DSV Advocate & Navigator

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Posted Date 8/31/2026

YWCA of Greater Portland helps survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence 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. You will also provide navigation to survivors working with the Gateway Center.

The Gateway Center provides crisis survivors to survivors of intimate partner violence.

Survivor Services

DSV Advocacy Manager

Full time, hourly / non-exempt

$27.75 per hour

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.

• Work with survivors to determine needs using a holistic, strengths-based approach.
• Serve as the first point of contact for survivors seeking relief from domestic and sexual violence.
• Assess and triage needs and connect to in-house and/or other service providers to best meet survivor’s needs; conduct Safety and Stabilization Assessment (SSA) and/or additional assessment tools, if needed.
• Coordinate engagement with other domestic violence, mental health, anti-poverty, and legal service providers at the directive of the survivor.
• Provide co-advocacy services at the directive of the survivor, offering support, information, referrals, and individualized safety planning.
• Meet with participants at YWCA office locations and/or off-site following safety planning best practices.
• Promote healthy relationships and maintain appropriate boundaries.
• Be willing to be uncomfortable and sit with survivors through big emotions without trying to manage their emotions or solve all their problems.
• Provide excellent, responsive, and flexible survivor-led service to all participants.

• Use a "housing-first" approach to support survivors of domestic violence to attain or retain safe housing, frequently in emergency situations. This may include, but is not limited to, landlord negotiation/mediation, and attendance at formal or informal hearings.
• Serve survivors consistently and proactively through referrals, waitlists, and similar county-wide forums.
• 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.
• Complete all data entry, filing, and eligibility requirements 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.

• 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.
• Engage actively in program design, implementation, evaluation, reporting, and other shared responsibilities.
• Responsibly represent the program and YWCA in the community, with community partners and other collaborators.
• Participate in Multnomah County’s Coordinated Access…