Shelter and Hotline Advocate-Pool

Sojourner Family Peace Center•Milwaukee, WI

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the direction of the Supervisor of Hotline and Shelter Services, the Shelter and Hotline Advocate provides safety, support, advocacy, resources, and communication to co workers and guests in shelter as well as callers/texters to the crisis hotline. In accordance with the mission of Sojourner Family Peace Center. This role is critical to ensuring best-case outcomes in crisis circumstances and situations. This role requires a high level of communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and de-escalation skills, while requiring minimal supervision.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED.
Experience working with clients in crisis and/or who have experienced trauma.
Knowledge of trauma informed care practices, confidentiality, and active listening as well as documentation.
Communication Skills
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, logs, and policy and procedure manuals. Ability to prepare safety plans, intake information, charts and logs, and correspondence. Ability to communicate effectively with distressed callers, residents, and other employees of the organization and complete required paperwork and reports accurately and timely.
Reasoning Ability
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee frequently is required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 20 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
This position requires fingerprinting background check to be completed.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree is preferred.
Experience with the issue of domestic violence and/or on a crisis hotline preferred.
Minimum two years professional experience in advocacy, case management, food service, or related field; or a combination of education and experience.
CPR certified.
Bi-lingual in Spanish a plus.

Responsibilities

Safety: Possess full knowledge of emergency and safety procedures across building policies and personal crisis and intervention.
Communication: Assures effective communication between guests, case management, and other departments and documents guest needs, events, incidents, and concerns.
Documentation: Complete and ensure documentation is properly and accurately being entered into data system. Assist in compiling statistics, communicating across teams, and completing required reports.
Facilities: Complete formal safety checks of the Shelter and Shelter spaces such courtyard, hub, community rooms, bathrooms and other spaces. Monitor facilities to ensure that the shelter is clean, presentable and supplies are properly stocked at all times. Complete laundry as needed. Communicate safety hazards or broken items to facilities.
Community Living: Verify and record assigned chores. Assist residents with cleaning common areas as needed. Monitor the ongoing activity throughout the shelter. Provide support and interpret and enforce house rules and procedures for the new and current residents.
Meals: Assist and give orientation to Peace Dinner volunteers. Assist with meal set ups, clean ups, other kitchen procedures, and meal preparations as needed while maintaining a clean, safe, and orderly kitchen and food storage spaces. Maintain ServSafe certification as required.
Support: Complete additional tasks requested by the Shelter and Hotline Leadership team. Support Shelter Program Coordinators and Lead Shelter and Hotline Advocates in updating and completion of resident’s tasks. Know current referral sources. Actively listen and provide a non-judgmental environment for residents.
Intakes/Outtakes: Interview and complete the Intake process for new residents and facilitate the Outtake process for departing residents. Enter data for all residents who move in and move out immediately into database, communicate with team, and update boards as necessary.
Receive, disseminate, and record crisis, information/referral, jail release calls, and law enforcement calls. Review, complete and/or correct client forms and enter into the computerized data system. Maintain data integrity expectations.
Practice agency policies and safety in the workplace.
Attend all mandatory meetings and trainings.
Uphold and exhibit the agency’s Core Values.
All other work-related duties and projects as assigned.