DSV Advocate & Navigator

Department: Survivor Services

Reports to: DSV Advocacy Manager

Status: Full time, hourly / non-exempt

Wage: $27.75 per hour

Position Overview

YWCA of Greater Portland helps survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence navigate systems and attain safe and stable housing as part of YWCA USA, the largest and oldest provider of domestic violence support services in the world. In this role, you will support survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence to access housing. You will also provide navigation to survivors working with the Gateway Center. The Gateway Center provides crisis survivors to survivors of intimate partner violence.

YWCA is on a Mission

YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. For more than 120 years, YWCA of Greater Portland has invested in our community, supported survivors, and advocated for the most vulnerable among us: women, children, seniors, the unhoused, and the incarcerated. As one of 200 Associations nationwide, we are proud members of YWCA USA, one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the nation.

Key Responsibilities

Strength-based, trauma-informed service

• Work with survivors to determine needs using a holistic, strengths-based approach.
• Serve as the first point of contact for survivors seeking relief from domestic and sexual violence.
• Assess and triage needs and connect to in-house and/or other service providers to best meet survivor’s needs; conduct Safety and Stabilization Assessment (SSA) and/or additional assessment tools, if needed.
• Coordinate engagement with other domestic violence, mental health, anti-poverty, and legal service providers at the directive of the survivor.
• Provide co-advocacy services at the directive of the survivor, offering support, information, referrals, and individualized safety planning.
• Meet with participants at YWCA office locations and/or off-site following safety planning best practices.
• Promote healthy relationships and maintain appropriate boundaries.
• Be willing to be uncomfortable and sit with survivors through big emotions without trying to manage their emotions or solve all their problems.
• Provide excellent, responsive, and flexible survivor-led service to all participants.

Responsive and Strategic Housing Support

• Use a “housing-first” approach to support survivors of domestic violence to attain or retain safe housing, frequently in emergency situations. This may include, but is not limited to, landlord negotiation/mediation, and attendance at formal or informal hearings.
• Serve survivors consistently and proactively through referrals, waitlists, and similar county-wide forums.
• Apply knowledge of Fair Housing and VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) protections and / or landlord / tenant laws and contextualize the survivor’s experience while maintaining confidentiality.
• Complete all data entry, filing, and eligibility requirements tasks in a timely manner. Such activities require adherence to federal, state, and local laws and contract requirements while working within multiple agency systems. All work must be carried out while maintaining absolute participant confidentiality.

Participatory teamwork and responsible representation

• Engage consistently in anti-racism practices and approaches with internal and external work based on a deep understanding of historical and present-day structural racism.
• Engage actively in program design, implementation, evaluation, reporting, and other shared responsibilities.
• Responsibly represent the program and YWCA in the community, with community partners and other collaborators.
• Participate in Multnomah County’s Coordinated Access process for survivors of domestic violence seeking housing services, Resource Coordination Team (RCT) meetings and implementation meetings.
• Attend and meaningfully participate in all scheduled meetings with department, agency, and external partner teams.
• Uphold YWCA of Greater Portland’s mission, vision, and values by acting with integrity, accountability, and responsibility toward community-based projects, fellow employees, volunteers, donors, and everyone with whom the organization engages.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Compassionate information, referral, and survivor-led services navigation

• Become an expert in how to creatively access and use all available resources and supports available to survivors with intersectional identities and diverse lived experiences.
• Help survivors complete a variety of documents including requests for protective orders, Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) enrollment, or others.
• Coordinate Survivor Resources including HOP Cards, Free Geek, and other community partnerships.
• Use a “housing-first” approach to support survivors of domestic violence to safely attain or retain safe housing with a strong knowledge of Fair Housing and VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) protections and/or landlord/tenant laws.
• Complete all data entry, filing, and eligibility requirement tasks in a timely manner. Such activities require adherence to federal, state, and local laws and contract requirements while working within multiple agency systems. All work must be carried out while maintaining absolute client confidentiality.
• Provide backup Gateway Center Navigation.

The Ideal Candidate

• Commits to eliminating racism and empowering women, strives for equity in all aspects of their work, and has a strong understanding of trauma-informed principles and practices.
• Communicates clearly, consistently, and kindly with agency partners, and colleagues, and responds in a timely, compassionate, and appropriate way to multiple partners.
• Manages a complicated and frequently deadline-driven work environment with consistent and effective self-care strategies and techniques.
• Advocates for social justice, including furthering the rights, protections, access to safety, and empowerment of historically oppressed, under-represented, and / or marginalized communities.
• Regulates personal emotions and practices self-care while enduring high amounts of stress and vicarious trauma.
• Brings an intersectional lens to the work that focuses on lived experience, resiliency, and opportunities for calling in and deeper learning.

Skills, Knowledge, & Experience

• Required: 40-hour Domestic Violence Advocate Training and Motivational Interviewing Training (both provided upon hire).
• Bilingual / Bicultural strongly preferred.
• Comfortable in rapidly evolving situations that require advanced creative problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to self-manage workload priorities and calendar while being responsive to survivor needs and priorities. High self-motivation is key.
• Ability to manage caseload to a monthly budget and other contractual requirements to serve the greatest number of participants possible.
• Knowledge of and the ability to effectively use survivor-centered best practices (including reflective listening) to find participant-led solutions.
• Ability to build rapport with survivors from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds, maintain and respect confidentiality, and consistently treat others with respect and dignity.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; strong attention to detail and solid data entry.
• Experience with or ability to quickly learn Microsoft Office, Excel, Google Suite, Adobe Acrobat, and an Android cell phone.
• Flexibility, kindness, discretion, and a sense of humor are essential.

Job Conditions

• Must be able to provide own transportation. Travel is reimbursed.
• Laptop, phone, and other work-from-home equipment as needed will be supplied.
• While YWCA is a primarily remote organization, this position requires in person availability at multiple locations, including:
  • The Gateway Center
  • In-person meetings with participants, colleagues, and other partners at varied community locations

Benefits

• 100% Employer-paid comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage (with a no deductible option).
• Generous paid time off (including 13 paid holidays).
• Employer paid Life, Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance.
• 100% Employer-paid pension plan (generous contribution) after 2 years of service in the YWCA Retirement Fund, one of the oldest pension plans in the country; a 403(b) Retirement Savings plan is available to all new employees.
• Membership in the YWCA USA sisterhood, a 150-year-old network of 200 associations worldwide.

Our Hiring Philosophy

We believe that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace makes us stronger, more creative, and more resilient. As an organization that works to amplify the voices of those from different ethnic, racial, and cultural communities, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations and/or expressions, we highly encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply.

YWCA of Greater Portland is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy or caregiver status, veteran status, justice-involved background, or any other legally protected status. We work to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Multicultural, multilingual, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ voices matter to us. We encourage everyone who is passionate about our mission and who can bring valuable lived experience to this position to apply, even if you don't believe you meet all the described qualifications. YWCA will not hire someone currently receiving services or within the first 6 months of ending YWCA services. YWCA cannot provide services for our own employees but can provide referrals to other agencies.

Please note that proof of COVID-19 vaccination is a requirement for all employees.

Application Instructions

This position is open until filled. Please click here to apply. If you have any issues with this form or need an accessibility accommodation, please email employment@ywcapdx.org.

• 100% Employer-paid comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage (with a no deductible option).
• Generous paid time off (including 13 paid holidays).
• Employer paid Life, Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance.
• 100% Employer-paid pension plan (generous contribution) after 2 years of service in the YWCA Retirement Fund, one of the oldest pension plans in the country; a 403(b) Retirement Savings plan is available to all new employees.
• Membership in the YWCA USA sisterhood, a 150-year-old network of 200 associations worldwide.

• Bilingual / Bicultural strongly preferred.