Job description

The CUNY School of Public Health/Healthy CUNY and Hunger Free America Food Security Project

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Benefits Access Specialist - Full-Time* (see the BAS Part-Time position description here)

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Background:*

Hunger Free America strives to build the nonpartisan, grassroots movement to enact the policies and programs needed to end hunger in the US and ensure that all Americans have sufficient access to nutritious food.

A significant aspect of HFNYC’s work is to connect eligible residents to SNAP / food stamp and WIC benefits by assisting them during the application process. The receipt of SNAP and WIC for those eligible individuals and families contributes to improved nutrition and reduces the financial strain of trying to pay for other household expenses on a limited budget.

Hunger Free America’s Benefits Access Department is seeking five full-time and one part-time Benefits Access Specialists to join them. The Benefits Specialist will work in-person to provide SNAP eligibility screenings and application assistance from one of HFNCY’s satellite offices or from a local community-based organization. The Benefit Specialist will also work to connect clients with other nutrition programs such as Pandemic-EBT (for families with school-aged children), home meal delivery, and referrals to food pantries and soup kitchens. All work must be entered into a database to track client progress. The Specialist will conduct follow-up to ensure that applicants receive the correct amount of monthly benefits in a timely manner and help to resolve cases in which this has not occurred.

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**This position must be filled by a qualified *Dislocated Worker. Candidates must pass a brief Dislocated Worker screening to be eligible for the position.**
Skills & Qualifications:

• Experience in anti-hunger/nutrition benefits screening (esp. for SNAP); working in low-income communities.

• High-energy self-starter with strong communications, problem solving, organizing, and inter-personal skills, and a demonstrated commitment to fighting poverty and hunger.

• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is preferred, although people with significant, relevant, work experience will be considered.

• Proficiency using Microsoft Office programs like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• Knowledge of Salesforce and Airtable is preferred, but not required.

• Bilingual skills are a plus, but not necessarily required (Bengali, Haitian-Creole, Arabic, or Spanish preferred).

Essential Physical Demands:

• The person in this position:
• Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including booster shot at recommended time.

• Must be able to frequently remain in a stationary position.
• Occasionally moves about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, other offices, etc. Work locations at 50 Broad Street, Suite 1103, NY, NY 10004, 938 Sheridan Ave, Bronx, NY 10451, and 100-10 Astoria Blvd, East Elmhurst, 11369

• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery such as a calculator, copy machine and computer printer.

• Occasionally travels around New York City and possibly outside of NYC to attend meetings, conferences, and other organizational events.

• Frequently communicates with staff, partner sites, volunteers, and clients and must be able to exchange accurate information in these interactions.

Salary & Benefits for Full-Time Employees:

• This is a full-time, non-exempt, 35-hour per week position, with some work completed remotely. The time commitment is for a period of four months.

• The starting pay rate is $22.53 per hour.

• Hunger Free America offers significant benefits to full-time employees, including a strong health insurance plan which includes fully paid employee premiums and a health reimbursement account.

• Employees receive generous vacation, holiday, and sick time.

Duties May Include:

• In-person SNAP prescreening and application assistance. Proper follow-up and documentation.

• In-person outreach at various local community-based sites, one-day events, Grow NYC farmers’ markets, and on the ground canvassing.

• Must participate in trainings, presentations, and workshops.

• Other duties as assigned.

Dislocated Worker Qualifications

• Candidate must qualify as a Dislocated Worker.
• A "dislocated worker" is someone who lost their job due to one of the following situations:
• You were terminated or laid off from your job, are eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits, and are identified by us as unlikely to return to your previous industry or occupation.
• You lost your job as a result of a plant closing or substantial layoff.
• You have been unemployed for a long time and are unlikely to get another job in the same or similar occupation.
• You were self-employed and are unemployed due to general economic conditions or a natural disaster.
• You may also be considered a dislocated worker if you have been away from the labor force for many years. For example: you were a full-time homemaker, and you must now return to the labor force because you have lost your source of income.

Hunger Free America / NYC is an equal opportunity employer. People of all races, sexual orientations, ages, faiths, economic and social backgrounds, genders, physical abilities, and national origins are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications without a resume will not be considered.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: $22.53 per hour

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