Shelter Advocate

YWCA of Spokane•Spokane, WA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The YWCA Spokane is looking to hire a Shelter Advocate. The Shelter Advocate’s primary function is to provide support to survivors of domestic violence in our safe shelter and 24/7 helpline. This role involves offering compassionate listening, safety planning, and advocacy. The position assists with intake, safety planning, crisis intervention, and ongoing emotional support, ensuring survivors' needs are met and YWCA services are safe and supportive.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a social sciences or related field OR equivalent combination of education and experience required.
Minimum of 1 year of experience working in direct services, preferably with survivors of domestic violence or in a shelter environment.
Experience providing crisis intervention, safety planning, and resource referrals is highly preferred.
Experience working with diverse populations, particularly those from marginalized or underserved communities.
Must meet the requirements of YWCA Spokane’s Driver Policy for transportation between the agency and shelter locations.
Must be 21 years of age or older
Must have valid driver’s license
Must have active personal auto insurance
Satisfactory motor vehicle report (no more than 1 moving violation in the past 12 months) OR probationary motor vehicle report (no more than 2 moving violations in the past 24 months)
Must maintain 20 hours of ongoing training on domestic violence issues annually.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the domestic violence-related field is preferred.
Prior experience in a trauma-informed care environment is a plus.

Responsibilities

Offering compassionate, non-judgmental listening, respecting survivors' experiences and promoting their autonomy.
Collaborating with survivors to create personalized safety plans, ensuring their immediate needs are met.
Offering resources, conducting screenings into shelter, and providing advocacy-based support, particularly during high-demand periods, including LAP (Lethality Assessment Protocol) support with law enforcement.
Triaging and referring eligible crisis line callers for CE assessment in partnership with housing programs.
Providing ongoing safety planning, domestic violence education, crisis intervention, and emotional support to residents.
Conducting intake for new shelter residents, including completing intake paperwork while explaining shelter expectations in a way that acknowledges survivors' trauma and honors their autonomy.
Providing shelter tours for survivors and their dependents, answering their questions, and ensuring that survivors feel safe and supported in their new environment.
Ensuring residents’ basic needs are met, such as support with medical aid, bedding, clothing, hygiene items, and food with a focus on comfort and safety.
Fostering an atmosphere of empowerment, safety, and dignity within the shelter, checking in regularly with residents and offering support as needed.
Providing ongoing advocacy and emotional support throughout a resident’s stay, assessing their changing needs.
Supporting quality assurance checks to evaluate service effectiveness and make necessary adjustments to ensure survivors' needs are met in a trauma-informed manner.
Adhering to confidentiality standards and ensuring privileged communication in all interactions with residents.
Providing ongoing support for residents' safety planning and connecting them with necessary services such as legal aid, housing, healthcare, and community resources.
Maintaining detailed and accurate resident files in accordance with YWCA standards and requirements set by funding agencies.
Ensuring that all documentation is thorough, complete, and up-to-date, with particular attention to the sensitive nature of the information being shared.
Ensuring appropriate stock levels of essential supplies (food, hygiene items, etc.) to meet the needs of residents.
Assisting with room turnover, ensuring resident belongings are safely packed, and rooms are cleaned according to the room turnover checklist.
Supporting shelter cleanliness by performing light cleaning of communal spaces (inside and outside), especially during less busy times.
Completing and signing off on the nightly shelter maintenance checklist when working overnight to ensure a clean, safe environment for all residents.
Referring to the shelter’s to-do list during slower periods and assisting with other maintenance or programmatic needs as necessary.
Sorting and storing donations, ensuring they are distributed equitably based on residents' preferences and needs.
Ensuring that items given to residents are safe, clean, and in good repair.
Disposing of expired, stained, or worn-out items.
Reporting any hazardous or unsafe situations to shelter management or on-call staff, depending on the severity.
Reporting low or out-of-stock items using the shelter’s order request form.
For non-urgent maintenance issues, following the shelter’s maintenance request process.