Shelter Advocate | Part Time

New Hope, Inc.; Attleboro (MA); On-site; USD 21,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

New Hope, Inc. in Massachusetts seeks a Shelter Advocate to provide safe, supportive shelter-based services for survivors during weeknights, aligning with the organization’s values of respect, teamwork, empowerment and professionalism.

Responsibilities include leading groups for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, coordinating activities, responding to residents' needs, crisis hotline support, data entry, and transportation coordination. Part-time, 20 hours per week, on-site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; high school diploma or GED accepted.
• Experience with sexual assault and domestic violence issues and sensitivity to multicultural issues.
• Some residential experience required.
• Bilingual/Spanish speaking helpful.

Responsibilities

• Provide groups for sexual assault, sexual abuse, and domestic violence victims and their significant others; shelter-based services.
• Plan and coordinate special events and activities for shelter participants with Residential Services Team.
• Respond to basic living needs of residents.
• Participate in rotating on-call, holiday and back-up coverage.
• Attend bi-weekly shelter meetings and provide shift coverage as needed.
• Prepare rooms for incoming clients and assist with intake and transportation.
• Answer 24-hour hotline and provide crisis support and referrals.
• Enter hotline forms into the database and maintain accurate data.
• Coordinate/provide transportation for residents to/from drop-off points.
• Assist residents and children in adjusting to shelter life and communicate with shelter staff.
• Maintain and organize shelter inventories and follow confidentiality policies.

Skills

Effective communication

Multicultural sensitivity

Teamwork

Organization

Maturity & initiative

Scheduling flexibility

Driver's license

General computer skills

Education

Bachelor’s Degree preferred; High School Diploma or GED accepted

Tools

Basic computer skills

Job description

SCOPE OF WORK:

The shelter advocate staff provides a safe and supportive environment for the residents in the shelter program as needed in the weeknight timeframe. This position supports shelter mission goals and is an integral part of the continuation of services for survivors in the shelter program. The Advocate’s job performance will incorporate the practice and promotion of New Hope’s core values, which include respect, teamwork, empowerment and professionalism.

Primary Duties

• Provides groups for sexual assault, sexual abuse, and domestic violence victims and significant others affected by sexual assault issues. Provide primarily shelter-based services to two confidential shelters.
• Plan and coordinate special events and activities for shelter participants (adults and children) with the assistance of the Residential Services Team
• Responds to basic living needs of residents.
• Participates in rotating on-call, holiday and back-up coverage
• Participate in bi-weekly shelter meetings
• Provide shift coverage at shelter when necessary
• Prepare rooms for incoming clients.
• Answer 24-hour hotline. Provide crisis prevention/intervention and supportive listening to callers. Provide information and referrals as appropriate.
• Entering Hotline forms into DB and being proficient at submitting accurate data effectively
• Coordinates and/or provides transportation for incoming or departing residents to and from the drop-off point.
• Assists residents and their children in their adjustment to shelter life.
• Maintains communication with shelter-based staff via staff log and/or telephone/e-mail contact as appropriate.
• Maintain and organize shelter inventories
• Other responsibilities as required or assigned by the Shelter Manager and/or Senior Management.
• Will attend the Shelter Staff Meeting
• Assists with facilitation of residential house meetings
• Complies with the Agency’s confidentiality policy

General Responsibilities

• Represent New Hope in a professional and mission-aligned manner in all community interactions.
• Maintain compliance with agency policies, confidentiality standards, and documentation requirements.
• Participate in all-agency meetings and required trainings.
• Support a trauma-informed, inclusive, and culturally responsive service environment.

Skills And Abilities

• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Sensitivity to multicultural issues.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and prioritizing skills.
• Self-motivated, self-reliant, dependable
• Ability to work in a team-oriented environment.
• Demonstrates maturity, self-awareness and initiative.
• Flexibility of time/scheduling
• Valid driver’s license and dependable transportation.
• Basic computer skills and capability of skill building is preferred.

Education And Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred. High School Diploma or Equivalent (G.E.D.), or Associates or Arts Degree accepted
• Experience with sexual assault and domestic violence issues and sensitivity to multicultural issues
• Some residential experience required.
• Bilingual/Spanish speaking helpful

SCHEDULE

• On-Site position
• Part-time position: 20 hours per week.
• Schedule: 5 hours per day, 4 days per week.

LICENSE/CERTIFICATION

• Driver's License

New Hope provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status regarding public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, New Hope will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
New Hope’s goal is to increase representation of women, people of color, veterans and individuals with disabilities. Our programs are designed to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, directives and regulations and cover all human resource actions including employment, compensation, benefits, training, education, tuition aid, transfers, promotions and social/recreational programs.