NORTHAMPTON — The city is accepting applications for the job of implementation director for the new Department of Community Care, a position designed to build the fledgling department from an idea to a 24/7 alternative emergency response system.
The implementation director will have a range of responsibilities including working with the mayor to appoint an advisory committee, hiring consultants for a community needs assessment, seeking new funding sources and developing the policies and procedures that the department will use when it opens for service.
“The goal of this new city agency is to respond to calls related to behavioral health, substance use, social service-related requests, and other crisis situations of Northampton residents and visitors,” an online job listing reads.
The fiscal 2022 budget included $423,955 for the Department of Community Care with a goal of making it fully operational by fiscal 2023, which starts next July.
“The 2020 killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks sparked national protest, once again exposing historic inequities and systemic racism in policing and our society at large in the United States,” the job listing reads. “Propelled by these tragic events nationally and their connection to 400 years of racial injustice, hundreds of Northampton residents called upon their elected leaders to rethink the city’s approach to policing.”
The director would build out the department’s staff, develop policies and plan the scope of services, relying on the Policing Review Commission’s March 2021 report “Reimagining Safety.” That report described ways the new department could take over some of the responsibilities of police officers by sending unarmed peer responders to threats of suicide, suspicious person calls and other non-violent or non-criminal matters.
Applicants must be able to write grant proposals and budgets, and must be knowledgable about police reform models and the social service agencies in Hampshire County. Knowledge of, and sensitivity to, a broad range of cultures, socioeconomic groups and life experiences — such as exposure to systemic racism or a history of criminality — is essential.
Also needed are a “systemic understanding of poverty and homelessness, and its impact on individuals and families,” according to the job listing, along with community outreach, public relations and data management skills.
The temporary full-time position pays $84,385 to $95,488 per year.
At least a bachelor’s degree in public health, public administration, intercultural management or a related field is required, plus at least five years of relevant experience, including consultancy or supervision. Applicants with an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Applicants must be able to drive a car and maintain a Class D driver’s license. The implementation director will be expected to attend meetings at the local, regional and state levels.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.