About Casa Esperanza

Casa Esperanza, Inc. is a bilingual/bicultural behavioral health treatment provider serving Boston and the Merrimack Valley. Our mission is to empower individuals and families to recover from addiction, trauma, mental illness, and other chronic medical conditions; overcome homelessness and discrimination; and achieve health and wellness through comprehensive, integrated care.

About the role

Casa Esperanza is currently seeking an enthusiastic bilingual Promotores Outreach Worker (Promotores) who is passionate about promoting public health and individual and family well-being. The Promotores initiative is focused on reducing rates of drug overdose deaths and suicide in our Latine community. The Promotores model combines the strength of professional Community Health Workers with cultural and linguistic expertise with Promotores who are trusted community members to help build community capacity to reduce stigma facing people living with addiction and mental illness, provide families with education about how to spot the signs that a loved one is struggling, and educate community leaders about how they can support people who need access to resources, including mental health and addiction treatment.

Promotores will draw on existing community connections to provide culturally and linguistically relevant support to community members who may be in need of assistance from family or friends, support from community organizations and resources, or access to formal treatment for addiction or mental health needs. They will conduct outreach and educational activities to build and strengthen wellness and recovery-oriented relationships and networks across the Latine community in Greater Boston and promote local services to reduce stigma associated with mental health issues, reduce access barriers, increase service utilization, and navigate people to behavioral and mental health services they can trust.

What you'll do

Service Delivery:

• Work with Promotores Project Managers (the Associate Director of Community Health and the Director of Grant Projects and Partnerships) to develop and implement an outreach and community mapping strategy for reaching at-risk Latines.
• Engage your existing community connections to conduct educational activities that increase community understanding of addiction and mental illness, work to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders as well as the stigma associated with seeking and accepting treatment, and help community members in need of mental health and substance use treatment navigate the system of care.

• As part of the Promotores team, Promotores will conduct weekly outreach to individuals in varying stages of recovery at scheduled events and in hotspot areas. Outreach activities may include providing information or assisting with referrals/linkages to food, clothing, shelter, detoxification, and/or medical services.

• Ensures outreach materials are presented in a clear, positive, compassionate, and judgement-free manner.

• Provide bilingual health education services to promote engagement in healthy, pro-social, recovery-oriented activities.

• Provide transitional support as a community member for individuals who wish to access Casa's behavioral health services, including Detoxification/Withdrawal Management, Clinical Stabilization, Outpatient, Residential Treatment and Supportive Housing. 

• Work with other Promotores and Community Health Workers to ensure cohesive messaging across events and activities.

• Work to reduce barriers/stigma to initiating or continuing health care by providing accurate information to families, community members, healthcare and social service providers, and other community organizations.

• Represent the agency by providing education and participating in Boston community health events.

Administrative & Quality:

• Maintain all records and necessary reports of activities as required by the grant.

• Participate in monthly Outreach Team meetings.

• Actively participates in, and successfully complete, training provided by Casa and other agencies

• Biweekly supervision with the Associate Director.

• Assist in all reporting as required by the Associate Director.

• Other duties as required.

Qualifications

• Bilingual Spanish/English required.
• Must be community focused and have established connections in the community.
• Must be willing to leverage their reputation in the community as a well known and trusted individual in the community to promote mental health and SUD support
• Must reside in the community served.
• Must be available to work weekends and evenings, as needed.
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Awareness or be willing to learn about the intersection of culture, addiction, mental illness, trauma, health, and homelessness. 
• Ability to meet the physical and training requirements of the position.

Knowledge and Skills necessary for the position:

• Ability to work both independently and as a member of a team.
• Experience doing outreach to individuals at risk for addiction, mental illness, trauma, and violence.
• Must be already established and known in the community

Schedule

• Monday to Friday Availability must be flexible from 8am to 8pm, and Weekends with an estimated 10–20 hours of service per week

What we offer:

Casa Esperanza Benefits Package:

• Compensation:  Monthly Stipend: $720–$1,440 per month based on hours worked (calculated at $18.00/hour)
• ComPsych Guidance Resources - EAP
• Educational Opportunities
• Employee Ticket at Work (Discounts for Entertainment, travel, movies; etc.)
• Career Advancement Opportunities
• and more....

Physical & Mental Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.

At Casa Esperanza, Inc., the health and safety of our people is our number one priority. That’s why all offers of employment are contingent on the candidate showing proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (currently one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and boosted, when eligible) to pass the pre-employment requirements. Individuals with medical issues or religious beliefs that prevent them from getting the vaccine may request an exemption from the vaccine requirement.

Casa Esperanza’s EEO Statement

Casa Esperanza, Inc. values its diverse workplace and encourages women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, older members of society, and others from minority groups and diverse backgrounds to apply.

We recruit, hire, employ, train, promote, and compensate individuals based on job-related qualifications and abilities. Casa Esperanza, Inc. also has a longstanding policy of providing a work environment that respects the dignity and worth of each individual and is free from all forms of employment discrimination, including harassment, because of race, color, sex, gender, age, religion or religious creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.  All employees, interns, volunteers, and contractors of Casa Esperanza, Inc. are responsible for maintaining a work culture free from discrimination and harassment by treating others with kindness and respect.

Casa Esperanza, Inc. also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief, in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about an accommodation or need assistance with completing the application process, please email hr@casaesperanza.org.