Self-Determination Advocate - Beloved Community Housing

Position Title: Self-Determination Advocate

Program/ Department: Beloved Youth Project

Work location: In-person LA office. Some travel required

Classification: Full-time (1 FTE – 40 hours/week), permanent, Non-Exempt

Compensation: $29.75 – $31.25 per hour DOE

ABOUT BELOVED

Beloved Youth is the first project of Beloved Community Housing, a housing organization devoted to supporting the self-determination of young people and their families impacted by the juvenile and criminal justice systems through innovations in housing. It is a continuum of care model that resources young people and their families/guardians while advocating for their needs and desires, with the goal of ending reliance on the ineffective, harmful, and expensive carceral and congregate care models.

Beloved Community Housing is a fiscally sponsored project of the Young Women’s Freedom Center and was started based on their 30 years of success working with directly impacted women, girls, and trans people of all genders impacted by poverty, life on the streets, incarceration, and gender based violence.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Beloved Self Determination Advocate will partner with youth participants of Beloved to support in systems navigation. This requires you to have excellent communication skills as you will be working closely with colleagues as well as participants. Reporting to the Beloved Site Program Manager, the Self Determination Advocate will be expected to meet with and build relationships with youth participating in the program as a mentor. Additional responsibilities include administrative tasks such as data collection and entry, building new and strengthening existing relationships with partner orgs with the goal of building a Beloved community. This position will work closely with staff of the Young Women’s Freedom Center (YWFC) to ensure that Beloved program participants have the support, resources, access, and advocacy needed to thrive.

This opportunity calls for a highly committed and adaptable human, who excels at motivating others, and thrives in a startup environment.

Beloved strongly encourages candidates with similar lived experience as our participants to apply.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Implementation

• Field program participant referrals from partners and conduct initial intake assessments in a timely manner
• Oversee the family finding process (placement) and provide recommendations to the courts for the young people you are work Work with young person to identify options for returning home and or family finding recommendations when home is not an option
• Work with young person to do individualized planning including : Ensuring participant life maps, resource plans, and support plans are completed in alignment with Beloved’s program model
• Support participants in navigating systems (juvenile justice, foster care, mental health, etc.) by providing advocacy, resources, and ongoing support in self-advocacy strategies and education.
• Address program implementation barriers and make recommendations to enhance program and service delivery models.
• Recruit placement providers aligned with Beloved’s mission and values, including credible messenger homes; establish provider’s network of support and training options
• Spend time with young person in the community on a regular basis including visiting in juvenile detention, meetings in the community where the young person is, in school, at their home, etc.
• Coordinate directly with referring partners including YWFC staff for follow up
• Maintain regular contact with the young person at least 3x per week
• Work as a part of a larger team to implement the Beloved Program

External Visibility

• Attend relevant external stakeholder meetings and events to understand LA’s political landscape and advocate for young people
• Build direct relationships with stakeholders in the young persons life including probation officers, judges, public defenders, etc.
• Present Beloved’s program model to partners to increase visibility, funding, and partnership opportunities
• Attend important funder meeting and provide progress reports, as needed

Program Administration

• Maintain strict records of all receipts and track all program related expenses
• Ensure client files are up to date and stored appropriately updating all files, case notes, reflections and any other paperwork weekly
• Schedule and organize team meetings and events, while maintaining organizational calendar and agenda
• Under the direction of the local Program Manager to ensure program goals, numbers, and KPI’s are being met and tracked.
• Ensure all program data is submitted in a timely fashion.

Data and Evaluation

• Review data and make recommendations to enhance program effectiveness
• Ensure data is entered into database in a timely manner
• Work closely with external evaluators and Statewide Program Manager to make program recommendations and adjustments based on data and evaluation

QUALIFICATIONS

The Beloved Self Determination Advocate will embody Beloved and YWFC’s core values, and lead with Sisterhood/ Siblinghood, Self-Determination, Spirituality, and Social Justice. Specifically, candidates must possess the following core and managerial competencies:

• Must be able to pass clearance to work with young people in juvenile detention
• Must have a Valid drivers license and reliable transportation
• Must have experience working with young people navigating complex systems including delinquency and child welfare

Core Competencies

• Strong Advocate: Minimum 2 years of experience in the juvenile justice, youth development, or similar field; ability to fight for others unapologetically; willingness to learn, ask questions, and discern the most strategic way to advocate for participants and staff
• Flexible: Thrives in a startup environment; willingness to try new ideas and approaches to best support participants and staff; will do what it takes to support participants, even if that means diverging from the original plan.
• Humility: Sets personal ego and judgment aside; able to work with and support individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and educational levels; genuinely curious and asks questions before making a decision or judgment.
• Collectively and Individually: Able to work well with others to accomplish a goal; equally comfortable working alone, and setting and meeting tight deadlines; asks for support when needed.
• Integrity: acts with integrity at all times; transparent and direct, yet approachable and supportive; operates with accountability what you know to be right at all times. Be transparent and direct
• Motivational Leadership: motivates others by leading by example; builds authentic relationships; strong emotional intelligence; provides clear expectations and feedback; coaching rather than directive.
• Critical Thinking: Open minded and considers alternative perspectives; recognizes assumptions, evaluates evidence, and seeks to understand before making a decision; mindful of political and positional power differences.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Beloved offers a competitive salary based on the organization’s compensation philosophy, which is grounded in market data. Compensation is commensurate with experience, ranging from $29.75 – 31.25 per hour (full time, 40 hours a week) . We also offer comprehensive health benefits and top of the market paid time off.

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply for the Self-Determination Coordinator position in Los Angeles, please send your resume and a thoughtful, one-page cover letter to the following email address: HR@belovedcommunityhousing.org, or use the form on our careers page: https://belovedcommunityhousing.org/career/self-determination-advocate/

We strongly encourage candidates with marginalized identities and nontraditional professional backgrounds to apply. Young Women’s Freedom Center does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, or genetic information.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: On A Rolling Basis

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we’re not able to respond personally to every candidate. We do review every submission carefully and we will contact those who we’d like to interview. If we are interested in further steps we will contact you directly, we appreciate all applicants’ time and interest and always encourage them to apply to positions in the future.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $29.75 - $31.25 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Ability to Relocate:

• Los Angeles, CA: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person