SOCIAL SERVICE ADVOCATE – Eviction Defense

Legal Assistance to the Elderly (LAE) seeks a Social Service Advocate who will work with our Licensed Clinical Social Worker and our housing ion. This interdisciplinary team will collaborate in case assessment, strategy, and management. This position requires a strong advocate with excellent organizational skills, a willingness to work collaboratively across legal and social work disciplines, and a desire to help grow an exciting and challenging new endeavor of integrating social workers into a legal organization.

For more than 40 years, LAE has provided free legal advice and representation to seniors and adults with disabilities in San Francisco. Our mission is to protect and advance the right of San Francisco’s seniors and adults with disabilities to be housed, healthy, financially stable, and safe. Our primary practice areas are Housing Preservation/Eviction Defense, Benefits and Healthcare Advocacy, Physical and Financial Elder Abuse Prevention, Consumer Rights and Protection, and End of Life Planning. LAE is a friendly and collaborative work environment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Excellent verbal, writing, and organizational skills
• A demonstrated ability to work well both independently and as part of a team
• Aptitude to work under pressure in an empathetic and professional manner
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively with diverse client groups, including people in crisis, seniors, people with disabilities including mental health, people of color, people who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, immigrants, non-English speakers, service providers, government employees, and community partners
• An interest in being part of an interdisciplinary team working with attorneys to support clients to prevent homelessness
• Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including recommended boosters) unless the applicant has a valid medical reason for not being fully vaccinated or a sincerely held religious belief preventing vaccination.

HIGHLY DESIRABLE

• Bilingual in English and Spanish, Cantonese and/or Mandarin
• Experience working with elderly, veterans, adults with disabilities and/or homeless individuals or those experiencing a crisis
• Experience working or volunteering with social service or non-profit organizations
• A commitment to contributing to your community and advancing justice for seniors and adults with disabilities

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work collaboratively with attorneys and LAE Licensed Clinical Social Worker in assessing and meeting the psychosocial and legal needs of housing clients
• Work with tenants at risk of eviction to address risks to their housing
• Help clients connect with appropriate social services and support, including housing support services, physical and mental health services and substance abuse treatment
• Provide housing resources to clients and stay current with available housing waitlists
• Provide direct assistance in completing housing applications
• Provide case management, crisis intervention and support to clients, with support and supervision from LAE Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• Support clients in identifying their needs, setting goals, and developing structured plan for achieving those goals
• Meet clients in various settings, such as at home, court, and other community based settings
• Develop relationships with local social service organizations and agencies
• Provide advocacy for clients in non-legal settings (i.e., local housing authorities, social service offices, community-based organizations)
• Advocate on clients' behalf with housing providers,
• Provide referrals to and collaborate with community based organizations such as In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and Adult Protective Services (APS)
• Work with clients to access rental assistance and on-going subsidies
• Complete administrative tasks, such as those related to grant management, reporting, and client case management
• Additional tasks as assigned by Supervisor

SUPERVISED BY

LAE Licensed Social Worker

WORKING CONDITIONS

The position requires working with individuals during moments of extreme stress and instability. The position also requires the provision of culturally-sensitive and empathetic services. Some evening and weekend work may be required.

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.

·    Prolonged sitting/standing

·      Extensive typing/data entry

·        Close visual acuity to prepare and analyze data, text, and figures

·        Prolonged computer use

UNION MEMBERSHIP

After successful completion of a probationary period (90 days), membership in the National Organization of Legal Services Workers becomes a condition of employment.