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.
- Oversee client belongings stored on-site, maintaining organization and accountability.
Leadership, Team Development & Collaboration
- 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.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues, volunteers, donors, contractors, and partner agencies.
Documentation & Compliance
- 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.
- Participate in required trainings to enhance professional growth and service quality.
Professional Skills:
- 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
- Commitment to equity, inclusion, and continuous improvement
Candidate Requirements:
- 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
- Reliable Transportation
Working Conditions and Necessary Capabilities
- 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.
- Ability to adapt rapidly to changes in environment, policies, and protocols.
Neighborhood Service Organization is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in its workforce. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals, including those with diverse backgrounds and those with disabilities.
