HEART Practitioner in Birmingham

Birmingham Office – Birmingham, AL 35212

Urban Alchemy hires individuals who were once incarcerated and trains them to transform people and places through love and respect. We provide services that heal communities challenged by the intersection of extreme poverty, mental illness, addiction, and homelessness. When individuals are suffering in our public spaces, Urban Alchemy offers solutions. When a neighborhood, street, or intersection earns a reputation as a place to avoid, we turn it around. Urban Alchemy staff, known as Practitioners, create a peaceful and supportive presence, helping our communities rebuild a sense of pride one person at a time. Urban Alchemy is a nonprofit organization founded in 2018. We quickly grew from a small program in San Francisco to a thriving social enterprise with over 1,300 staff. We currently have operations in California, Oregon, and Texas and continue to expand nationally. Over 95% of Urban Alchemy employees, including leadership, experienced incarceration and/or homelessness.

Position Summary

The HEART Practitioner will respond to non-emergency 911 calls involving unhoused individuals to be a proactive on-the-ground presence. The HEART Practitioner must establish positive relationships with individuals in unhoused communities and encampments in the target areas. These relationships are critical to leverage effective communication and de-escalation when responding to emergency calls. The HEART Practitioner must possess highly attenuated emotional intelligence to accurately assess individuals they are responding to, understand and regulate their own emotions and triggers, and quickly develop a strategy to respond to the crisis in a calm and warm manner that de-escalates the situation and results in satisfactory resolution of the presenting issue. The HEART Practitioner is expected to work collaboratively with members of their team to implement evidence‑based strategies that contribute to the well‑being and successful resolution of unhoused individuals experiencing distress.

Position Duties and Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively as part of a co‑responder model team to address non‑violent, behavioral health crisis calls triaged by the city’s 911 system.
• Provide culturally responsive, trauma‑informed, gender‑responsive, harm‑reduction, and person‑centered mental health and substance use crisis assessment, intervention, de‑escalation, and appropriate follow‑up as part of the HEART team, specifically for individuals experiencing non‑violent, behavioral health crisis.
• Engage with individuals in distress to assess the cause of their distress, determine strategies that will be useful in decreasing distress, support individuals to resolve any identified issues, de‑escalate potential or existing conflicts and/or heightened emotions, and support individuals to connect to supportive services, as appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with other team members and persons in crisis to quickly assess the needs of the person experiencing mental health crisis; and create a response plan.
• Show competency in use of Narcan for opioid overdose reversal.
• Practice self‑awareness and cultural humility as member of diverse team; be conscientious and sensitive to power and other interpersonal dynamics with other team members.
• Ability to engage and connect with individuals in crisis, a strong ability to remain calm and attentive during crises, as well as to work through several separate crises during a single shift.
• Demonstrate a high level of resilience and self‑care as part of maintaining wellness in a high crisis and first responder position.
• Know and adhere to Urban Alchemy’s critical incident policies, including reporting requirements.

General:

• Will treat all Urban Alchemy guests, staff and stakeholders with compassion and respect.
• Use emotional intelligence to effectively engage and connect with others.
• Adhere to established procedures to provide a safe working environment including complying with OSHA, state, and local regulations as well as Urban Alchemy’s policies.
• Attend orientation and any additional training required by Urban Alchemy or our funders.
• Must wear an Urban Alchemy uniform and ID badge.
• Must carry all required safety and communications equipment.
• Follow all Urban Alchemy’s policies and procedures, including all safety guidelines.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the direct supervisor.

Position Requirements

• Has good communication and people management skills.
• Has ability to follow instructions in a manner that demonstrates that the instructions are understood.
• Has ability and desire to come to work on time and be in proper uniform at all times.
• Has ability to learn how to do timekeeping using Paycom.
• Enjoys being a team player.
• Has genuine and demonstrated interest in Urban Alchemy’s mission, values, and model.

General:

• Must be able to work compassionately and respectfully with people from all backgrounds.
• Must be prepared to deal with challenging circumstances related to serving people struggling with poverty, mental health, addiction, and/or homelessness.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain background clearance based on Urban Alchemy’s policies.
• This position requires the ability to use a smart phone or tablet to enter data.
• Lived experience with incarceration and/or homelessness strongly preferred.
• Driver’s license and a good driving record preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Expected to work in all weather conditions.
• Must be able to and be willing to travel in vehicles with others between crises.
• Ability to lift and carry 5 to 25 lbs.
• Walking: 7+ hours.
• Standing: 7+ hours.
• Sitting: 0 hours.

Statement of Non‑discrimination

Urban Alchemy shares a special bond with society’s most vulnerable because we see ourselves in their struggle. When doing our work, we recognize the humanity in those who are struggling and treat them how we once wished others had treated us. People who have been incarcerated, experienced homelessness and/or come from marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply because we believe they have unique skills and abilities to engage with people who are struggling. Urban Alchemy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Urban Alchemy prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type.

Pay: $18/hour + health insurance, paid time off, and other benefits.

How to Apply

If you have questions, please email hr@urban‑alchemy.us and indicate the position you are interested in. You can apply for this position by visiting https://www.paycomonline.net.