Job Announcement: Social Worker - Housing Practice

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July 30, 2019

The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) seeks a Social Worker to work alongside EBCLC attorneys and other staff providing holistic representation to individuals experiencing a broad range of housing-related legal problems. The position requires a strong advocate with excellent case management and organizational skills, a willingness to work collaboratively across legal and social work disciplines, an interest in teaching and mentoring the next generation of social workers, and a desire to help grow an exciting and challenging new endeavor of integrating social workers into a legal organization.

EBCLC is a non-profit legal services organization and the community-based clinical program for Berkeley Law School. We are committed to increasing justice through education and advocacy, as well as building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity. With over 70 staff, 150 law students, and an $8 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal advocacy in Alameda County, providing multi modal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 5,000 clients yearly. EBCLC supports its ground-level legal advocacy through legislative and policy advocacy at the local and state level.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Work collaboratively with attorneys and staff in meeting the psychosocial and legal needs of housing clients
  • Provide case management, crisis intervention and support to clients
  • Support clients in identifying their needs, setting goals, and developing structured plan for achieving those goals
  • Meet clients in various settings, such as at home, public benefits, court, and other community based settings
  • Help clients connect with appropriate social services and support
  • Develop relationships with local social service organizations and agencies
  • Provide advocacy for clients in non-legal settings (i.e., local housing authorities, social service offices, community-based organizations)
  • Supervise MSW interns
  • Participate in training’s of and with legal team
  • Complete administrative tasks, such as those related to grant management, reporting, and client case management
  • Participate in professional development to improve client services and student supervision
  • Additional tasks as assigned by Supervisor

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Masters in Social Work
  • At least one year of post-graduate experience
  • Experience with or strong interest in MSW intern supervision
  • Demonstrated experience working in an interdisciplinary setting or experience working collaboratively with attorneys
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Aptitude to work under pressure in an empathetic and professional manner
  • Ability to work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including formerly incarcerated people, people of color, homeless people, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, students, service providers, government employees, and community partners
  • Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team
  • Proficiency in Spanish, Mandarin or Cantonese preferred

Salary and Benefits:

Starting salary for this exempt position is $60,000 – $80,000 based on number of years of relevant Social Work experience, as dictated by the EBCLC salary scale.

Benefits include fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and their dependents, life and disability insurance, and generous paid leave (vacation, sick, and holidays); flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures; and retirement options.

Professional development support includes membership in the relevant local, statewide, and/or national associations, as well as attendance at relevant conferences in accordance with EBCLC’s professional development policy and budget.

Application Procedure:

Interested applicants should submit application materials by email to jobs@ebclc.org (include “Housing Social Worker” in the subject line).

Please note we will review applications on a rolling basis and will begin initial application reviews as early as August 12, 2019.

The position will remain open until filled. Application materials should include a cover letter, resume, and names/contact information for two professional references.

EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education, advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients. To achieve this goal, EBCLC works actively to improve our office climate, systems and structures, communications, and community engagement to create an inclusive and respectful workplace that acknowledges and values differences.

Please take some time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website to ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of this position. Please also address how your personal background or experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity among our staff.

We strongly encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. EBCLC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior contact with the criminal justice system, or any other basis prohibited by law.