Client Advocate, HIV Programs

Shanti Project (Shanti) is an innovative nonprofit organization that builds human connections to reduce isolation, enhance health and well-being, and improve quality of life for local community members. Through comprehensive, continuum-of-care programs, including in-home and onsite care navigation, emotional and practical support, and services to preserve the human-animal bond, Shanti strives to enhance the lives of those living with terminal, life-threatening, or disabling illnesses or conditions. Founded in 1974, this year marks Shanti’s milestone 50th Anniversary of supporting our community in San Francisco.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Client Advocate’s work will focus on the provision of emotional and practical support services to assist high-acuity San Franciscans living with HIV. This position will require working as part of an interdisciplinary team of RN Case Managers and Client Advocates to serve clients collaboratively. The Advocate will connect with, engage, and support Shanti clients with isolation reduction, advocacy within the system of care, appointment support, and related psychosocial needs. With clients who have existing providers, the navigator will work in conjunction with those community partners to effectively increase service for the client and minimize duplication. Clients without existing providers, will work with the Advocate to create self-directed wellness goals and establish a network of care. The Client Advocate position is a highly mobile, field-based position that will deliver services to clients in the community. The position will be based at Shanti’s Tenderloin location.

PRIMARY DUTIES:

·      Perform intakes, psycho-social assessments, and ongoing needs reassessment as client needs shift.

·      Actively advocate with, and/or on behalf of, clients within San Francisco’s HIV care continuum.

·      Provide individual care planning and goal establishment, objectives and activities as well as referrals to meet the client’s needs and preferences for services and support.

·      Attend monthly case conference meetings with members of the Integrative Medical Case Management team.

·      Use principles of harm reduction to assist clients in managing activities of daily life.

·      Maintain regular documentation of service provision, progress notes and client records according to agency and Department of Public Health standards.

·      Follow-up and monitoring, involving in-person, outreach, home visits, and/or telephone calls.

·      Distribute vouchers and maintain meticulous records for resource tracking.

SECONDARY DUTIES:

·      Participate in case presentations, consultations, and supervision.

·      Participate in department and agency functions and fundraising activities as assigned.

·      Participate in the development and delivery of educational and social programs for clients.

·      Perform other tasks as identified and assigned.

QUALIFICATION/REQUIREMENT: We seek highly qualified candidates with as many of the following areas of knowledge, ability, skills and experience as possible:

·      BA/BS in health services or a related field and/or minimum 3 years’ experience providing services (including individual and group support) to the targeted communities.  At least one year of supervisorial experience preferred.

·      Experience with communities living with HIV/AIDS and, especially people who are triply diagnosed (concurrent substance use and mental health management challenges in addition to an HIV diagnosis).

·      Previous crisis intervention and/or de-escalation experience.

·      Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite and Salesforce Lightning.

·      Exceptional organizational skills and capacity to work independently.

·      Comfortable with public speaking, able to adapt to different work settings.

·      Ability to tolerate stress, ambiguity, and change: Maintains composure even while under great pressure; handles complex problems and change with only minimal supervision; demonstrates flexibility and versatility in achieving key goals and priorities.

·      Candidate will be a self-starter and comfortable initiating collaborations with a range of providers

·      Familiarity and strong belief in the philosophy of Harm Reduction. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals and groups.

·      Sensitive to diversity of communities affected by HIV and Hepatitis C, including but not limited to issues of homelessness, drug use, sexual orientation, gender, language, spirituality and culture.

·      Must be vaccinated for COVID-19 or willing to test weekly.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to navigate and travel around the city of San Francisco using public transportation and be comfortable walking or standing for extended periods.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Shanti is an equal opportunity employer that supports and lives diversity in our staffing and values. Shanti complies with applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We actively encourage and seek qualified candidates from people of all backgrounds.

Shanti offers a competitive non-profit salary ranging from $57,500 - $62,000 (depending on experience). Shanti also offers a comprehensive benefit package, including multiple fully covered medical options as well as dental and vision. Other benefits include life insurance, long term and short-term disability, chiropractic/acupuncture, Employee Assistance Program and an optional Teledoc plan. A 403B saving plan is also available to all employees.

Shanti allows for flexible schedules as well as promotes a culture of self-care for all our employees. In the first year of employment, employees earn 90 hours of sick time and 112.5 hours vacation annually and begin accruing sick time and vacation time starting their first day of employment with no waiting period (i.e. you can use as you accrue). Employees also receive 2 personal days annually as well as 16 paid holidays.