Project H.O.M.E.

Project H.O.M.E.

Environmental Sustainability Plan Coordinator

Project Goal(s)

The overarching goal of the Philly Fellow’s year will be executing the implementation of Project HOME’s Environmental Sustainability Plan. The fellow will need to engage Project HOME staff, residents, and stakeholders on all levels so that Project HOME can move towards its goal of becoming a more environmentally sustainable organization. The Fellow will lead the effort to incorporate sustainable best practices in the organization’s operations, programming, and decision-making processes. As a part of this, the fellow will work within the North Central Philadelphia neighborhood on the sustainable neighborhood efforts of the Project HOME’s Community Development Department.

Agency Information

Website www.projecthome.org

Agency Mission The mission of the Project H.O.M.E. community is to empower adults, children, and families to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty, to alleviate the underlying causes of poverty, and to enable all of us to attain our fullest potential as individuals and as members of the broader society. We strive to create a safe and respectful environment where we support each other in our struggles for self-esteem, recovery, and the confidence to move toward self-actualization. Project H.O.M.E. achieves its mission through a continuum of care comprised of street outreach, a range of supportive housing, and comprehensive services. We address the root causes of homelessness through neighborhood-based affordable housing, economic development, and environmental enhancement programs, as well as through providing access to employment opportunities; adult and youth education; and health care. Project H.O.M.E. is committed to social and political advocacy. An integral part of our work is education about the realities of homelessness and poverty and vigorous advocacy on behalf of and with homeless and low-income persons for more just and humane public policies. Project H.O.M.E. is committed to nurturing a spirit of community among persons from all walks of life, all of whom have a role to play in making this a more just and compassionate society.

Address 1515 Fairmount Ave; Philadelphia, PA 19130

Total number of Agency Staff Members 250

Agency Budget $14 Million

Community Need

Please state in measurable and quantifiable terms the specific community need that the Philly Fellow will address

Project H.O.M.E. seeks to end homelessness by addressing its many causes: lack of affordable and supportive housing, opportunities for employment, medical care, and education. Over the course of Fiscal Year 2010, 508 unduplicated adults and children lived in Project H.O.M.E. residences, and our Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs served 963 adults and approximately 200 students in the St. Elizabeth’s/Diamond Street neighborhood of North Central Philadelphia. We recognize that homeless and low-income people are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and pollutants, which means we need to bring an environmental justice lens to our work to address the needs of our community. Our Environmental Sustainability Plan informs all facets of Project HOME operations, because it addresses the buildings that we live in, the food we eat, the chemicals we breathe, our office practices, educational programming, and more. In this way we see the implementation of the plan as potentially having an impact on all members of our community.

Describe how your agency addresses this need, and how the new capacity created by this fellow will help alleviate the problem

We address this need for environmental sustainability through programming across the organization, including our community garden efforts, transition to green cleaning supplies, LEED certified building projects, and more. The role of the Philly Fellow will be to encourage and connect these projects through implementation of the Environmental Sustainability Plan. The Fellow will be involved in education efforts with staff, residents and the community in North Central Philadelphia to encourage sustainability, with the goal that this knowledge will be further shared within the community in the coming years through peer education.

Describe the level of community involvement in the fellow’s project

The process of implementing the Environmental Sustainability Plan will involve engaging and communicating with a wide cross-section of the Project H.O.M.E. community. This will involve collaborating with community members across the organization to put in place environmental sustainability initiatives. In addition, the fellow will present the Plan’s strategies, coordinate meetings, facilitate environmental education, measure outcomes, and assess the Plan’s effectiveness. Ultimately, the Philly Fellow will play an integral role in the fostering the Plan as a living document that guides the organization.

Job Description

Please outline in list form the fellow's duties and responsibilities

The Philly Fellow’s primary responsibility will be the implementation of the Environmental Sustainability Plan that was written the previous year.

1) Executing the implementation by taking ownership and ensuring that the work related to the Environmental Sustainability Plan remains on schedule.

2) Working with the director of Property and Assets Management on projects relating to energy efficiency and waste reduction.

3) Working with the Director of Housing and Community Development on neighborhood sustainability initiatives in North Central Philadelphia, including working on food access in the neighborhood.

4) Creating and implementing a curriculum to engage Project HOME staff, residents, and community members about the Environmental Sustainability Plan.

5) Organizing all meetings related to the Environmental Sustainability Plan.

6) Managing and fostering partnerships with community organizations to strengthen our sustainability initiatives.

7) Leading the evaluation process of the Plan, measuring success and setbacks, re-evaluating goals for the coming years.

Please outline in list form the skills/qualifications a fellow should have to succeed in the position

1) Strong verbal and written communication skills

2) Ability to respectfully interact with people from all walks of life, including formerly homeless men and women, staff, volunteers, and board members.

3) Good project management and organizational skills

4) Excellent attention to detail

5) Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Access, and Word)

6) Ability to work independently and as part of a team

7) Interest in understanding environmental sustainability

Please describe your agency's plan to orient and train the fellow

Project HOME has a training plan for all staff, which includes a new hire orientation session as well as other optional trainings in: information technology resources, computer software, accounting practices, anti-stigma, addictions information, poverty and social justice issues, first aid and CPR, and universal precautions. Our fellow could also take advantage of other trainings offered by external training providers, and Project HOME will cover the cost of training that is related to the work of the Fellow. The Fellow will also be given the opportunity to shadow Project HOME’s Outreach Coordination Center Response teams and Education and Advocacy to develop a sense of the culture and history of the organization. Lastly, in addition to orientation and the trainings, the supervisor will introduce the Fellow to key staff that he or she will be working with and give the Fellow a tour of several Project HOME sites.

Name and title of the fellow's immediate supervisor

Joan McConnon; Associate Executive Director/CFO

Please briefly describe plans for supervision of fellow

The supervisor will meet with the Fellow weekly at the start of the fellowship and will reassess the frequency of the meetings based on the needs of the Fellow and the work flow. In addition, the supervisor will be available to support the Fellow via phone, email, and impromptu face to face meetings. The supervisor will provide feedback to the Fellow on his or her performance at regular intervals.

Will fellow be working at the same address listed above? No (please list alternate work site below) 2101 Brandywine St. Suite 100

Will the fellow have their own…

Office? Fellow will share Desk? Fellow will have their own Computer? Fellow will have their own

Please approximate the percentage of time the fellow will work…

Independently 30%

As a team member in a group setting 30%

As a team leader in a group setting 40%

Will the fellow be expected to travel as part of the position? Yes

If so, how often and where? The Fellow will travel to other Project H.O.M.E. sites and out of office meetings within Philadelphia. This will occur as necessary, but likely on a weekly basis.

Will the fellow need the following to carry out the position…

A driver’s license? No

Their own car? No