LGBTQ+ Advocacy Specialist

YWCA Clark County•Vancover, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The LGBTQ+ Advocacy Specialist is responsible for supporting and advocating for survivors of domestic violence with an emphasis on serving LGBTQ+ survivors. Working closely with the Director of Community Services and Outreach, this position provides leadership in SafeChoice to ensure that advocacy services are gender inclusive and staff are knowledgeable in providing culturally responsive services to LGBTQ+ survivors. Other responsibilities include participation in YWCA Clark County’s internal LGBTQ+ Equity Committee, providing outreach and education on domestic violence and LGBTQ+ survivors, and facilitation of domestic violence support groups. Some evenings may be required. This role involves a 4-day, 32-hour work week with 8 hours of Company Sponsored Time for work-life balance, while maintaining a 40-hour work week pay. The position requires a strong social justice component, critical thinking through the lens of racism and its intersections with poverty, and grounding principles of anti-racism in daily work.

Requirements

Communicate respectfully and in a solution-oriented manner with diverse groups of people.
Address and respond to people in crisis in a calm and compassionate manner.
Maintain appropriate personal and professional boundaries.
Adapt work and communication style as needed to meet the needs of survivors.
A.A. /A.S. degree in a related field or position equivalent experience in addition to the experience requirements listed below.
Strong problem solving skills: resourceful and able to resolve challenges while knowing when it’s time to stop and ask questions or seek additional guidance.
Strong technological skills: effectively use common software programs (like MS Office, Excel, and PowerPoint) to fulfill position related expectations.
Strong soft-skills: with little to no prompting, adapt work and communication style to mitigate and/or de-escalate crisis, and to best support our participants.
At least six months experience working or volunteering with LGBTQ+ populations.
At least six months experience providing empowerment-based advocacy, preferably domestic violence advocacy.
At least six months experience providing outreach and education, preferably about domestic violence and/or anti-oppression.
At least six months experience facilitating trainings, support groups, and/or educational sessions.
Knowledge and understanding of the issues, needs and interests of LGBTQ+ youth, adults, and knowledge of the spectrum of gender identity and transgender issues.
Understanding of intersecting oppressions, empowerment, and the dynamics of domestic violence.
Proficient in MS Office products.

Nice To Haves

Lived experience is valued.
Bilingual differential pay is offered.

Responsibilities

Provide empowerment-based, domestic violence advocacy on a walk-in basis.
Provide culturally responsive advocacy that honors the lived experiences of every survivor accessing support services.
Effectively communicate available resources that support cultural values, beliefs and customs.
Respond to survivors on domestic violence hotline calls.
Connect participants with relevant community resources to address needs related to domestic violence, including dv education, dv protection orders, safety planning, housing, and financial assistance.
Serve as the primary contact for community partners that provide LGBTQ+ specific services, and provide culturally responsive domestic violence advocacy to survivors who prefer to work with the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Specialist.
Effectively and respectfully work with people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse needs.
Maintain appropriate personal/professional boundaries with participants and co-workers to maintain clear, open, and unbiased lines of communication.
Provide support to participants who are filing protection orders.
Facilitate domestic violence support groups, including an all genders group.
Provide training and support for new group facilitators.
Provide evening support group coverage as needed.
Ensure that advocacy services are gender inclusive and staff are knowledgeable in providing culturally responsive services to LGBTQ+ survivors.
Attend community events to support outreach and education efforts as requested.
Co-facilitate trainings and conduct presentations on domestic violence, oppression, dynamics of intimate partner violence in LGBTQ+ relationships, and cross-cultural advocacy for staff, volunteers and community partners.
Assure that participants, staff, volunteers and community partners are treated with respect and dignity regardless of race, ethnic background, gender or socioeconomic background.
Gain approval for, track, and engage in activities that meet the organization’s 1% for Social Change requirement.
Think through the lens of racial equity and its intersections with poverty.
Use the core principles of anti-racism and grounding those principles in all daily tasks.
Incorporate the YWCA’s commitment to social justice by understanding how racism, sexism, classism and other oppressions intersect and are embedded in institutions.
Seek opportunities for continued learning about racial, gender and class equity.
Proactively maintain yearly domestic training requirements as required.
Be present for and appropriately participate in staff meetings as required.
Establish and maintain a record of impeccable dependability with regards to punctuality, following call-out procedures, and adhering to the policies, practices, and guidelines set by the organization and SafeChoice.
Ability to be flexible with the schedule and day-to-day tasks, and prioritize appropriately.
Support co-workers and supervisor by communicating absences and requesting time off in a timely manner.