Crisis Advocate - YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish

LOCATION: Seattle, WA

CLOSING DATE: open until filled

OPPORTUNITY TYPE: Job

JOB #: 19426

POSTED: March 23, 2023

Description:

Why work with YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish?

YWCA SKS is the region’s largest non-profit organization with a 120+ year legacy, focused on the needs of women, with programs serving 7,000 people each year. When you work with YWCA, you make a difference.

We’re women and BIPOC-led, family-centered, and supportive of employees. As a full-time YWCA employee (30+ hours), you’ll enjoy a benefits package including medical insurance, generous vacation, holiday, sick leave plans, and an outstanding retirement plan. Put your passion for racial equity and social justice to work – apply today!

What You’ll Do

Angeline’s is a Day Center for homeless women serving 75 women daily based on a harm reduction, housing first model. The goal of the Day Center is to build trusting relationships to move women out of homelessness. The Advocate will provide supportive services that help participants identify strengths, assess their needs and develop action plans to encourage stabilization.

This position has a social justice component that requires critical thinking through the lens of racism and intersections with poverty. Knowing the core principals of antiracism and grounding those principles in everyday work are required job skills and core values. As an equal opportunity employer, we highly encourage people of color to apply.

Hourly pay rate: $20.00

Responsibilities

  • Provides a welcoming, safe environment by building trust and professional rapport with clients
  • Staffs the front desk to welcome women into the space, monitor cameras and respond to callers and visitors
  • Offers support and encouragement to clients transitioning out of homelessness
  • Assists in negotiating the social service system, advocates will assist participants in obtaining personal identification by providing weekly trips to DOL, accompanying clients to DSHS and apply for public assistance benefits, assisting in enrolling in Medicaid Benefits and connecting clients to Employment Specialists at Worksource and other services to help women move out of homelessness. Will include additional assistance with clients to outside appointments
  • Meets regularly with participants and assists with housing applications, advocates by connecting with landlords, and assists in housing search that leads to stabilization in permanent housing
  • Provides crisis intervention and de-escalation as needed as well as models positive behavior
  • Follows program policies and procedures to foster consistent, excellent service delivery
  • Works as a team, rotates to different stations so all staff are cross-trained and effective in every task
  • Encourages a supportive community environment by coordinating group activities and community meetings with the clients
  • Develops relationships in the community by attending workshops and meetings with community partners
  • Must be able to maintain accurate and complete records registration, summaries, sign-up sheets, log entries, incident reports which will require competent computer skills in Excel and Microsoft Word
  • Reads relevant documents to keep current with internal events, policies, and procedures (logs, newsflashes, and previous night’s records)
  • Monitors outside activity, ensures sidewalks are safe and clear. Performs center check at least every 20 minutes by walking the entire space; maintaining cleanliness and safety (clear exits, walkways) throughout the shift
  • Participates in staff meetings and trainings as directed to increase knowledge and skills and to collaborate with Housing Support Specialist and Rapid Rehousing Case Manager
  • Encourages a supportive community environment by coordinating activities and workshops to meet the needs of clients
  • Actively engages in agency-wide Race & Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) and strives for racially equitable outcomes; takes responsibility for creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming community by making room for people of color, trans and gender-non-conforming folks and other populations who routinely encounter systemic oppressions
  • Incorporates the YWCA’s Social Justice Initiative by understanding how racism, sexism, classism and other oppressions intersect and are embedded in institutions.

Minimum Qualifications

  • At least two years of direct social service and experience working in a shelter setting or with homeless population strongly desired
  • Ability to work effectively and empathically with clients who have mental health and chemical related issues
  • Must be able to respond in an emergency situation, ensuring correct emergency and safety procedures are followed
  • Ability to engage with, possess a positive attitude around, provide an empathy client-centered approach, build professional rapport with, and helping relationships with our client group
  • Commitment to diversity including sensitivity to the needs of clients, staff and volunteers from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds
  • Strong organizational and record keeping skills, obtain CPR/First Aid certification 30 days after hire
  • Ability and willingness to work independently, be proactive, solve problems and take initiative as well as work in and add value to a team environment, pitching in as needed to "get the job done” and to make sound judgments without on-site supervision
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality
  • Basic level of computer skills critical including use of database, word processing, spreadsheet software (Microsoft Office Suite including, Word, Outlook and Excel)
  • Any combination of skills and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform this job effectively
  • Experience working with communities of color and people from different cultures than your own.
  • Demonstrated understanding of the intersection of racism and poverty
  • Demonstrated commitment to anti-racist principles 
  • Core competencies expected: Fostering Diversity, Race & Social Justice Advocacy, Attention to Detail, Collaboration, Communication: Oral and Written, Crisis Management, Customer Service, Interpersonal Skills, Personal Credibility, Planning & Organizing/Time Management, Reliability, Specialized Knowledge, Leading & Developing Others and Discernment/Judgment

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • A Bachelor’s degree in a related field
  • Knowledge and experience related to crisis intervention, domestic violence, homelessness, mental health, case management, and substance abuse
  • Knowledge of available resources in Seattle-King County for homeless women

More Information »