Community Benefits Advocate

POSITION: Community Benefits Advocate

SALARY: $50-55K

REPORTS TO: Coordinator of Workforce Development

Mission:

Originating as a woman’s volunteer organization, Voces Latinas was founded in 2003 with the mission to reduce the rate of HIV transmission and violence among immigrants Latinas by empowering, educating, and providing leadership trainings enabling them to use their voice and make healthier decisions for themselves and their families. Our reach expanded in 2011 to include all immigrant Latine groups including LGBTQIA+, day laborers, sex workers, undocumented, and other sub-populations often gone invisible yet also impacted by HIV and violence. As a direct services agency, Voces Latinas provides culturally responsive services that address immediate needs including intimate partner and gender-based violence, mental health issues, healthcare access, and HIV/STI prevention. Voces Latinas is unique in how we address the social determinants of health experienced by immigrant Latine including oppression, poverty, discrimination, threat of deportation, interpersonal violence, sexual violence, and survival sex. Our expertise lies in our identification and understanding of the immigrant experience and the barriers that come along with such an experience.

Voces Latinas serves over 5,000 immigrant Latines each year through its outreach and programs which include: HIV and STI counseling and testing; linkage to care; Spanish HIV educational workshop series; Saturday arts and crafts support group session for isolated immigrant Latinas; supportive case management and individual counseling for Latines who are vulnerable or living with HIV including access to pre-and-post exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP); connection to culturally and linguistically appropriate services; providing Promotores (peer advocates) trainings yearly to become peer leaders; hold public forums and events; provide intimate partner violence prevention and intervention to immigrant Latines; community mobilization project which involves partnering with local businesses. VL also provides support to members of the LGBTQIA+ through HIV prevention services that includes HIV/STI testing and connection to PrEP and PEP.

Voces Latinas seeks a skilled Community Benefits Advocate for the Workforce Development program. The Community Benefits Advocate is responsible for helping and connecting clients seeking workforce skills development to legal services, healthcare services, including SNAP, NYC CARE and Medicaid. Additionally, the Community Benefits Advocate will identify client needs connecting them to external services and supporting clients in achieving their service plan goals. The Community Benefits Advocate will serve as a connection between Workforce Development, Legal Services and Health Care Services departments. The Community Benefits Advocate must provide culturally responsive services and follow-up with all clients. The ideal candidate must have a passion for working with non-profit organizations, serving marginalized communities, understand public health issues such a HIV, STIs, mental and behavioral health.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

· Work closely with the workforce development specialists connecting clients to service needs as identified on service plans.

· Provide connections to legal services, health insurance and SNAP applications.

· Provide Health Literacy to clients.

· Ensure linkage to care by accompanying clients and assisting in systems navigation such as medical services, criminal justice, healthcare, child welfare, and social services systems.

· Strong understanding of workforce development topics such as resume building, skills development, cover letter building, understanding of different types of employment statuses and other relevant topics, are a plus.

· Ability to support workforce development specialist in documentation translation for clients and connections with other Community Benefits and resources.

· Assist clients with needs as identified in service plan as it pertains to workforce including assist in connecting clients to potential jobs, additional trainings, schooling and other skill enhancing activities.

· Seek out training and job opportunities for clients.

· Assist in maintaining and expanding a network of providers who can assist participants with opportunities and training.

· Conduct programmatic outreach, HIV and STI testing as needed and screening on an agency wide rotating schedule.

· Documentation and data entry of all client interactions via progress notes, ETO database, as well as other government database systems (E-share) if needed.

· Produce monthly data and assist with program reports.

· Attend and promote program at community meetings, legal clinics and other outreach events.

· Develop and maintain relationships with social service providers working with clients.

· Represent Voces Latinas at meetings and forums in an utmost professional manner and strengthen linkages with other community partners.

· Keep up with the latest healthcare/immigration policies.

· Other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

· Bachelor’s degree preferred in related field

· 3-5 years of successful experience providing services to low-income immigrants and families resided in NYC.

· Must be proficient in Spanish (speak, read, and write).

· Cultural sensitivity and commitment to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.

· Excellent verbal communication skills and ability to build relationships with outside partner agencies to obtain resources for clients.

Voces Latinas offers a competitive compensation and fringe benefits package including health insurance, short term disability, family medical leave, and generous vacation/sick/holiday leave.

Voces Latinas is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all federal, state, and local laws which prohibit discrimination in employment. People of color, Afro-Latinx, trans people, women, intersex people, people who have lived in poverty, people with disabilities, immigrants, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people are strongly encouraged to apply.