Joint Office of Homeless Services Director Recruitment Process
On December 7, 2022 Shelter Now issued the following letter to Multnomah County leadership regarding the recruitment process:
We are writing as community advocates who believe the hiring of the new Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) Director is one of the most important decisions our region will make this decade. We are reaching out to offer input and support to ensure the search process yields the skillful, strategic, collaborative, equity-centered leadership our community needs. We are recommending a few key shifts in the process: extend the search timeframes, engage diverse community stakeholders, and improve communication and transparency.
Since the announcement that the former director was leaving, we have expressed interest to County officials about being informed about this process and advising on the search. We were surprised to learn that the position was posted with applications due on December 16th without seeing any public communications, or being offered any opportunity to collaborate. As far as we can tell, none of the advisory resources, whether internal, such as the former A Home for Everyone committees, the Supportive Housing Services (SHS) Advisory Committee or the Continuum of Care (CoC) Board, or external, such as HereTogether or Shelter Now, have been leveraged–or consulted with–for this search.
Many of us who have been involved in executive searches for key community positions are accustomed to having a search committee formed, comprised of stakeholders with diverse voices and perspectives who work with HR, the external search firm, and the decision-makers–whether an individual or a board–to help shape the search and make recommendations on candidates.
We are anxious to learn more about the search process, including who is the best point-of-contact for questions about the search, who is currently involved in the search process, if it is occurring nationwide and who will inform the process, evaluate candidates, and make recommendations. In the meantime, we have a few key recommendation to strengthen the process:
We are advocating that both the application deadline for the first round of interviews, and the anticipated hire date, be extended in order to support the best possible pool of candidates and allow for an inclusive and community-informed process.
We also strongly recommend that diverse stakeholders are actively engaged, including those with lived experience and community members, be involved in the search, including informing the interview process and/or questions, providing input on candidates selected to be interviewed, and making recommendations of candidates to the decision-maker(s).
The hiring process is an important opportunity to model the values and practices outlined in the position description, including greater transparency, communication, and collaboration, which are necessary for our region to come together to successfully address the challenge of homelessness.
Because this is urgent, we would like to meet with you, ideally within the week, to discuss the hiring process.
Best,
Sean Green,
Chairperson
Shelter Now