City of Chicago"

2. Enter your employee ID (located on your pay stub labeled 'payee/employee number')

3. Select your correct bargaining unit

FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS WILL RESULT IN A REJECTED BID APPLICATION

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59pm CDT on 7/31/2026

Under supervision, the class works primarily in the field as part of the Homeless Outreach and Prevention (HOP) team canvassing communities providing crisis intervention and social services support to the unsheltered population, and performs related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

* Travels by vehicle or on foot to encampment sites and locations throughout Chicago where the unsheltered population resides and proactively initiates non-judgmental conversations to create and maintain relationships and provide a consistent presence.

* Engages individuals in need of services and consistently works to meet those needs, particularly with those who may not independently seek services.

* Provide crisis counseling to vulnerable populations (homeless or at risk of homelessness).

* Conducts needs assessments (e.g., intakes, coordinated entry system assessments, housing assessments and public benefit needs assessments), obtains pertinent information and establishes short and long-term case management goals for clients.

* Maintains current knowledge of eligibility requirements, program guidelines, and available resources offered by social service programs and community partners.

* Assists individuals in applying for federal and state benefits (e.g., Medicaid, food security applications, and Social Security disability).

* Updates case management system with client information by using designated systems (i.e., HMIS and ECM) and create and maintain a detailed by name list for each assigned outreach location.

* Refers and advocates for clients to delegate agencies, shelters and other social service providers for continued and ongoing social service needs (e.g., housing, medical, mental health services).

* Conducts follow up to ensure clients receive appropriate needed assistance.

* Assists in the placement of individuals affected by emergency housing situations (e.g., fires, vacates, evictions, etc.) by developing relocation plans and/or arranging shelter or nursing home placement and transportation.

* Develop and maintains strong working relationships with staff at key City departments, health care professionals, homeless/housing service providers, and the community at large to provide intervention and services to high-risk clients who are homeless and in need of services.

* Coordinates and participates in the cleaning of encampment sites (e.g., proper disposal of food and debris, ensuring abandoned or unoccupied tents are appropriately stickered for removal and overseeing the appropriate handling of the unsheltered populations personal belongings in accordance with City policies and procedures).

* Accompanies and transports clients to appointments.

* Provides assistance when emergency shelters or other temporary shelters are activated in a crisis.

* Participates in annual homeless count.

* Collaborates with outreach partners to connect client to services.

Additional duties may be required for this position

Location: Department of Family and Support Services, Homeless

Address: 10 South Kedzie, Chicago IL 60612

Shift: Mon - Fri, 8:30am - 4:30pm

THIS POSITION IS IN THE CAREER SERVICE

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

* Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in the Social

Sciences or a directly related field, plus two (2) years of community or social service work

experience involving the unsheltered population or individuals experiencing behavioral or

substance use crisis.

Should the above criteria not be fulfilled, the following options are acceptable:

* Six (6) years of community or social service work experience involving the unsheltered

population or individuals experiencing behavioral or substance use crisis.

OR

* Graduation from an accredited college with an Associate's degree in the Social Sciences

or a directly related field, plus four (4) years of community or social service work experience involving the unsheltered population or individuals experiencing behavioral or substance use crisis.

OR

* Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree or higher in

the Social Sciences or a directly related field, plus one (1) year of community or social service work experience involving the unsheltered population or individuals experiencing behavioral or substance use crisis.

Licensure, Certification, or Other Qualifications

A valid State of Illinois driver's license is required. May be required to work various hours, as required

NOTE: To be considered for this position you must provide information about your educational background and your work experience. You must include job titles, dates of employment and specific job duties. (IF you are a current City employee, Acting Up cannot be considered). If you fail to provide this information at the time you submit your application, it will be incomplete, and you will not be considered for this position. There are three ways to provide the information: 1) you may attach a resume; 2) you may paste a resume; or 3) you can complete the online resume fields.

Educational & Employment Verification:

Please be advised that if you are selected to be hired you must provide, upon request, adequate information regarding your educational and employment history as it relates to the qualifications of the position for which you are applying. If you received your degree internationally, all international transcripts/diploma must be accompanied by a Foreign Credential Evaluation. If the City of Chicago cannot verify this information, any offer extended to you will be withdrawn and you will not be hired.

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires applicants to complete an interview which will include a written exercise and/or a skills assessment test as part of the interview. The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, based on the oral and written parts of the interview will be selected.

Desired Skills:

* Previous experience providing street outreach to unsheltered homeless.

* Bachelor's degree in social work.

* Previous experience conducting needs assessments, crisis counseling and resource procurement.

* Proficiency with computers and managing data entry programs such as HMIS.

* Previous experience working with immigration issues.

* Previous experience working with migrants, refugees or immigrant communities.

For Information on our employees benefits please visit our benefits website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fin/benefits-office.html

For Information on our salary and title structure visit our classifications website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dhr/supp_info/JobClassification/2025_Classification_and_Pay_Plan.pdf

APPLICATION EVALUATION: Initial evaluation will be based on information provided on the application and the documents submitted. Department of Human Resource staff will review applications after the final posting date. Staff will follow any and all required Employment/Hiring Plan provisions, federal, state and local laws, and Collective Bargaining Agreements when applicable. Staff will apply hiring preferences as required by the municipal code. Placement on an eligibility list is not an offer or guarantee of an interview nor employment with the City of Chicago.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY: To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075. The ordinances provide a preference to applicants who meet minimum qualifications and who are veterans of the Armed Forces, and/or residents of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas (SEDA) and/or Chicago Public School (CPS) high school graduates to be referred to departments for consideration. These hiring preferences do not apply to bidders, as Collective Bargaining Agreements define the hiring process for bidders. For positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement, bidders will be considered before external candidates. To learn more about our hiring practices click here.

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.

The City of Chicago in an Equal Employment Opportunity, Military Friendly, and Fair Chance Employer.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor