| Location | San Bernardino, CA |
| Salary | $68,536–$96,553.60 Per Year |
Homeless Outreach Program Specialist*
Salary
$68,536.00 - $96,553.60 Annually
Location
Throughout San Bernardino County, CA
Job Type
Full-time
Job Number
26-16310OHS-02
Department
Office of Homeless Services
Opening Date
10/03/2026
Closing Date
10/16/2026 5:00 PM Pacific
FLSA
Non-Exempt
The Job
The Office of Homeless Services is recruiting for a Homeless Outreach Program Specialist*. The incumbent will play a vital role in engaging individuals experiencing homelessness by building trusting relationships, providing peer support, and connecting clients to essential services. This role focuses on reducing barriers to care by leveraging lived experience, understanding of community resources, and familiarity with enhanced case management services offered through Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP). The ideal candidate will also have the ability to identify and connect clients to appropriate behavioral health services. Under direction, the incumbent will perform administrative and operational program development activities within the Office of Homeless Services; analyze, recommend, and develop policies/procedures and knowledge assets/tools for homelessness programs based on information gathered from homeless outreach activities and relevant data sources.
Key Responsibilities:
Outreach: Conduct field-based outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness, with sensitivity and respect for diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
Peer Support: Provide peer support and mentorship grounded in shared lived experience to encourage trust and client engagement. Work with individuals who face significant barriers to stability. Handle cases where clients are not following through with housing commitments or other responsibilities, employing strategies to re-engage them and offer necessary support. Use motivational interviewing and other techniques to help clients overcome barriers to success.
Coordinated Care: Support individuals in accessing housing, medical care, behavioral health treatment, and other supportive services. Facilitate warm hand-offs and referrals to behavioral health services, including mental health and substance use disorder programs. Collaborate with case management teams and local service providers to coordinate care and promote client-centered service delivery. Assist in providing temporary relief and crisis management services for individuals experiencing homelessness, ensuring access to emergency shelter, food, and other resources. Offer stabilization and follow-up support as needed.
ECM: Maintain working knowledge of IEHP Enhanced Care Management (ECM) services and assist clients in accessing and navigating ECM support.
Program Development: Develop and oversee initiatives aimed at addressing homelessness within the county; ensure programs align with the countys homeless services goals and the Continuum of Care (CoC) framework. Conduct analytical studies of organizational systems, policies, and practices. Propose and implement new or modified policies and procedures to improve service delivery and operational efficiency for homeless individuals. Participate in quality assurance meetings and coordinate monitoring of homelessness services to ensure program effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. Assess the impact of services and recommend changes to improve outcomes for clients.
Administrative & Case Management Duties: Balance administrative responsibilities, such as maintaining case files, preparing reports, documenting client contacts, referrals, and progress in accordance with program guidelines. Ensure timely, accurate completion of paperwork while prioritizing client engagement and service delivery.
County & Community Collaboration: Act as a liaison between various county departments, service providers, community organizations, and the public; collaborate with county departments and community partners to advocate for and deliver coordinated services to individuals experiencing homelessness. Coordinate efforts to solve mutual problems, exchange information, and provide services that align with the county's homeless services strategy.
Community Education: Lead and participate in training programs for service providers, and community stakeholders on best practices for supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, including trauma-informed care, harm reduction, housing-first approaches, and de-escalation techniques. Participate in case conferencing and team meetings.
Official Job Title: Program Specialist I
EXCELLENT BENEFITS
To review job-specific benefits, refer to: Summary of Benefits and the General (Teamsters) Compensation Plan
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Field-Based Outreach: Incumbents must be willing and able to visit clients in the field and other settings (encampments, street corners, shelters, etc.) to perform complete needs assessments and be able to visually observe injuries and the clients environment as mandated by the State.
Pre-Employment Process: Prior to appointment, applicants must pass a background investigation, which includes fingerprinting, credit check, and medical exam, which may include drug and/or TB testing.
Travel: Travel throughout the County is required. A valid California Class C Driver License is required to carry out the essential job-related functions of this position (mileage reimbursement may be available at current IRS rates). A clean driving record and proof of automobile liability insurance must be maintained.
Sponsorship: San Bernardino County is not able to consider candidates who will require visa sponsorship at the time of application or in the future.
Minimum Requirements
Candidates must meet all of the following requirements:
Education:
Thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter units of completed college coursework from an accredited institution in behavioral/social science, business/public/health care administration, liberal arts, or a closely related field. A list of completed college coursework or legible copies of transcripts MUST be submitted with the application if the applicant does not possess an associates degree or higher in one of the qualifying fields listed above.
Case Management Experience:
One (1) year of full-time equivalent experience in a housing, human services/social services, behavioral/mental/public health program, or community-based organization performing responsible case management duties, which included one (1) or more of the following areas as primary duties:
(1) Direct community service engagement with high housing barrier clients, providing support in accessing housing, medical care, behavioral health treatment, and other supportive services;
(2) Conducting housing assessments and program navigation for emergency shelter placement, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and/or permanent housing;
(3) Housing program monitoring and evaluation.
Homeless Outreach Field Experience:
Experience must include field-based homeless outreach. Field-based outreach typically occurs in shelters, encampments, street corners, or other settings outside of a traditional office environment. Experience must be clearly described in the work experience section of your application and supplemental questionnaire. Failure to clearly described field-based homeless outreach experience will result in disqualification.
Substitution:
Additional qualifying experience may substitute for the required education on the basis of six (6) months of experience for fifteen (15) semester (23 quarter) units, up to thirty (30) semester (45 quarter) units.
Important Notes:
MLA: Completion of the San Bernardino County Management Leadership Academy (MLA) program will be accepted toward the required coursework on the basis of four (4) quarter units of credit per MLA track completed.
Education: Qualifying degrees or coursework must be completed at a college or university accredited by any accrediting association recognized by the United States Department of Education. Degrees or coursework completed outside the U.S. must be accompanied with an evaluation report from a reputable credential evaluation service showing equivalency to degrees or coursework completed at a college or university accredited by any accrediting association recognized by the United States Department of Education.
Desired Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have experience in the following areas in a homeless services program environment:
Selection Process
Examination Procedure:
There will be a competitive evaluation of qualifications based on a review of the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire. You are encouraged to include detailed descriptions of your qualifying experience, as only the most highly qualified applicants will be referred to the Department. Please ensure all relevant experience is indicated in the Application and responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire, as resumes and other attachments will not be reviewed.
Application Procedure:
To be considered for this excellent opportunity, please Complete and submit the online employment application and supplemental questionnaire by 5:00 PM, Friday, October 16, 2026.
To ensure timely and successful submission of your online application, please allow ample time to complete and submit your application. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted the application and all required materials prior to the posted deadline. Once your application has been successfully submitted you will receive an onscreen confirmation and an email. We recommend that you save and/or print these for your records. Please note, if you do not receive an onscreen confirmation and an email acknowledging our receipt of your application, we have not received your application.
If you require technical assistance, please review the Government Jobs online application guide or contact their Toll-Free Applicant Support line at (855) 524-5627. Please note that Human Resources is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by the internet connection, computer or browser used to submit the application.
All communications regarding the remainder of the selection process will be via email. Please be sure the email provided on this application is always current; it is your responsibility to update your personal information. Update your Spam, Junk, Bulk and Firewall settings as needed to ensure that you receive all information pertaining to this recruitment.
EEO/ADA: San Bernardino County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants.
ADA Accommodation: If you have a disability and require accommodations in the testing process, submit the Special Testing Accommodations Request Form within one week of a recruitment filing deadline.
Veterans' Preference: Eligible veterans and their spouse or widow(er) who are not current County employees may be awarded additional Veterans' Preference points. Review the Veterans Preference Policy for more information and instructions to request Veterans Preference points.
For additional information, review the County Employment Process
Administrative Services Unit
San Bernardino County offers a range of benefit programs for employees and their eligible dependents. These include health, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as a variety of other voluntary benefits. Programs and benefit amounts vary and are based on bargaining unit, family size, hire date, plan selection, and number of hours worked.
Please review the appropriate Summary of Benefits* for more information
Refer to the appropriate MOU, contact the County's Employee Benefits and Services Division at (909) 387-5787 or visit the Employee Benefits website for more detailed information.
01
INSTRUCTIONS: The information on the Application and your responses to the following Supplemental Questions will be used in a competitive evaluation. Accurate responses should be provided for each question, and all experience must be clearly detailed in the work experience section of your application in order to ensure qualifications are properly considered.
02
Field-Based Outreach: Candidates must be willing and able to conduct needs assessments and provide related homeless services in the field, including encampments, street corners, shelters, etc. Indicate your willingness to work in a field-based position providing services to individuals experiencing homelessness.
03
Drivers License: Do you currently possess a valid California drivers license?
Note: Travel throughout the County is required. A valid California Class C Driver License is required to carry out the essential job-related functions of this position (mileage reimbursement may be available at current IRS rates). A clean driving record and proof of automobile liability insurance must be maintained.
04
Education: Indicate the highest level of education you have completed in behavioral/social science, business/public/health care administration, liberal arts, or a closely related field.
05
Education: Indicate the field of study in which you have completed college coursework. Field of study (major) must also be indicated in the Education section of your application. If none, indicate "N/A."
06
Case Management Experience: Do you have one (1) or more years of full-time equivalent case management experience with a primary focus providing supportive services to high housing barrier clients, conducting housing assessments, or housing monitoring and evaluation?
Experience must be clearly described in the work experience section of the application for consideration.
07
Field-Based Homeless Outreach: Do you have experience performing field-based homeless outreach? Field-based outreach typically occurs in shelters, encampments, street corners, or other settings outside of a traditional office environment.
08
Field-Based Homeless Outreach: Describe your experience performing field-based homeless outreach. Include your employer(s) or organization(s), job title(s), the location where services were provided (encampments, street corners, shelters, etc.), and job duties.
Experience must also be clearly described in the work experience section of your application. Failure to clearly described field-based homeless outreach experience will result in disqualification.
If none, indicate "N/A."
09
Conflict Resolution Strategies: Provide a brief example of a challenging client interaction or conflict you encountered while providing housing or supportive services to an individual experiencing homelessness. Include a brief description of the situation, de-escalation techniques and strategies used, and the outcome.
If none, indicate "N/A."
10
Homeless Services Program Experience: Indicate which homeless services grants/programs/systems you have experience with. Check all that apply.
11
Homeless Services Program Development: Describe your experience overseeing homeless services and housing program operations and development in the following areas:
1) Collecting and analyzing homeless services and housing program data 2) Developing recommendations regarding homeless services programs and presenting proposals to management 3) Updating homeless services program policies, procedures, handbooks, training guides, etc. 4) Homeless services and housing program regulatory compliance monitoring 5) Implementing and evaluating homeless services programmatic changes
Include your employer(s) and job title(s) where experience was gained.
If none, indicate "N/A."
12
EXCEL EXPERIENCE: Describe your experience utilizing Microsoft Excel. In your description, include your skill level and the duties you performed using the program that demonstrate your skills.
If none, indicate "N/A."
13
Applicant Acknowledgement - Notification via email: As part of our efforts to increase efficiency and promote conservation of resources, human resources uses email to communicate with applicants. Therefore, all future communications regarding this recruitment, including applicant status and testing notifications, will be made via email. Each applicant needs their own email address. We strongly encourage you, as an applicant, to ensure that the email address you have provided us with your application is current, secure, confidential, and readily accessible to you. Adjust Spam and/or other filters so that our emails are accepted. Please carefully read any notices that we send you and follow any instructions provided in a timely manner. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails (i.e., for the non-delivery of our emails or if you fail to check your e-mail on a timely basis).
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ATTENTION GMAIL USERS
We have become aware of an increase in Gmails spam filter sensitivity. Due to this change, it is possible that emails coming from San Bernardino County Human Resources may be marked as spam and will not make it into your Gmail inbox.
For your convenience, the attached PDF document contains a step-by-step guide to create and apply filters within Gmail. For detailed instructions, download the PDF file. Once downloaded, follow the instructions so that you will receive future emails from San Bernardino County Human Resources.
Note: If you apply the filters and still do not receive emails from San Bernardino County Human Resources you can check your www.governmentjobs.com (Neogov) account inbox. All notifications will appear there.
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Applicant Acknowledgement - Application Complete: Thank you for taking the time to complete this application and supplemental questionnaire. Please be sure to review all information provided prior to submitting it as you cannot update or revise it once submitted. Your submitted application will be reviewed and evaluated as is. Please do not refer to a resume or other documentation in lieu of completing the employment history section or responding to the supplemental questions; they will not be reviewed or considered. Once your application has been successfully submitted, you will receive an onscreen confirmation and an email confirmation will be sent to the email address listed on your application. We recommend that you save and/or print these for your records. Please note: if you do not receive an onscreen confirmation and an email acknowledging our receipt of your application, we have not received your application.
Required Question
Employer San Bernardino County
Address 175 West Fifth Street, 1st Floor
San Bernardino, California, 92415-0440
Phone (909) 387-8304
TTY Users: 711
Website http://www.sbcounty.gov/jobs