HOMELESS RESPONSE TEAM MEMBER - Temporary Part Time

Job description

Homeless Solutions Data and Performance Intern Summary: The City of Lawrence, KS is seeking to fill the position of Homeless Solutions Data and Performance Intern. This is a part-time position of up to 20 hours per week through May 31, 2027. The intern will assist the Homeless Solutions Division with analyzing data, evaluating programs, measuring community outcomes, and communicating the story of Lawrence’s homelessness response. The position will help the division explain where Lawrence’s response began, how it has evolved, what outcomes have been achieved, how public investments are being used, and where improvement is still needed. Responsibilities may include: • Analyzing existing data to identify trends, outcomes, service gaps, and opportunities to improve data collection. • Developing meaningful performance measures and a consistent framework for demonstrating the division’s impact. • Managing and maintaining public-facing and internal performance dashboards. • Creating charts, visualizations, reports, and other materials that translate complex information into clear and compelling stories for residents, policymakers, and community partners. • Quantifying fiscal impacts, including changes in emergency response costs, encampment cleanup expenses, shelter utilization, housing outcomes, and other community or system costs. • Evaluating programs and initiatives to determine what is working, what is not, and where adjustments may be needed. • Conducting research and benchmarking with comparable communities to understand how Lawrence’s outcomes, investments, and approaches compare. • Documenting the evolution of Lawrence’s homelessness response and connecting changes in policies, programs, staffing, and investments with measurable community outcomes. • Reviewing data for accuracy, consistency, and completeness. • Formatting documents, preparing presentations, writing sections of reports, and assisting with other division communications. • Participating in meetings and interacting with City staff, community partners, service providers, and other local or state government officials. This position requires someone who can think analytically while also understanding how to communicate data in a way that is meaningful and accessible. The successful candidate will be curious, detail-oriented, comfortable working with complex information, and able to recognize that numbers alone do not tell the full story. The position is designed to develop the intern’s leadership, research, evaluation, data analysis, and public-sector communication skills while providing the City with highly capable staff support. Ultimately, this work will help the division answer three important questions: What has changed in Lawrence’s homelessness response? What does the evidence tell us about the impact of that work? Where do we still need to improve? Qualifications: The preferred candidate will be a current graduate or undergraduate student at an accredited college or university, with major coursework in public administration, public policy, data analytics, statistics, economics, social sciences, urban planning, communications, or a related field. The intern should possess: • Strong analytical, research, writing, and editing skills. • The ability to organize, interpret, and communicate complicated information. • Strong attention to detail and a commitment to data accuracy. • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. • Experience with Power BI, Tableau, GIS, or other data visualization tools is preferred but not required. • An interest in program evaluation, local government, homelessness policy, or community-based services. • The ability to work independently, manage multiple assignments, and meet deadlines. • The ability to handle sensitive information professionally and maintain confidentiality. • A willingness to learn about homelessness response systems, shelter operations, street outreach, housing programs, and public-sector performance measurement. The successful candidate must pass a background check.