Night Shelter Advocate
About The Position
As an Advocate at the Homeless Alliance Night Shelter, you will play a critical role in providing compassionate support and assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness during the overnight hours. Your primary responsibility will be to ensure the safety, well-being, dignity and worth of shelter guests. This role requires empathy, strong communication skills, crisis intervention abilities, and a commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of the clients. Additional areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, effective collaboration with partner agencies and organizations; communications with clients about services and community opportunities; ensuring laundry is properly managed, daily cleaning, distribution of hygiene items, maintaining the pet kennel area, and monitoring clients’ carts and belongings.
Requirements
- Willing to work early or late shifts (3:30pm-11:30pm; 11:00pm-7.00am)
- Willing to work overnight shifts as needed.
- Must be willing to work holidays.
- The ability to work flexibly to the differing demands of the role: working with people, completing the daily activities of the Night Shelter, dealing professionally with colleagues from partnering agencies
- Very effective people skills:
- Ability to demonstrate empathy
- Exceptional listening skills
- Ability to use defusing techniques to deal with conflict
- Able to relate well with people from a variety of diverse backgrounds: especially clients who are vulnerable, those with mental illness, and substance use, etc.
- Work in a fast paced and slower paced environment, depending on the time of the shift.
- IT literate: confident user of Microsoft365, MS word, excel, email, and internet browsing.
- Perform other duties and responsibilities as requested in a professional, courteous, and helpful manner.
Nice To Haves
- Prefer a High School diploma or GED
Responsibilities
- Complete all tasks required to open and/or close the night shelter.
- Complete all tasks required to operate a low barrier night shelter.
- Will be required to be flexible with scheduling.
- Manage guests using showers and facilities and assist with the associated tasks.
- De-escalate any conflict or crisis situations that may arise between guests during the shift.
- Build effective relationships with the agency representatives that result in positive engagements with guests.
- Maintain appropriate records in data management system.
- Other duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
Number of Employees
51-100 employees
