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Community liaison vs community support specialist

The differences between community liaisons and community support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a community liaison and a community support specialist. Additionally, a community liaison has an average salary of $39,899, which is higher than the $39,320 average annual salary of a community support specialist.

The top three skills for a community liaison include patients, customer service and home health. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.

Community liaison vs community support specialist overview

Community LiaisonCommunity Support Specialist
Yearly salary$39,899$39,320
Hourly rate$19.18$18.90
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs30,431111,431
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4343
Years of experience1212

What does a community liaison do?

A community liaison is responsible for managing the communication between local institutions and community citizens. Community liaisons often coordinate with the community to talk about their needs and concerns, directing them to the organizations with plans on improving the people's lifestyles. They also assist in scheduling outreach meetings and fundraising activities to benefit the citizens, handling promotional events, representing an organization for human welfare to increase public awareness. A community liaison must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in solving community concerns and complaints.

What does a community support specialist do?

A community support specialist is responsible for supporting and providing care services for citizens with mental health conditions and other medical illnesses. Community support specialists coordinate with organizations and health institutions to generate resources that would help the patients in their daily activities, medications, and treatment plans. They also strategize community events and activities to observe the patients' social and personal behaviors and endorse them to a mental health professional for in-depth examination and counseling.

Community liaison vs community support specialist salary

Community liaisons and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Community LiaisonCommunity Support Specialist
Average salary$39,899$39,320
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $54,000Between $27,000 And $56,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaAlaska
Best paying companyBlackRockMeta
Best paying industryUtilitiesNon Profits

Differences between community liaison and community support specialist education

There are a few differences between a community liaison and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:

Community LiaisonCommunity Support Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessPsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia State University - Long Beach

Community liaison vs community support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between community liaisons' and community support specialists' demographics:

Community LiaisonCommunity Support Specialist
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 29.5% Female, 70.5%Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between community liaison and community support specialist duties and responsibilities

Community liaison example responsibilities.

  • Grow and manage existing relationships in assign territories with physicians, hospitals, skil nursing and rehabilitation facilities and assist livings.
  • Create a brochure with InDesign.
  • Create social media strategy: Facebook administrator, NYPL blog contributor
  • Provide nutrition, fitness and diabetes education to the community at large.
  • Construct online training courses in HTML using materials provide by instructional designers.
  • Design the web application screens for new systems using modeling tool like HTML.
  • Show more

Community support specialist example responsibilities.

  • Provide PSR services to clients with mental illness in order to help them achieve the highest standard of living possible.
  • Review notes complete by other community support workers to assess progression towards individualize goals for patients on caseload.
  • Complete CPR and first aid training.
  • Participate in IEP meetings and academic action plans.
  • Develop new techniques to engage teenage males with autism in focuse areas of activity.
  • Provide direction to the program's register nurse and ensure compliance with OPWDD regulations.
  • Show more

Community liaison vs community support specialist skills

Common community liaison skills
  • Patients, 19%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Home Health, 6%
  • Community Outreach, 5%
  • Patient Referrals, 4%
  • Community Resources, 4%
Common community support specialist skills
  • Social Work, 11%
  • Mental Health, 10%
  • Rehabilitation, 10%
  • Community Resources, 6%
  • Independent Living, 5%
  • Substance Abuse, 5%

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