Are you ready to make a difference?
Williamson's County Emergency Shelter for domestic violence and sexual assault has the following position open for immediate hire.
JOB TITLE: Legal Advocate
HOURS: Daytime with flexibility
CLASSIFICATION: Regular, Full-Time, Non-Exempt
SALARY RANGE: $36,400.00 - $38,480.00 Annually DOE
ORGANIZATION: Hope Alliance has been promoting the fundamental right for all individuals to be safe in their personal relationships for over 35 years. Hope Alliance operates under the belief that physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse of one human being by another is unacceptable. Located in Williamson County, Hope Alliance provides crisis services to both adult and child victims of Family Violence and/or Sexual Assault. We attempt to safeguard our clients’ rights through a broad array of innovative, client-centered, trauma-informed direct services, community education, and advocacy. We currently serve more than 2,500 women, men and children annually.
POSITION: Hope Alliance is seeking a community-based legal advocate to assist survivors with navigating the legal and judicial systems including crime victims compensation, protective order applications, accompanying them to court and helping them to locate legal resources for divorce and child custody. The legal advocate will Provide legal advocacy services to survivors and also develop community partnerships that enhance and supplement Hope Alliance's services.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Provide advocacy, case management, crisis intervention, follow-up, and referrals in-person and on the hotline to primary and secondary victims.
- Meet with clients in Hope Alliance's office, emergency shelter and outreach locations; local hospitals and police stations; county attorney's office; and other locations as needed.
- Informally assess the emotional, physical, social, educational and legal needs of clients, formulating individualized service plans and weekly goals.
- Assist clients in utilizing the legal system including but not limited to accompanying them to police station and court; accessing Crime Victim Compensation; and securing protective orders.
- Work with other agencies, including Texas Rural Legal Aid, the county attorney's office, and others
- Collect, maintain and distribute to agency staff information on the legal aspects of assisting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
- Facilitate support groups and other meetings as needed.
- When needed, facilitate shelter house meetings and support groups.
- Assist with the collection and maintenance of client data for statistical and programming purposes.
- Report any incident of child or elder abuse to the Department of Public and Regulatory Services and appropriate Hope Alliance staff.
- Cover on-call accompaniment rotation.
- Assist with community education efforts and other duties as assigned by Chief Executive Officer.
- Attend regularly scheduled staff and team meetings.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION:
- Acceptance of and respect for agency philosophy, mission, and values.
- Bachelor's degree in psychology, social work or related field.
- Two years experience in a social service agency, preferably dealing with sexual assault and domestic violence issues.
- Experience and ability to respond in a supportive way to people in crisis.
- Knowledge of domestic violence and sexual assault.
- Working knowledge of Texas laws pertaining to domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as the justice system's response to these crimes.
- Familiarity with the network of social and legal services, resources and procedures available in Williamson County area.
- Sensitivity to various cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds, values, attitudes, and languages.
- Ability to work as a team member, providing support as well as constructive feedback in interpersonal interactions.
- Adequate personal health, social maturity, and emotional stability to fulfill the functions of the position.
- Experience in independent job structuring.
- Excellent communication skills, public speaking experience, and staff development skills.
- Ability to relate to other agencies and departments, including law enforcement, as well as to supervise and support staff and volunteers.
- Computer proficiency in Word, Excel, and Publisher.
Work/Life Balance Benefits include: 22 PTO days a year, 10 paid holidays with 6 additional pro-rated floating holidays! Agency sponsored wellness program that includes massage packages, counseling services provided through BetterHelp, and a subscription to the Calm app.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $36,400.00 - $38,480.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- AD&D insurance
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Opportunities for advancement
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Vision insurance
- Wellness program
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
- On call
Application Question(s):
- Do you currently reside in Williamson, Travis, or Bell County?
Experience:
- Legal case management: 1 year (Required)
- Crisis intervention: 1 year (Required)
Work Location: In person