Counselor Advocate

Overview

Seeking: compassionate individuals looking to help make a difference!

If you are passionate about making a difference in someone’s life and want to work for an organization that appreciates and recognizes their employee’s success, we encourage you to apply today!

Seeking a Full Time Counselor Advocate on our Elmira Corps Safehouse Team

Our Full Time opportunities offer:

·      Generous time off every year including 14 paid holidays, up to 3 personal days, vacation time, and sick time

·      Employer funded Pension Plan (company contributions begin after 1 year of continuous employment)

·      Comprehensive Health Care Coverage with low cost employee premiums, co-pays, and deductibles

·      Company Paid Basic Term Life Insurance for Employee

·      Long Term Disability Insurance

·      Eligibility for supplemental insurance plans including Short Term Disability, AFLAC, and Voluntary Term Life

·      Flexible Spending Account

·      Eligibility for Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program

·      Tax Deferred Annuity (403B)

·      Christmas Bonus

·      Wireless discount for Verizon customers

·      Free parking

SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF POSITION:Providing immediate emergency direct services for victims of domestic violence and using a holistic approach to healing; supporting each survivor’s unique journey from victimization to hope for a future free from domestic violence. To provide direct services to survivors of human trafficking. The position will also include community education/awareness activities, outreach, and community engagement with law enforcement, faith-based community partners, public child welfare departments, and community-based agencies.

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

•Develop and oversee direct services, initial screening and intake process of minor victims of domestic violence to ensure all coordinated referrals needed are made with community partners for identified and ongoing service needs• Assure there is a 24/7 response to hotline calls by being on-call for resident assistants• Identify and provide ongoing community training to ensure best practice models are implemented throughout the community and across systems• Provide ongoing trauma informed direct services to a caseload of domestic violence residents and non-residents• Identify survivor leaders to provide ongoing feedback and support for those affected by domestic violence• Responsible for the timely submission of all required reports

Casework Services• Provide comprehensive victim services, which will include:o Assisting victims with setting and accomplishing short- and long-term goalso Counseling - individual and group o Follow up contact through in-person contacts, telephone contacts or written communications• Counseling – individualized and/or group counseling to victims addressing the needs identified by the victims, assist in seeking services on their own behalf, informing the victims of options available to ensure their safety and the safety of their minor children, informing the victims of the nature of family violence and its effects on children, informing the informing the victims of the legal, financial and housing options available to them; assist the victim to improve their problem solving skills• Personal advocacy services, providing liaison services or active intervention with community services and programs as appropriate: medical care; social services; employment, housing and submitting public assistance applications.• Criminal justice support and accompaniment, including assisting victims in the application of petitions for Family and Criminal Court. Providing liaison services or active intervention on behalf of victims such as: assistance in accessing legal remedies and protections and law enforcement personnel.• Crisis Hotline counseling available 24 hours a day to residential and non-residential clients• Provide information and referrals – to community services and programs which meet the individual needs of victims of domestic violence• Community education/outreach activities by providing activities to the community regarding the need for and benefits of domestic violence service, the dynamics of domestic violence and the prevention of domestic violence by making presentations, distributing written materials and using the media.• Providing children’s service by offering and providing appropriate counseling to the children of victims of domestic violence and assisting victim’s domestic violence in arranging child care for their children when such care is necessary to enable the victims to seek services or to participate in activities which would alleviate the victim’s needs.• Providing support groups which allow peer support to interested victims of domestic violence to discuss their experiences with family violence. • Providing transportation to victims of domestic violence to secure legal, medical, housing, employment or public assistance services.• To obtain translation services to interpret any oral or written information for non-English speaking victims of domestic violence.• Providing perpetrators and alleged perpetrators of domestic violence, upon request, with information and referral to community services and programs which meet the individual needs of such perpetrators• Maintaining and making accessible a list of community services and programs needed by victims of domestic violence or household members• Assist with the filing of NYS Office of Victim Service compensation claims including making victims aware of the availability of the program.• Maintain case records including intakes and billings. • Transport and accompany clients to appointments. • Fulfill the mandated NYS requirements by reporting suspected child abuse• Neglect and then providing pertinent information to the Director.• Fill in staff schedule as needed to maintain 24-hour coverage of the Safehouse shelter.• Accept on-call responsibilities as assigned being within a 30-minute response area. • Attend community meetings and presentations as assigned representing the program in a professional manner. • Assist as necessary to maintain the shelter in regulatory status; including food shopping and cleaning. • Maintain confidentiality and adhere to HIPAA Regulations.• Accept other duties as assigned by the Safehouse Director.• Accept any other duties as deemed necessary by the Commanding Officers

Qualifications

SPECIAL SKILLS, CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:• Must have a valid driver’s license that meets The Salvation Army insurance requirements.• Master’s degree Preferred• Experience with trauma informed care and knowledge of domestic violence issues• Must have computer/typing skills in order to complete statistics, maintain case files, and correspond via email communication.• Must have good communication skills – both verbal and written. • Must have an understanding of program needs and goals.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.