Housing Advocate (HOME SAFE PROGRAM)
New Beginnings strives to build a meaningful, welcoming, and equitable workplace, inclusive of diverse voices, experiences and perspectives. New Beginnings is an equal opportunity employer. Survivors, Black, Indigenous, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ people strongly encouraged to apply.
Additional agency information is available at www.newbegin.org
RESPONSIBILITIES: Collaborates with Home Safe Survivor Advocates to place domestic violence survivors in stable, safe housing. Actively assists participants with the practical details of finding and securing housing. Develops and maintains extensive housing program and landlord networks, advocating with them on behalf of participants.
REPORTS TO: Home Safe Program Director
HOURS: 36 hours per week; Monday-Friday business hours. Occasional evening and weekend hours as appropriate to meet participant needs. On-site three days/week in North Seattle office, 2 days remote.
COMPENSATION: $30.00 – 33.00 per hour, as a non-exempt employee.
BENEFITS: Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, Generous PTO, Life Insurance; 403b Retirement Plan
TO APPLY: New Beginnings values your lived experience. To apply, please send a cover letter detailing any experience related to the job responsibilities and qualifications, resume and 3 professional references to [email protected]. New Beginnings conducts background checks for all positions. Only complete applications will be given full consideration. Open until filled.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Housing Locator Services
- Initiates and maintains positive relationships with a wide array of community housing programs, developing strong partnerships to meet the housing needs of survivors.
- Initiates and maintains positive relationships with a network of landlords, educating them about domestic violence, advocating with them on behalf of participants, negotiating leases, providing rental incentives, and assisting with resolving tenant problems as appropriate.
- Creates and maintains an extensive, multi-county database of landlords, low income and affordable housing programs and other relevant community resources.
- Collaborates closely with Home Safe Survivor Advocates to identify and resolve participants' housing and rental assistance needs, barriers to housing access and eligibility for housing programs.
- Meets with survivors, assisting them with housing applications, accompanying them on housing searches, and facilitating successful placement in stable housing.
- Conducts Housing Quality Standard inspections per contract guidelines and advises and advocates for participants with regard to quality standards.
- Ensures that Rapid Rehousing documentation is completed and accurate per contract requirements
- Submit rent requests monthly
- Conducts reassessments and hardship requests as needed
- Supports Home Safe Survivor Advocates in ongoing advocacy of clients in Rapid Rehousing
- Coordinates interpreter or ASL services for non-English speaking or deaf/hard of hearing participants.
- Ensures that services provided, and community networking efforts reflect and contribute to agency efforts to promote equity and social justice.
- Participant and Staff Education
- Organizes or develops and facilitates workshops and training on tenant rights and responsibilities, fair housing laws, communicating with landlords and other pertinent information for staff and/or participants.
- General Community Networking
- Maintains positive working relationships with other domestic violence and human service agencies in the community.
- Build relationships with businesses or other community resources to secure assistance or services for participants and promote New Beginnings' services.
- Attend community meetings and multi-disciplinary team meetings as assigned by the Program Director.
- Data Integrity
- Enters consistently complete, accurate and appropriate participant and service data into the agency database (Salesforce).
- Demonstrates proficiency with or willingness to quickly learn agency forms, data collection tools, and case management systems.
- Responds to meet data needs identified by the Program Director or data staff.
- Resource Development
- Provides information and stories as needed by the development team to build donor support and pursue funding opportunities.
- Teamwork and Professional Development
- Actively contributes to a positive team environment to ensure the collaboration needed for provision of high-quality services to survivors.
- Participate in all staff meetings, Home Safe Program team meetings, planning days and agency in-service training.
- Attends and documents training to ensure compliance with Washington Administrative Code training requirements for domestic violence advocates.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Commitment to the mission of New Beginnings and to the needs of domestic violence survivors.
- Willingness to learn about and promote equity and social justice within and outside of New Beginnings.
- Experience in housing advocacy, case management in a human service setting, property management and/or real estate.
- Current knowledge, or willingness to learn about the dynamics of domestic violence and the impact of trauma on survivors and their children.
- Ability to network with a variety of community human service providers and business professionals.
- Ability to work with diverse survivors in a welcoming, supportive, culturally competent manner.
- Knowledge of public benefits, and a wide range of community resources a plus.
- Experience with HUD-approved housing inspections a plus.
- Ability to exercise flexibility and creativity in helping survivors overcome a variety of barriers to housing stability.
- Ability to take initiative and maintain accountability to colleagues while providing services in a variety of settings.
- Demonstrated ability to handle crises and juggle multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to maintain participant confidentiality.
- Strong attention to detail, deadlines and follow-through.
- Ability to represent New Beginnings in a professional manner to community partners and the broader public.
- Ability to use supervision effectively to gain support and enhance performance.
- Ability to engage in constructive self-care activities to manage secondary trauma.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office applications.
- Familiarity with Salesforce or similar case management systems a plus; comfort learning new tools and adapting to evolving program systems required.
- Fluency in Spanish, African, Russian or Asian languages a plus.
- Possession of a valid Washington State driver's license and access to reliable, insured personal car.
Extra Benefits:
- Employee Assistance Program
- Professional Development
- Parental Leave
- Caregiver Support System
- Wellbeing Resources
- Commuter Benefits
- Adoption Assistance Program
- Flex Spending Account
- Health Savings Account
- Short- and Long-Term Disability
- Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
- Voluntary Critical Insurance and Accident Insurance
- Training and Development
Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
Pay: $30.00 - $33.00 per hour
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Seattle, WA 98126
