Reentry Advocate

University Legal Services (ULS) is the District of Columbia’s Protection and Advocacy (P&A) organization, protecting the rights of people with disabilities, including mental health disabilities, through legal advocacy, investigations, and monitoring for abuse and neglect in institutions. ULS’ Disability Rights DC unit (DRDC) is seeking to fill the Reentry Advocate position.

The Reentry Advocate will join DRDC’s interdisciplinary DC Jail & Prison Advocacy Project (JPAP) team. JPAP works to reduce unnecessary incarceration of DC residents with psychiatric/mental and/or intellectual disabilities and remove barriers to successful, self-directed community integration, including access to behavioral health and trauma-specific services.

The Reentry Advocate supports people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities returning to the community from the DC Central Detention Facility (CDF), Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF), and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Working with clients, the Reentry Advocate develops reentry plans centered on their needs, including life skills development and community supports. The Reentry Advocate connects clients to mental health and substance use disorder services (among others) and advocates for the case management and counseling they need and are entitled to under DC law.

The Reentry Advocate primarily provides secondary case management and advocacy to people with diagnosed psychiatric disabilities reentering the community after incarceration or custody. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Develop and coordinate client-centered reentry plans for DC residents who are incarcerated 4-6 months prior to their release to DC

Provide hands-on assistance applying for benefits and connecting people with mental health agencies, identification, housing, trauma, and other reentry resources.

Complete the appropriate paperwork and take clients shopping for groceries and other basic needs.

Negotiate and facilitate relationships between our clients and their service providers, supervision officers, and community-based agencies.

Model interpersonal communication and deescalation skills and promote empowerment, independence, and self-advocacy.

Maintain regular contact with individuals and use assertive engagement and advocacy strategies such as street outreach, transportation assistance, and family or peer involvement, when appropriate and permitted by the persons we serve.

Maintain physical and electronic case files, document, track intervention, and document specific outcomes.

Educate decision makers regarding evidence-based practices, individual complaints, systemic issues, community resources, service gaps and other topics.

The Ideal Candidate:

You’re passionate about disability rights and committed to equity and inclusion. You have demonstrated experience working with marginalized and underserved populations, including returning citizens. You thrive in a fast-paced environment, work confidently on your own, and bring resourcefulness to navigating complex systems and solving problems. You communicate with empathy and cultural competence. Above all, you’re energized by hands-on work in the community, and eager to work alongside our clients.

Salary: The salary for this position is $55,000.00. Benefits include employer-paid health insurance premiums for employee and spouse, dental and vision insurance, long and short-term disability insurance, group life insurance, three weeks of vacation plus the last week of the year when the office is closed, and 13 days of sick leave. Employees have the option of teleworking two days a week.

University Legal Services is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, political belief, creed, national origin, marital status, or disability. We value diversity of culture, disability, and other life experiences.

Please

email your resume and cover letter to Natasha Walls Smith at nwallssmith@uls-dc.org.

Please write Reentry Advocate Application in the subject line.

Benefits include employer-paid health insurance premiums for employee and spouse, dental and vision insurance, long and short-term disability insurance, group life insurance, three weeks of vacation plus the last week of the year when the office is closed, and 13 days of sick leave. Employees have the option of teleworking two days a week.