Family Advocate – Community

Position Description

• Family Advocates assist women and children who are survivors of domestic violence to develop, pursue and achieve their goals to live free of violence while promoting Casa de Esperanza’s mission.
• Primarily working Monday-Friday 8am-4pm, with occasional evenings/weekends on special projects.
• Support the In-house advocate at the Refugio when requested.
• Strengthen relationships with community organizations and other systems, especially around responding to Latina realities.
• Participate in community events to reach out to Latinos in the seven-county metro area.

 

Job Functions

Safety, Support & Response (75%)

• Assist survivors of domestic violence and children to identify goals and methods to achieve them. Provide supportive listening. Assist family members to develop and reinforce safety plans.
• Provide information about and help survivors access relevant resources such as orders for protection, public benefits, medical care, housing assistance, legal protections, etc.
• Prepare for, provide transportation, and accompany participants to appointments and court appearances, as needed (during COVID 19, advocates primary work from home).
• Support survivors with immigration relief measures, especially related to domestic violence.
• Intervene on behalf of survivors/families in crisis situations with police, medical professionals, employers, creditors, social service caseworkers, attorneys, etc. when necessary.
• Provide supportive listening to survivors and crisis callers. Assist survivors to identify goals and methods to achieve them.
• Answer crisis and business calls on the 24-hour bilingual crisis line. Provide supportive listening and resource information.

 

Assist survivors in deciding upon a course of action. Arrange for safe shelter and transportation, as needed.

• Maintain knowledge of current resources. Help maintain relationships with other organizations, as well as identify new relationships, to maximize benefits and services available.
• Keep up to date with organizations to maximize benefits and services available for survivors of domestic violence.

 

Planning, Administrative & Intervention (25%)

• Provide clear and timely data entry and work documentation for reporting purposes. Contribute to analysis of the Family Advocacy program, the organization as a whole, and of community trends.
• Participate in in-service and other job-related training.
• Provide training or information about domestic violence and Latino realities to other organizations.
• Perform a variety of administrative duties as needed.

 

What You Can Expect in This Position and From the Organization

• Due to COVID19 community advocates work three from home and one to two days at the Refugio, until further notice.
• Working through a strength-based lens and empowering families to self-determine solutions that will work best for their unique lives.
• Due to COVID19 we requested virtual training of 40-80 hours, when permitted shadowing, and hands-on learning at the start of the position.
• Satisfaction that you are supporting positive change in people’s lives and helping the movement to end domestic violence.
• Your opinion to be valued and considered when making local and national organizational decisions.
• Generous Personal Time Off and encouragement to maintain your wellbeing and network of support.

 

Qualifications
Education and Experience

• High school diploma, or GED, and two years experience in an intervention setting, or
• A combination of equivalent experience and education.

 

Skills and Abilities

• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal skills in Spanish and English required.
• Knowledge of the Latina community. Bi-cultural experience preferred.
• Knowledge of domestic violence issues preferred.
• Ability to listen, intervene/de-escalate, and resolve conflicts effectively and independently.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities to ensure deadlines are met.
• Knowledge of and ability to use computers/technical resources to effectively accomplish work.
• Flexibility with work schedule and other jobs/academics/responsibilities.
• Ability to provide transportation for participants and travel to various locations for meetings or events and must have valid driver’s license and adequate auto insurance (Due to COVID19, transportation for participants is minimal until further notice).

 

Teamwork Environment

• Contribute to an effective work team. Participate in ensuring team focus on the agency mission and forwarding the agency strategy of influencing change in the domestic violence field.
• Promote cooperative efforts in effective communication, meeting challenges and decision-making.
• Assist in training volunteers and new staff as needed.
• Assist coworkers in remaining outcomes- and mission-focused.
• Contribute to sustaining a positive work environment that embodies Latino cultural strengths, interdependence and communalism.

 

Working Conditions
Casa de Esperanza strives for a fully inclusive work environment and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, or marital status.

The above statements are not intended to encompass all functions and qualifications of this position; rather, they are intended to provide a general framework of the requirements of the position. Job incumbents may be required to perform other functions not specifically addressed in this job description.

 

To Apply
Send your resume and cover letter to Isaac Hitz Graff at ihitzgraff@casadeesperanza.org