Housing Advocate Shift Lead (Afternoon Shift)
10 days ago
Detroit
Job Description Summary: The Housing Advocate Shift Lead plays a key leadership role in fostering a safe, welcoming, and empowering environment for all shelter guests and team members. This position provides day-to-day direction, mentorship, and support to team members to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery. The Lead Advocate helps maintain a strengths-based, trauma-informed culture that promotes collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning across all shifts. This role acts as a bridge between direct service staff and program leadership, helping to communicate expectations clearly, encourage professional growth, and model integrity and compassion in every interaction. Responsibilities: Client Engagement & Support • Welcome and engage each client with empathy, compassion, and respect, creating a supportive atmosphere that promotes trust and safety., • Conduct client intake, orientation, and initial screenings to ensure smooth transitions into shelter services., • Build positive rapport and encourage client strengths, resilience, and progress toward housing stability., • Provide crisis support and de-escalation using trauma-informed and person-centered approaches., • Ensure client access to essential services such as meals, showers, laundry, clothing, and hygiene supplies in a respectful and equitable manner.Health, Safety & Facility Management, • Promote and maintain a clean, safe, and secure shelter environment through regular health and safety checks., • Conduct weekly room inspections and provide constructive feedback in a supportive and solution-focused way., • Monitor shelter spaces and respond calmly and effectively to safety concerns or emergencies., • Support facility organization, cleanliness, and the management of supplies and donations., • Serve as an on-site leader and resource for staff, ensuring smooth operations and a unified team approach across shifts., • Model professionalism, empathy, and accountability in all interactions with clients and colleagues., • Foster an inclusive, positive, and collaborative work culture that values each team member’s contributions., • Provide guidance, feedback, and informal coaching to staff, helping them develop their confidence and skills., • Support new team members through on-site orientation, training, and mentorship opportunities., • Communicate schedule changes, call-offs, and staffing needs to the Program Manager, assisting with coverage when needed., • Participate actively in team meetings and collaborative problem-solving to strengthen shelter operations., • Accurately record client interactions, incidents, and shelter activities in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)., • Track and report daily census, bed availability, and referral activity., • Complete timely and objective incident and shift reports., • Support adherence to agency policies, procedures, and grant compliance requirements., • Ability to use technology, including Microsoft office, an electronic database., • Ability to document/communicate effectively verbally, in writing, and via email., • Ability to work effectively as a team, demonstrating a professional demeanor and maintaining clear lines of communication with teammates and leadership., • Professionally represent NSO and promote NSO mission and vision statements., • Promote a harmonious work environment., • Ensure consumer satisfaction through process of monitoring, improving, and delivering excellence in program services., • Open to new approaches and taking the steps to increase knowledge, skills and abilities, both from within and outside NSO., • Model the Pillars and guiding principles of NSO at all times., • Compassionate, trauma-informed, and client-centered approach, • Strong leadership and team-building skills, • Effective coaching, mentoring, and conflict resolution abilities, • Clear, respectful, and professional communication, • Sound judgment and crisis intervention ability, • Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills, • High School Diploma or GED, • Experience in customer service, human services or related field preferred but not required., • Some completion of college coursework in Social Work, Psychology or related field preferred but not required, • Works in a homeless shelter type setting; uses a computer, telephone and other office equipment as needed, to perform duties., • The noise level in the work environment is variable, due to frequent contact with consumers, • Seeing/vision, talking/speaking and listening/hearing are continuously required., • Ability to stand for long periods of time, walk long distances, bend, stoop, and lift-up to 25lbs., • May have exposure to cleaning chemicals as needed, • May have potential exposure to airborne infectious agents, blood and/or bodily fluids during medical emergencies., • Ability to interact with clients using compassion, empathy, dignity, and respect.