Handy Staff

The Handy Staff plays a central role in advancing Help@Home’s mission to ensure older adults can remain independent, safe, and comfortable in their own homes for as long as they choose. This position provides high-quality minor home repairs, accessibility modifications, and safety assessments while applying aging-in-place principles, universal design, and a client-centered approach. The Handy Staff is expected to hold, or be willing to obtain, the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation to ensure all services reflect best practices in home safety and accessibility for older adults. 

The Handy Staff supports the Aging Operations Manager in maintaining partner contracts through assessments, documentation, and relationship management.  Working in close collaboration with call center staff and the social work team, the Handy Staff ensures that repairs and home maintenance projects are well coordinated, scheduled efficiently, and aligned with each client’s care plan. 

Handy Staff provide services directly in clients’ homes as scheduled by call center staff, delivering repairs and modifications with professionalism, dignity, and respect. JFS will supply all tools necessary and provide mileage reimbursement for job related travel. Through skilled work, compassionate interaction, and CAPS informed safety practices, the Handy Staff strengthens Help@Home’s mission to support healthy aging and peace of mind for older adults in the community. 

Essential Duties: 

• Complete a wide range of basic home maintenance tasks for older adults, including repairing doors, steps, flooring, lighting, general plumbing, drywall, and other light carpentry needs to support safe and comfortable living environments. 

• Install essential safety features such as grab bars, handrails, nonslip solutions, improved lighting, and other fall prevention measures that enable clients to age in place with confidence. 

• Evaluate client homes to identify potential hazards, recommend appropriate repairs or modifications, and prioritize work that enhances safety, accessibility, and overall wellbeing. 

• Engage with older adults in a respectful, patient, and clear manner, explaining repair needs, outlining work plans, and ensuring clients feel informed and comfortable throughout the process. 

• Complete job reports including work, materials used, time spent, safety concerns, and follow-up needs in accordance with organizational procedures and reporting requirements. 

• Collaborate with volunteers, contractors, and community partners when additional expertise or support is needed to complete repairs or modifications. 

• Adhere to all safety protocols, use tools and materials responsibly, and ensure all work meets JFS quality expectations and regulatory guidelines. 

• Serve as an ambassador of the JFS mission, demonstrating professionalism, empathy, and integrity in interactions with clients, families, colleagues, and community stakeholders. 

• Coordinate regularly with the JFS Older Adult Care Management Team and participate in interdisciplinary meetings as needed to ensure holistic support for clients’ safety and wellbeing. 

• Document and relay observations related to client safety, functional changes, or environmental concerns that may require follow-up from the care team.  

• Serve as backup support for scheduling home assessments, repair visits, and follow-up appointments when primary staff are unavailable. 

• Assist with outreach, education, and community workshops related to home safety, fall prevention, and aging in place. 

• Assist with JFS facility projects as needed such as minor paint touch ups, hanging items on walls, installing small shelves or equipment, and other jobs that are not handled by the property management team. 

• Other duties as assigned. 

 Essential Education, Knowledge, and Experience: 

• Background in construction or trade is desired but not required. Proficiency in basic repairs is required, such as:  

• Electrical repairs and maintenance like lightbulbs, wiring, circuit breakers, fuses  

• Carpentry & General Construction: woodwork, sanding, painting, etc. 

• General Plumbing: clogged toilets, faucets, fix leaks, etc.  

• Facility Repairs: doors, doorknobs, locks, replacing windowpanes  

• Empathy: must have and maintain a high level of care and concern for the experiences and circumstances of our clients.  

• Customer Service: demonstrated desire to serve clients by focusing effort on meeting their needs, understanding their concerns, and seeking to build trust.  

• Communication skills: high level of function during interpersonal communications, with clients, staff and community partners alike. Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate messages and listen to others' responses to convey information.  

•  Ethical Decision Making: possess an appropriate level of ability to evaluate information and select an effective and ethical course of action.  

• Solutions-Oriented: a drive and ability to proactively take steps to make repairs in collaboration with the client.  

•  Follow-through: Demonstrate a high level of ability to complete tasks in the available time for the job or to schedule for more time as needed with Call Center Staff and the Client.  

• Bilingual preferred. 

• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 Environment/Physical Requirements:  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• Frequently required to sit, stand, talk, and hear

• Able to work in a communal work environment. 

• Ability to effectively use office equipment, such as video conferencing, digital phone system, Windows/Office, printer, copier, and fax machine.  

• Proficiency in Microsoft tools, web-based reporting platforms and ability to learn new technologies as needed. 

 Key Competencies: 

• Cultural Humility: Engage in the regular practice of self-reflection on how one’s own background and the background of others impact workplace experiences.

• Organizational Leader: Must have an innovative mindset and create and maintain a strong reputation as a strategic doer, demonstrating agility and collaboration throughout the organization.

• Emotional Intelligence: Empathy and strong interpersonal skills are essential. Must be compassionate, self-aware, and able to skillfully manage their emotions and those of others.

• Adaptability: Must have a strong sense of urgency and ability to work efficiently under sometimes rapidly changing circumstances. 

• Integrity: Must utilize effective judgement and problem-solving skills while maintaining the highest ethical and professional standards.

Guiding Principles:

JFS is guided by five principles that inform how we engage with each other and the community we serve. The right candidate will be in alignment with these principles:

1. B’Yachad - Stronger Together: We are stronger as an agency and a community when we think, work, and serve together.

2. Being Human Centered: We put the human experience and perspective at the center of our thinking, programming, services and interactions.

3. Collaboration: We actively seek partnering opportunities within JFS and throughout our community.

4. Innovation & Entrepreneurship: We respond and continually adapt to ongoing needs and changes in the Greater Kansas City area.

5. Open Communication: We communicate openly, honestly and in a solution-oriented manner.

EEO: Jewish Family Services is an equal opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and organizational need. All applicants will be considered for employment with dignity and respect, free of all discrimination, including that which is based on race, color, religion, gender, language, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.