Dubuque Y Crisis Services offers 24/7 staffing providing services to meet the various safety needs of Women and children crisis survivors . Our Crisis Line, Emergency Shelter and Extended Stay services provide immediate and critical interventions, with our overall goal to increase survivor safety. Our service provision is built around providing quality, client centered, trauma informed services that promote self-sufficiency and increase successful outcomes for survivor’s unique, individualized needs. DYCS prioritizes women and children experiencing various types of gender based violence such as Domestic Violence / Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault, Human Trafficking and Other Violent Crimes.
The essential function of each Crisis Services Advocate is to actively engage in fostering and maintaining optimum service provision by cultivating a safe, positive living environment to all DYCS program participants. Crisis Services Advocates provide coverage Sunday through Saturday. That includes 24 hours on weekends and holidays. This position reports directly to the Crisis Services Director.

Skills & Abilities

Advocates must demonstrate the ability to execute the following:

• Must be highly dependable and possess the ability to work effectively with minimal supervision.
• Exhibit a strong skill set in being able to work well under pressure, utilize sound judgment and decision making skills, be courteous and helpful and maintain confidentiality requirements.
• Hold appropriate boundaries while implementing services and understand importance of empowering clients while providing a strong and stable support system.
• Able to handle difficult situations with professionalism and maturity and elevate situations that need guidance.
• Must have strong written and oral communication skills, as well as intermediate computer skills.
• Can work in an environment that requires the ability to transfer/ carry cleaning and bedding supplies up & down stairs and packages weighing at least 25 pounds.
• Ability to pass state, federal, and child abuse background checks and able to work in the United States.

Job Functions & Responsibilities

• Appropriately & professionally provide comprehensive, trauma-informed, survivor-centered services to survivors that drive successful interventions. Services consist of but are not limited to the following: crisis line coverage, performing screening, intake and exit procedures, safety planning, emotional support, information and referral, community outreach and collaboration and crisis intervention.
• Conduct service needs assessments, case management, collaborative referrals and needed advocacy to best support DYCS emergency shelter and extended stay program participants.
• Assist in educating survivors about victim’s rights, available resources; assist with requests for security/separation from perpetrators and/or the perpetrator’s family members and provide emotional support.
• Operate various types of typical office equipment and computer software necessary to communicate with DYCS staff and other service providers.
• Document and track all client interactions and information in the Empower DB database. Maintain up-to-date client files and programmatic data with a high level of accuracy that meets timeliness requirements.
• Complete shift duties that contribute to daily operations by organizing, stocking and replenishing supplies, resetting vacant rooms, conducting shelter walk-through’s and room checks, accepting and distributing donations, maintaining general cleanliness, following security and building alarm procedures and assuring necessary supplies are furnished.

Education & Experience

• A minimum of (or in the process of earning) an Associate’s Degree, Bachelor’s Degree preferred, in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Criminal Justice, or a related field or a minimum of 2 years of field experience in a similar role.
• Training or experience working with survivor populations with a thorough understanding of the issues surrounding victimization as it relates to survivor based services or other individuals in underserved, underrepresented and/or marginalized populations with a thorough understanding of systemic barriers the identified population faces.

All advocates receive a free membership to the Dubuque Y.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Internship

Pay: $14.50 - $15.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Evening shift
• Holidays
• Night shift
• On call
• Overnight shift
• Weekends as needed
• Weekends only

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Preferred)
• Night Shift (Preferred)
• Overnight Shift (Preferred)

Work Location: In person