Position Objective:

According to the latest street count figures, the total number of people sleeping rough in the Northern Rivers has increased more than 50% from 309 to 710 in the past three years. This has occurred amidst a range of boarder contextual challenges, including significant rises in house prices and rents, the impacts of the 2022 floods, a shortage of long-term rentals due to a high number of short-term rental accommodation, as well as a lack of temporary accommodation, transitional housing and social housing.

To address this crisis, a range of stakeholders from the homelessness, housing, health and community sectors, both Government and non-Government, have come together to create a collaborative impact project with the goal of ending rough sleeping in the Northern Rivers. This project – Northern Rivers Zero – will use local knowledge, combined with internationally proven “Advance to Zero” methodology to ensure rough sleeping becomes rare, brief and non-reoccurring in the Northern Rivers.

At the heart of Northern Rivers Zero will be a “By-Name List” which will be embedded within frontline services providers and local Councils to collect data on the location and support needs of individuals who are sleeping rough. This will provide an entry point to a collaborative system of case coordination designed to support people with complex needs and circumstances. The initiative will be governed by a homelessness leadership group who will guide the strategic direction of the project and use data-driven insights to advocate for broader systems change.

This Project Coordinator will be charged with establishing the initiative during the critical inception phase and it is envisaged that in time they will be joined by another staff member. The position is being employed by the End Street Sleeping Collaboration (ESSC) but will be co-located with the Northern Rivers Community Foundation and report directly to the Northern Rivers Zero Homelessness Leadership Group.

Key responsibilities and deliverables

Strategic Leadership:

• Work with the HLG and collaboration partners to enable and deliver the Northern Rivers Zero project
• Support collaboration partners to align their efforts with the Northern Rivers Zero project and collective objectives
• Monitor and communicate progress towards project objectives
• Assist the HLG and collaboration partners to identify and address any gaps, barriers and opportunities that impact project delivery and outcomes

Project Management and Administration:

• Deliver and support key project activities, including:
  • Case coordination - establish, support and enable effective case coordination groups to provide collaborative support to rough sleepers
  • Communication – facilitate effective communication across the project, develop and distribute communications material and be a conduit for stakeholder input and feedback
  • Provide project and administrative support to the HLG, including:
  • Meeting planning, preparation and documentation (invitations, agendas, minutes, etc.)
  • Internal and external correspondence
  • Prepare reports and other documentation relevant to the Northern Rivers Zero project

Community Engagement:

• Ensure engagement of people with lived experience, First Nations people and other key community stakeholders across the project and its activities
• Identify, develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders across the Northern Rivers region, including local/regional organisations, government agencies, local Councils, and community leaders, to enable project outcomes
• Act as a point of connection between the Northern Rivers Zero project and statewide, national and international efforts to end rough sleeping
• Generate uptake of, and enthusiasm for, Northern Rivers Zero the region and beyond
• Engage stakeholders to identify gaps, barriers and opportunities related to achieving Northern Rivers Zero objectives

Data Collection, Analysis and Learning:

• Support collaboration partner organisations to embed the use of the By-Name List to achieve and maintain quality data on rough sleeping in each local government area
• Support ESSC to adapt the By-Name List to Northern Rivers contextual needs
• Support data-driven decision making across project activities
• Generate and/or contribute to reports for the HLG, stakeholders and community
• Establish effective mechanisms for identifying, documenting and sharing learning across the project
• Use continuous improvement to enable delivery of project objectives (e.g. collective practice change) and adapt to feedback and change

Financial Sustainability:

• Identify and seek additional resources for activities that progress Northern Rivers Zero objectives
• Contribute to planning and other activities that increase financial sustainability of the backbone function

Your skills & attributes:

• Tertiary qualifications and relevant experience in social services.
• Demonstrated linkages with the Northern Rivers region and community, including familiarity with the homelessness sector in the Northern Rivers.
• Excellent relationship management skills and the ability to work across a complex network of stakeholders and communities.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and rapport with service providers and enable practice change outcomes.
• Excellent communication and engagement skills including high level written and interpersonal communication, problem solving, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Demonstrated experience utilising community development and collaborative impact approaches with the ability to develop successful partnerships that create opportunities for creative, sustainable and collaborative outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience utilising measurement and evaluation frameworks, including data collection and analysis, to inform effective service provision and policy change.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and facilitating training, workshops, presentations and working groups.
• Understanding of privacy and security requirements in managing sensitive, personal information.
• Drive, initiative and the ability to work both autonomously and within collaborative, multidisciplinary team settings.

Salary and hours:

The salary will be commensurate with the successful applicant’s skills and qualifications and in line with not-for-profit organisations in the Northern Rivers. An upper threshold of $120k FTE (pro-rata) plus superannuation and salary sacrificing has been determined for an exceptional candidate who meets all the criteria outlined in the position description.

ESSC invites applicants who are looking to work 0.8 FTE (four days per week) but full-time hours may be available by negotiation. Applicants should outline their desired work arrangement as part of their application.

The initial contract period is 12 months, with subject to extension. Secondments from other organisations working in the housing and homelessness sector will be considered.

The successful applicant will be located with NRCF at the new Co-Lab on Arakwal Country in Byron Bay (site of the Old Byron Hospital). Hybrid work arrangements are negotiable, however visibility among stakeholders is central to the success of the role and the successful candidate must be willing to work from the office most of the time.

ENQUIRIES:

Enquiries about the role can directed to Deb Stafford, +61 2 6626 7122 or [email protected] using the subject line: Project Coordinator - Northern Rivers Zero enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.