Family Advocate for Home Front & Home Safe

Who We Are

Solid Ground (SG) is an award-winning nonprofit organization whose proven, holistic approach helps families build the strong foundations they need to emerge from homelessness into a brighter future. Through safe, affordable housing and innovative supportive programming, Solid Ground helps families transition to a higher-level of self-sufficiency and break the cycle of homelessness and poverty for the next generation.

Why You'll Love Working Here

At the heart of Solid Ground is the belief that housing stability is fundamental to the healthy development of children and to a family's ability to be contributing members of the community. Solid Ground currently runs eight programs in suburban Ramsey and Washington Counties and housing over 660 individuals annually. Our mission is to prevent and end homelessness for families with children in the communities we serve through housing, resources, and opportunity.

Wages and Benefits

$23.00 - $25.00 per hour; Paid vacation time, sick time, plus ten paid holidays and two floating holidays; competitive health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings account (HSA), and options for flexible spending accounts (FSA). There is employer paid basic life insurance with the option for additional coverage paid by the employee. The employer pays for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) and short and long-term disability insurance. SG sponsors a retirement plan with automatic enrollment at 3% and a 3% employer match after one year of service, plus immediate vesting.

Schedule

This position is hybrid with a minimum of 3 in person office days.

A Typical Day in the Life...

A typical day as Solid Ground's Family Advocate for Home Front & Home Safe provides an opportunity to conduct in-depth family assessments for families entering the Home Front or Home Safe programs and working with parents to develop individualized goal plans. Family Advocates aid participants in accessing the appropriate community resources to assist them in attaining both economic goals and housing authority. Responsibilities will include the following:

• Committing to the Housing First philosophy.
• Providing supportive services and community referrals to give families necessary resources and skills to achieve self-reliance.
• Meeting with participants regularly (including in-home visits when applicable) to assist them in developing and achieving goals in the areas of budgeting/finance, education, employment, physical, mental and chemical health, transportation, housing, parenting, and children's goals, while providing ongoing support through resources and encouragement.
• Completing a Family Strengths and Needs Assessment at intake and developing an individualized goal plan for each family within 90 days of the participant's entry into the program.
• Collaborating with the Children's Services Specialist to identify needs for services and resources relating to the children.
• Encouraging and supporting participants in attending various services Solid Ground offers, such as budgeting, tenant training, job searching, and DBT groups, while tying those services into the family's Goal Plans.
• Collaborating with the Housing Navigator to identify housing barriers and create a plan for securing housing.
• Providing crisis intervention.
• Managing time effectively to ensure quality service to participants.
• Coordinating and documenting all work done on behalf of participants to maintain accurate progress and recordkeeping.
• Compiling and reporting quarterly statistics needed for reports to the agency and funders.
• Working with participants to develop clear goal plans once every six months and documenting progress on goals.

Who You Are

• You hold a bachelor's degree in human services, social work, or a related field, with at least one year of experience in a social service advocacy position, or you possess a combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge.
• You have experience working with diverse racial and socio-economic backgrounds in a homeless or housing setting, or in a related field.
• You have previous experience working with underserved communities and families experiencing behavioral and/or mental health issues, chemical dependency/substance abuse, homelessness, and/or other barriers.
• You are skilled in crisis intervention and trauma-informed care.
• You are skilled in motivational interviewing, or you are willing to learn and apply that knowledge.
• You understand and commit to the 'Housing First' philosophy and trauma-informed practices.
• You demonstrate a knowledge of and commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• You have the ability to communicate and work effectively with diverse populations to encourage full participation in Solid Ground programs.
• You have the ability to use computers and other technical resources to effectively accomplish your work.
• You have the ability to manage multiple priorities to complete work in a timely and productive manner.
• You have knowledge of community resources, or you actively seek to learn more about area resources.
• You understand laws governing rental housing and are able to locate affordable housing for program participants.
• You are able to transport participants as needed and travel to various locations for day and evening meetings and events.
• You hold an LSW or MSW, or you are open to obtaining one (preferred but not required).
• You have a valid driver's license, access to reliable transportation, and the ability to meet Solid Ground's driving record requirements. Please note that if the license was not issued in the state of Minnesota, you have 60 days after becoming a Minnesota resident in which to apply for your Minnesota driver's license or permit (not applicable for new hires living out of state).

Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of Solid Ground. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, Indigenous or people of culture, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We value the contributions of a diverse workforce, and we welcome and encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, age, marital status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, status with regard to public assistance, criminal history (justice-impacted status), housing or homelessness status, height, or weight.

Our organization has a partnership with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) to provide administrative services including management of the hiring process. If you apply for this position, you may see references to MACC in some online materials.

Solid Ground participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. See E-Verify's official poster at https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf. See E-Verify's Right to Work poster at https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf.