11 February 2021
Outreach Professional Procedures & Policies
Individuals have basic needs and should have access to eligible services to meet their needs. RFTS mission is to provide these services through our food program and homeless outreach program within Reach For The Stars.
RFTS vision is to build rapport with the homeless community and families in-need. People experiencing homelessness will receive a backpack filled with basic necessities and a list of resources to use when they are ready. Families and individuals experiencing hunger will receive a box of food (or more) after signing a liability waiver. RFTS is not regulated by the food authority. All clients can ask for more resources (I.e. hygiene, clothes, phone numbers) and if available, RFTS staff will do it’s best to provide these services or point them in the right direction.
Homelessness
People experiencing homelessness have lost the protection of a home and their community. They are often marginalized and isolated within the larger society. Also, people with mental and/or substance use disorders frequently face challenges in building and maintaining social connections. RFTS goal is to provide them these connections. They may fail to seek out treatment for fear of discrimination or feel unworthy of help, therefore RFTS will reach out by providing them the resources necessary. Helping the homelessness overcome these beliefs and look to participate in treatment is a key step in their recovery.
Outreach Professional
However, as a outreach professional when approaching an individual who has been isolated or has had trauma one must put aside all judgment and fear. Most homeless individuals and families in-need are more fearful of society and their judgment than we are of them. Therefore, when offering assistance, always give them the opportunity to deny the assistance. RFTS Outreach Professionals will also allow the clients to lead the conversation and will not ask too many prying questions. The goal is for RFTS to gain trust by just handing them a backpack or a food box without judgment while being kind, comforting and professional. RFTS strives to build rapport, compassion and trust with its clients at all times.
Homeless Outreach Risk
Social inclusion offers opportunities to re-engage with the community and form positive relationships. RFTS involvement is the practice of integrating backpacks with the homelessness community or other agencies. We may provide peer support but only if they ask. Peer support creates a sense of belonging for both the individual providing the service and those receiving support. If the volunteer or staff member ever feels the surrounding area is too risky or the individual they are serving is threatening, they must back out of the hostile situation at once and call 911 (if applicable), then notify their supervisor. An incident report will be filed within 24 hours.
Homebound Food Delivery Risk
Due to the safety of our volunteers and staff, at no time should our RFTS members enter the home of a RFTS client. When delivering food, RFTS will contact the client to come to the door and the exchange will be made there or in the parking lot. If the volunteer or staff member ever feels the surrounding area is too risky or the individual they are serving is threatening, they must back out of the hostile situation at once and call 911 (if applicable), then notify their supervisor. An incident report will be filed within 24 hours.
Ethical Guidelines & Preferred Practice Guidelines (PPG)
The relationship between the client and volunteer or staff member services is critical. RFTS members should focus on individual strengths and needs and support self-determination while abiding by broadly accepted preferred practices and ethical guidelines. Each RFTS member shall abide by the below guidelines.
Ethical Guidelines:
The following are adapted from the National Association of Case Management’s Ethical Guidelines:
As a RFTS volunteer or staff member, I:
• Am committed to respect the dignity and autonomy of all persons and to behave in a manner that communicates this respect.
• Am committed to each individual’s right to self-determination, and the rights of people to make their own life choices.
• Am committed to fight stigma wherever I find it, to educate the community, and to promote community integration for the people I serve.
• Do not allow my words or actions to reflect prejudice or discrimination regarding a person’s race, culture, creed, gender or sexual orientation.
• Strive to both seek and provide culturally sensitive services for each person and to continually increase my cultural competence.
• Am committed to helping persons find or acknowledge their strengths and to use these strengths.
• Am committed to helping persons achieve maximum self-responsibility and to find and use services that promote increased knowledge, skills and competencies.
• Acknowledge the power of self-help and peer support and encourage participation in these activities when applicable.
• Am honest with myself, my colleagues, the people I serve and others involved.
• Keep confidential all information entrusted to me by those I serve, except when to do so puts the person or others at grave risk. I am obligated to explain the limits of confidentiality to the persons I serve at the beginning of the professional relationship.
• Must strive to maintain healthy relationships with the people I serve, avoiding confusing or multiple relationships and keeping the relationship focused on the individual’s needs, not my own.
• Refer to appropriate agencies if the individual is in a crisis situation.
• Have an obligation to consult with my supervisor, obtain training, or refer to a more qualified
provider any individual with a need I do not feel capable of addressing.
• Have an obligation to remain curious; learning, growing, developing, and using opportunities for continuing education in my field or profession.
• Am committed to a regular assessment of my service recipients’ expectations of me and to consistently improve my efforts to meet their expectations.
• Have an obligation to advocate for the people I serve, for their rights, for equal treatment and for resources to meet their needs.
• Am obligated to warn anyone in danger of physical harm, and the duty to report physical, sexual, emotional and/or verbal abuse to the proper person or agency.
• Am obligated to work supportively with my colleagues and to keep their confidences.
Approved by Board of Directors –