Food Program Assistant Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Open Until: Open Until Filled

Three Positions Available:  Two positions at .90 FTE/36 hours per week each. One position at 1.0 FTE/40 hours per week.

Class Title: Program Assistant 

Position Title: Program Assistant

Accountable To: Program Coordinator

Department: Resident Services

Band: A

Grade: 1

Subgrade: 3

Come join one of the nation’s highest ranked housing agencies. Be a part of an innovative and creative team of individuals committed to serving the community by providing affordable, quality housing.

The St. Paul Public Housing Agency (PHA) has been serving the community for over 45 years. St. Paul PHA is an independent agency that owns and operates affordable rental housing for low-income families and individuals throughout the City, with subsidies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The PHA provides approximately 4,273 affordable rental units in hi-rise buildings, townhomes, and scattered site single family and duplex homes. The PHA administers 5,242 Housing Choice Vouchers, paying over 45 million annually in federal rent subsidies to private owners who rent units to eligible families and individuals with very low incomes.

Mission Statement:

The PHA helps families and individuals with low incomes achieve greater stability and self-reliance by providing safe, affordable, quality housing and links to community services.

Employment Benefits:

The PHA offers a generous employee benefits package. The standard package includes paid vacation and sick leave; eleven paid designated holidays and two paid floating holidays; health and dental insurance coverage; and an employer pension contribution equal to 7% of employee's salary (employee contributes 5%). Additional benefits vary by contract or Supervisory and Confidential (S&C) policies.

Class Summary: Incumbents are responsible for assisting residents in daily living activities such as preparing meals and performing routine housekeeping so that they can continue to live independently.

Distinguishing Characteristics: The Program Assistant is the first level of a three-level program series. The Program Assistant is distinguished from the Program Coordinator by its responsibility for assisting residents in daily living activities so that they can continue to live independently.

Position Summary: Same as above.

Duties:

1. Operates large scale meals program in commercial kitchens preparing and serving up to two daily meals 365 days/year for up to 80 participants according to city and HUD guidelines including: inventorying the amount and condition of food arriving from vendor in one to three-day shipments, reporting mistakes/shortages or spoiled food, ensuring sanitation procedures are implemented for all food, equipment and working surfaces; determine appropriate temperatures and length of cooking time; following directives and coordinating dishing up predetermined portions of each food item; ensuring proper diet requirements are met for participants needing special diets; accurately substituting food items for special diets or food shortages to comply with program standards; listening to and reporting residents specific comments and complaints about meals; seeing that meals are delivered to identified clients; cleaning spills on floors and appliances, sweeping and mopping Community Room floors after each meal; cutting food and other special adaptations for physically disabled residents needing dining assistance; providing assistance to participants at Title III senior dining meals each weekday noon; and checking on and completing wellness checks when participants fail to arrive at meals according to CHSP procedure. 
2. Performs various resident housekeeping duties including: laundry, changing and washing bed linens, mopping floors, vacuuming floors, dusting furniture, sanitizing sinks, toilet, shower; wiping down doors, woodwork, walls, sills, insides of windows, cupboards, mirrors, counters, mopboards; emptying trash and recycling ; cleaning inside/outside of appliances and equipment; assisting compulsive savers/poor housekeepers to organize clutter; prepping units for pest control treatment; notifying proper resources of suspected insect infestation, excessive clutter in units or needed repairs.
3. Maintains daily records on services provided to include: inventorying food supplies; recording food temperatures; tracking the number of residents attending meals; completing resident housekeeping records; completing client logging; recording in the site communication book and completing the wellness check register. 
4. Assists residents with daily living activities including: checking and reporting any signs of change/decline in physical or mental functioning; providing re-direction regarding appropriate dress, time, location, and other areas; observing and reporting poor hygiene; observing and reporting when participants appear ill, depressed, or disoriented; escorting elderly/disabled residents requiring help to and from dining room.
5. Responds to crises, life threatening accidents, illness and death when CHSP participants fail to show up for meals, fail to turn OK cards or, are found ill or injured including: appropriate calls to 911 or other medical resources and initiating prescribed safety response procedures when residents are found in medical crisis; letting paramedics, police or fire departments into building and providing correct information; using prescribed CHSP key system ; alerting the CHSP Coordinator of the emergency, followed by documentation of incident and remaining with client until crises is solved. Concerns of abuse or suspected abuse of a vulnerable adult are reported to Coordinator.
6. Assists volunteers including: assisting in the recruitment and training of volunteers; providing direction to volunteers related to set up, serving and clean up of meals; and under supervision, providing guidance in handling sensitive issues.
7. Participates in CHSP staff meetings, CHSP and PHA in-services workshops and other training opportunities, and social/educational CHSP functions.
8. Must abide by all Board approved policies, policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment, executive communications, administrative procedures, and safety procedures established by the PHA.
9. Must travel to various PHA sites and other locations that are required by the nature of the work.
10. Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

Knowledge (position requirements at entry):

Knowledge of:

• Janitorial and sanitation techniques;
• Basic food nutrition concepts;
• Safe food handling practices;
• Dynamics or working with residents who are frail, elderly or disabled;
• Physical and mental health conditions and what changes may occur.

Skill in:

• Serving hot meals;
• Sanitizing and disinfecting rooms, equipment and dishes;
• Operating cleaning supplies such as mops, vacuums, and carpet scrubbers, etc.;
• Resolving problems;
• Communicating while maintaining complete confidentiality;
• Conflict resolution/problem solving;
• Operating all aspects of large scale meals program;
• Writing detailed incident reports and accurately recording required data;
• Assessing and responding to emergency situations;
• Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

Required Qualifications

Education: Graduation from high school or GED 

Experience: 6 months experience in social service, housekeeping and/or meal preparation or related field. 

Preferred Qualifications

Experience: 1 year or more relevant experience. Demonstrated experience working with ethnically, culturally and economically diverse populations.

Licensing Requirements (position requirements at entry):

None required.

Physical Requirements

Medium Work (Exerting 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.) (For complete physical requirements see “Physical Demands Job Analyst” on file.)