Weekend Shelter Specialist

LAWS Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services•Leesburg, VA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

LAWS (Serving Loudoun since 1984) is seeking a PRN Evening Weekend Shelter Specialist to provide on-site support at their emergency shelter during the evening weekend shift (Saturday/Sunday 4pm – 12am). This role is crucial as the specialist is often one of the first points of contact for survivors fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, or child abuse. The position involves providing compassionate, stable, and respectful support to survivors and their children, ensuring the shelter remains a safe, welcoming, and trauma-informed environment. Responsibilities include conducting trauma-informed intakes, crisis intervention, safety planning, referrals, transportation, and connecting survivors to LAWS' comprehensive services. The specialist will also respond to hotline calls and high danger or Loudoun's Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) calls, assisting survivors regardless of whether they enter the emergency shelter. This role emphasizes survivor choice, emotional and physical safety, trust, empowerment, confidentiality, and access to resources, requiring collaboration across programs and flexibility to support a 24-hour emergency shelter.

Requirements

High School Diploma/ GED
1 year in human services field, crisis intervention services, or answering hotline calls.
Experience providing crisis intervention and de-escalation support
Ability to maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual/ Multilingual
Experience working with domestic violence survivors
Experience answering a crisis hotline
Experience in a communal living shelter or residential setting

Responsibilities

Provide trauma-informed, survivor-led intake, crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals, and warm handoffs to survivors seeking shelter or other LAWS services.
Respond to survivor hotline calls and high-danger calls as part of Loudoun's Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP), providing support, information, referrals, and connection to safety.
Support survivors and their children with basic needs, transportation, community resources, and access to services from shelter entry through departure.
Help maintain a safe, clean, welcoming, and trauma-informed shelter environment that promotes survivor choice, emotional and physical safety, trust, empowerment, and healing.
Work collaboratively across programs to meet survivor needs while maintaining the flexibility required to support a 24-hour emergency shelter environment.