DVSA Program Housing and Economic Advocate

Description

Are you looking to make a real difference in the lives of others? Join the Catholic Charities team! For the last 100 years, we have had the distinct honor to provide help and hope for those in need. At Catholic Charities, our mission is to empower individuals and strengthen families. We do this through our vital programs including a food pantry, counseling services, emergency family shelter, community resource coordination, and domestic violence and sexual assault programming. We care for the dignity of the person, regardless of background and strive to provide unparalleled support for those in need. 

The Catholic Charities’ Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program provides services to anyone faced with these issues through a 24-hour crisis phone line, emergency shelter, court advocacy and much more. This program is based in Council Bluffs, Iowa and serves nine counties in southwest Iowa: Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby. Our on-site emergency shelter provides a safe, confidential living for up to eight families at a time.

The Housing and Economic Advocate provides housing and economic support to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking survivors in the nine-county service area of SW Iowa. This role works with survivors to assess strengths and barriers to housing and assists clients with obtaining transitional and permanent housing that best meets the needs of the survivor. Under the direction of the Shelter and Housing Coordinator, this role works with housing authorities and landlords to ensure survivors can exit homelessness quickly and maintain housing.   

We Offer

• Competitive pay
• 35-hour workweek
• Generous vacation and sick pay
• 14 paid holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Comprehensive benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Flex Spending Plans
• Employer-paid Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer matching
• A supportive and uplifting working environment 

Key Responsibilities 

• Assist survivors with arranging appropriate shelter, finding and maintaining housing to include supportive housing, low-cost rental, fair-market rental, and low-cost or fair-market homeownership programs. Assist survivors with securing transportation services when necessary.
• Provide case management for survivors including assessment, goal planning, and regular contacts to assist them in attaining their goals.
• Collaborate with survivors to determine their strengths, family needs, safety concerns, short and long term strategies to achieve housing objectives.
• Connect survivors to mainstream resources (i.e., FIP, TANF, SSI/D and others).
• Provide advocacy and assistance to help survivors remain safely in their own home including rental assistance, legal advocacy, court orders (restraining, no contact etc.), medical/behavioral healthcare, life skills, employment, transportation, and emergency assistance. 
• Build relationships with landlords and other housing providers to help survivors secure and maintain housing. Maintain a housing directory with documentation of all contacts with housing providers, regularly working with area programs to obtain the most up to date information.
• Educate clients about tenant responsibilities and rights, financial management, and affordable housing opportunities. Facilitate/co-facilitate support and educational groups offered through the agency and within the nine-county service area on a rotating basis or as requested.
• Document multiple sources of funds accurately to assist clients and maintain accurate records of expenditures.
• Maintain working knowledge of the State of Iowa statutes and codes, landlord, and tenant codes, including services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Work with survivors to help mediate landlord-tenant issues.
• Follow up with survivors for up to six months via letter, telephone calls, or face to face communication to ensure safe and successful integration into housing.
• Provide direct advocacy services to survivors including legal advocacy, individual or group counseling, and safety planning. Assist with DVSART 24 hour response to area hospitals.
• Build community awareness and education of domestic violence and sexual assault throughout the service area. Work with Shelter and Housing and Economic teams to develop and present prevention and awareness campaigns, including Homeless Awareness Month. Present to schools, business partners, social service agencies, law enforcement, and others. Participate in community meetings and events in outreach counties to advocate and publicize services for survivors. Distribute agency materials throughout assigned areas. Some events may require working limited night or weekend hours.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with local coalitions, task forces, human service agencies, religious and civic organizations, educational resources, and other community members. 
• Document all contact with victims in victim's file and in EmpowerDB database. Prepare statistical summaries and other reports as required.
• Continually evaluate program services and make recommendations, contributing to the overall success of the program. Distribute surveys to clients following individual or group services to gather data for continuous improvement. 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Sociology, Psychology, Criminal Justice, or related field; 1-2 years related job experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. 
• Solid knowledge of human and social service programs and practices.
• Knowledge of appropriate intervention techniques for working effectively with a variety of issues related to sexual assault and domestic abuse.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to effectively present information and respond professionally to inquiries from clients, regulatory agencies, and members of the community.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a wide variety of people having diverse social concerns and problems, while maintaining personal boundaries. 
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize effectively. 
• Good knowledge and familiarity with needs and resources in the community. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and related software. Ability to learn program specific software applications. 

 Additional Expectations

• Must maintain the ability to work flexible hours. Some evening and weekend hours may be required.
• Travel to our service area sites required on a regular basis. Overnight travel for continuing education required on a limited basis. Must have a valid driver’s license and be able to successfully pass Motor Vehicle Record check. Must provide own transportation, meeting auto insurance coverage requirements, with mileage reimbursement provided.
• Ability to pass a criminal background screening, including Child and Dependent Adult Abuse registry check is required. Compliance with Safe Environment training and monthly bulletins. FBI Fingerprinting is required.
• Must maintain absolute confidentiality of information, written or verbal, according to policy and legal requirements. 
• Attend staff meetings, community meetings, approved seminars, agency trainings/retreats, and professional conferences.
• Possess a strong commitment to the mission of Catholic Charities including the understanding of Catholic Social Teaching and ability to demonstrate the philosophy and values of the agency. Employees are expected to support the Catholic Social Teaching principles in public forum. Fulfillment of the employee’s job responsibilities should be consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.  

Certifications (Can be obtained after employment)   

• IowaCASA/ICADV Multi-Disciplinary Certified Advocate
• Victim Counselor Certification
• Blood Born Pathogen training (annually) 
• CPR certification (annually)
• First Aid certification (every 3 years)
• Mandatory Child Abuse and Dependent Adult training (every 5 years)