InReach Advocate

Department:Survivor Services
Reports to:Co-Director of Survivor Services
Status:Full time, hourly / non-exempt
Wage:$29.00 per hour

Are you a creative problem solver committed to empowering and supporting survivors? Are you passionate about helping survivors of domestic and / or sexual violence to secure permanent housing? Are you dedicated to working across organizations and systems to advocate with survivors? YWCA of Greater Portland helps domestic violence survivors navigate systems and attain safe and stable housing as part of YWCA USA, the largest and oldest provider of domestic violence support services in the world.

In this role, you will support survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence to access housing. The Domestic Violence Advocate will be on a mission to support vulnerable survivors with trauma-informed and survivor-centered services.

YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. For more than 120 years, YWCA of Greater Portland has invested in our community, supported survivors, and advocated for the most vulnerable among us: women, children, seniors, the unhoused, and the incarcerated. As one of 200 Associations nationwide, we are proud members of YWCA USA, one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the nation.

• Use a housing‑first approach to support survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence to attain or retain safe housing, frequently in emergency and/or chronically houseless situations. This may include, but is not limited to, landlord negotiation/mediation, medical and/or legal advocacy referrals, harm reduction, safety planning, and attendance at formal or informal hearings.
• Provide ongoing support to program participants by conducting intake assessments, determining eligibility, and coordinating services.
• Serve program participants consistently and proactively through referrals, waitlists, and similar county‑wide forums.
• Provide emotional support and basic needs supplies as requested by survivor.
• Create safety plans alongside survivors using a harm reduction lens.
• Build rapport with survivors by regularly visiting partnering indoor and outdoor shelter sites and/or encampments.
• Provide ongoing housing retention support to help survivors with transition as requested.
• Apply knowledge of Fair Housing and VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) protections and/or landlord/tenant laws and contextualize the survivor’s experience while maintaining confidentiality.
• Meet all contractual obligations for housing survivors and conduct meaningful outreach activities.
• Coordinate engagement with other domestic violence, mental health, anti-poverty, and legal service providers at the directive of the survivor.

• Collect program data including participant demographics, services delivered, and participant feedback.
• Complete all data entry, filing, and eligibility requirement tasks in a timely manner. Such activities require adherence to federal, state, and local laws and contract requirements while working within multiple agency systems. All work must be carried out while maintaining absolute participant confidentiality.
• Track expenditures against program goals and maintain accurate and timely financial records including all credit card receipts.

• Engage consistently in anti‑racism practices and approaches with internal and external work based on a deep understanding of historical and present‑day structural racism.
• Collaborate with multi‑agency InReach teams to coordinate services and discuss programming. May be collaboratively assigned to the JOIN InReach Team and would work more closely with JOIN managers, meetings, and procedures.
• Develop and maintain positive professional relationships with housing providers in the Greater Portland area, social services agencies, city and government officials, the Survivor Services team, and YWCA as a whole.
• Attend and meaningfully participate in all scheduled meetings with department,…