ProsperOK Background: Incarceration and economic hardship does not only affect people behind bars and those close to them. It has a statewide ripple effect in limiting our communities’ potential, widening racial and economic disparities and perpetuating intergenerational cycles of poverty. Building a more equitable and prosperous Oklahoma requires transformative changes in the way we collectively design and implement policies and practices, make decisions and think and speak about crime and safety.  

In 2021, The Justice and Mobility Fund partnered with the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) to launch ProsperOK. ProsperOK accelerates economic mobility, reduces incarceration and bolsters community safety by uplifting people and removing barriers in the criminal legal system. ProsperOK envisions an Oklahoma that cares more than it confines; prevents and rehabilitates more than it punishes; and empowers communities to pursue solutions that increase economic opportunity and transform power systems. ProsperOK is supporting a new initiative in Tulsa called JusticeLink. 

JusticeLink: The nearly 16,000 Tulsans released from jail each year face critical barriers to accessing care, housing, work and other services essential to getting back on their feet. Re-arrest and recidivism are common, as nearly 40% of all Tulsa County jail admissions represent people arrested multiple times in the year. Coordination and navigation challenges in Tulsa contribute to this problem as there are currently no standards for coordination between agencies and nonprofits.  

Tulsa is establishing a new diversion services center, JusticeLink, that acts as a collaborative, multi-agency network in a single location (with a front-door at the Tulsa County Courthouse) dedicated to providing coordinated, life-stabilizing services to justice-involved people navigating the criminal legal system.

Key features of JusticeLink would include:

• One-stop-shop under one roof for clients to access multiple service providers around employment, case management, education, housing, family services, mental health, substance abuse and public benefits
• Personalized justice navigation for issues around fines & fees, court appearances and legal support, among other needs
• Service referrals to other high-quality providers

Position Summary:

The Resource Navigator will play a key role in advancing the goals of ProsperOK and realizing the potential of justice-involved individuals and their families. Resource Navigators will provide personalized, ongoing support to connect individuals in the criminal-legal system to desired programs and services that address the causes of their justice involvement, reduce future interactions with the criminal legal system, and improve their economic stability.

The Resource Navigator will manage a monthly caseload and will be primarily responsible for contacting individuals with active Tulsa County criminal-legal cases to promote their awareness of and enrollment in JusticeLink. The Resource Navigator will engage individuals and build trusting relationships to ensure that they and their dependents are connected to relevant and appropriate resources. Resource Navigators will work closely with Justice Navigators to ensure case plans and resources accessed are shared with the courts. 

Principle Duties/Responsibilities:

The following functions represent the majority of the duties performed by the position. The description is not meant to be all-inclusive or prevent other duties from being assigned when necessary: 

Essential Job Function: 

1. Create a trusting, comfortable, and inclusive environment that fosters partnership and continual engagement with individuals involved in the criminal-legal system from all backgrounds through ongoing contact. 
2. Conduct or review intakes and strength/needs assessments to identify immediate interventions.
3. Triage community referrals by connecting to appropriate community agencies based on client needs and program eligibility criteria.  
4. Promote and ensure smooth connections, based on the desires and needs of the client, including follow-up to ensure that clients have been successfully connected to services.
5. Support management of community partner relationships by coordinating referrals to outreach programs and identifying new opportunities to partner.  
6. Attend regular peer group meetings for networking and information sharing for optimal care management and navigation. 
7. Keep current with community resources and their respective eligibility requirements, relevant training related to reducing recidivism, collective impact, cultural awareness, social/emotional needs, etc. 
8. Serve as a liaison to the Public Defender’s office Justice Navigators and a variety of community agencies and networks. 
9. Maintain complete and accurate documentation of all activities and reports through computerized entry in accordance with program standards and guidelines. 
10. Assist and collaborate with program leadership in regards to evaluation and procedures for referral linkage. 
11. Attend required training in support of duties and responsibilities of this position.  
12. Other duties as assigned including those required to fulfill activities in support of the diversion service hub operations. 

QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIFICATIONS:

Education: High school diploma required. Associates Degree preferred. 

Experience: Previous experience with criminal-legal system impacted clients and/or engaging culturally diverse populations in social services is preferred. Lived experience navigating criminal justice systems also qualifies and is highly valued in this role.

Skills and Knowledge:

• Knowledge of community resources and services.
• Professional courtesy empathetic to the diverse situation and needs of individuals in the criminal legal system. 
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills in order to communicate effectively with peers and to maintain productive working relationships with agency partners.
• Careful attention to detail.
• Skill in operating a personal computer and smartphone applications  

Physical Effort:

• Communicate: Frequent phone communication with Tulsa residents; Must be able to exchange accurate information over the phone, email, use an enterprise SMS text messaging platform, and face to face.
• Operate: Constant operation of computer, phones and other office productivity tools.
• Willingness and ability to travel between multiple locations of the diversion services center (community, Courthouse, jail) and service provider offices as required to meet client needs.

Hours & Location:

• Position is based in the JusticeLink office located at 211 West Archer, Tulsa, OK.
• Typical work hours are Monday – Friday from 8:00 to 5:00, but flexibility required for various JusticeLink events or meetings that may occur evenings or weekends.

Supervision/Accountability: This position will have no direct reports. This position reports directly to the program manager or team lead. 

Compensation/Benefits: Salary range for this position is between $45,000 - $50,000 annually. Includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance and 401K.