Resident Counseling Advocate (Part-Time)

A Woman's Place (AWP) believes in a world where all individuals are safe and
can flourish in their relationship. We are seeking individuals who embody our
values of courage, creativity, equality, integrity, respect, and social
justice for two part time Resident Counseling Advocate positions.  Our
Resident Counseling Advocates provide support survivors of domestic violence
in our Safe House and on our 24/7 hotline. If you are interested in serving
survivors, being a changemaker and working alongside us in our life saving
movement of ending intimate and domestic violence for all please submit your
cover letter and resume to apply.

VALUES STATEMENT
To accomplish our vision of a society where all individuals are safe and can
flourish, the programs, services, and decision making at all levels of A
Woman’s Place are rooted in and guided by the following values:
Courage: A Woman’s Place acts bravely and boldly, notwithstanding fear.
Creativity: A Woman’s Place encourages the creation of meaningful new
ideas, interpretations, and rules.
Equality: A Woman’s Place believes each and every one of us must
collaborate to create a new society based in equal power and rights.
Integrity: A Woman’s Place is of sound moral character and adheres to
ethical principles.
Respect: A Woman’s Place is considerate and honors the worth and dignity of
all beings and resources.
Social Justice: A Woman’s Place analyzes structural social inequalities in
order to promote justice.

VISION STATEMENT
A Woman’s Place envisions a society where all individuals are safe in their
relationships and can flourish.

MISSION STATEMENT
A Woman’s Place is a community-based social change organization committed
to the empowerment of women and to ending intimate and domestic violence for
all.

Purpose of Position: The Resident Counseling Advocate (RCA) will work in A
Woman's Place safe house shelter to assist victims of domestic violence in
achieving safety and self sufficiency
Reporting Relationships: Reports to the Shelter and Safe Housing Manager
Other Relationships: Community and County agencies, staff, volunteers,
community resources

Essential Functions/Responsibilities:
1.      Provide services to victims of domestic violence that support the Values,
Vision, and Mission statements of the organization.
2.      Work with individuals to create change in their lives, which supports
ending gender oppression and violence towards women.
3.      Provide advocacy services to survivors of domestic violence that
emphasizes improved safety and economic self-sufficiency.
4.      Provide services that improve immediate safety and prevent reoccurrence of
relationship violence, including safety planning, lethality risk assessment,
and linkages to specialized legal and therapeutic services.
5.      5. Provide residents with assistance in meeting identified goals and
objectives in a centralized focus of victim safety, well-being and autonomy
as identified by the client.
6.      Provide services that improve economic self-sufficiency of survivors,
including financial education, job searches, interview preparation,
assistance with resume preparation and job applications, assistance accessing
public benefits, and job placement programs.
7.      7. Assist with facilitating house meetings as needed with a focus on
issues identified by the residents, or housing manager
8.      Assist survivors with goal setting, planning, follow through, tracking
progress, and celebrating success.
9.      Coach clients to advocate on their own behalf with creditors and other
financial institutions, employers, bill collectors, landlords, public and
community-based programs.
10.     Maintain a comprehensive directory of local resources that are relevant
to improving client self-sufficiency.
11.     Advocate for expedited referral processes to enroll survivors in job
training and placement programs.
12.     Conduct an intake assessment with each new resident identifying their
goals, objectives, and needs as identified by the survivor.
13.     Provide regular meetings with residents to work on identified areas of
need.
14.     Incorporate trauma related injuries and education into the information
provided to shelter residents, community clients, and hotline callers.
15.     Daily data entry in order to maintain accurate statistical databases.
16.     Provide shift coverage for the Hotline either at home or at workplace.
17.     Provide training on Hotline coverage to new staff and volunteers when
requested.
18.     Provide transportation as needed for residents.
19.     Organize and distribute donations
20.     Commitment to AWP’s Values, Mission, and Vision statements.
21.     Adherence to the Personnel Policies of AWP
22.     Successful completion of Domestic Violence Direct Service Training course
and continuing educational requirements.
23.     Honesty and trustworthiness in all relationships.
24.     Excellent and effective written and oral communication skills.
25.     Ability to make independent decisions and solve complex problems.
26.     Ability to work independently as well as in a team setting.
27.     Emotionally resilient and able to withstand pressure on an on-going
basis.
28.     Deal with difficult situations while maintaining quality of services.
29.     Adapt readily to changing work environments, work priorities, and
organizational needs.
30.     Reliable Transportation
31.     Must be available to work overnights and week-ends.

Criteria/Requirements:
Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and/or
2 years of related work experience

Characteristics:
1.      Treats all people with respect, values diverse populations, and cultures.
2.      Self-motivated and able to work independently.
3.      Demonstrated degree of initiative and creativity
4.      Must be flexible and have the ability to multi task.
5.      Anticipates problems and seeks resolutions
6.      Ability to prioritize tasks and requests and work in a confidential
setting
7.      Reliable, personally responsible, and trustworthy
8.      Willingness to work varied hours including some weekends and evenings
9.      Data entry skills
10.     Microsoft Office proficient

JOB DEMENSIONS:
Assignment and Approval of Work:
The Resident Counseling Advocate is directly supervised by and receives
assignments and directions from the Shelter and Safe Housing Manager.

Financial Responsibility:
1.      Prior approval from the housing manager for any programmatic expenses.
2.      Accurate and timely reporting of any expense reports.
3.      Accurate accounting of any expenses from Resident’s fund, gift cards,
and bus tokens.

Responsibility and Decision-Making:
1.      Demonstrate initiative
2.      Assist with decision making regarding the acceptance of new clients into
shelter.
3.      Assist in providing coverage for shelter and Hotline.
4.      Daily, accurate reporting of all data into all necessary databases.

License/Certifications:
1.      33/34 clearance
2.      Valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License
3.      Valid vehicle registration and insurance

Physical Demands/Environmental Conditions:
1.      Operation of office equipment
2.      Lifting up to 35 lbs.
3.      Occasional travel
4.      Willingness and ability to work varied hours, including nights and
weekends.
5.      Exposure to cleaning supplies, office chemicals, and insecticides