Community Wellness Advocate

Community Wellness Advocate (CWA) (40 hours Fulltime) Nonexempt

BUILD Inc. (Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development) is presently seeking a committed selfmotivated and innovative individual to join our team. BUILD is a nationally respected gang intervention violence prevention and youth development organization based on Chicagos West Side. Since 1969 BUILD has worked to save lives and mentor young people who live in the citys most challenged neighborhoods. When you work at BUILD you make an important difference to the thousands of youth and families we serve.

Our Core Values: Empathy Passion Persistence and Innovation.

A Community Wellness Advocate (CWA) provides traumafocused culturally aware and communitybased direct services to individuals youth and families impacted by community violence within the service areas of Austin Lawndale Garfield Park Humboldt Park Logan Square BelmontCragin and Hermosa. The direct services offered to enrolled clients of the Community Support Services program include but are not limited to clinical case management advocacy support resource linkage crisis intervention and stabilization and collaboration with BUILD clinical teams other BUILD programs and outside providers/resources. The (CWA) role is a member of the Community Support Services program within the Clinical and Community Wellness department. The (CWA) reports directly to the Manager of Community Support Services (MCSS).

Responsibilities/duties are but not limited to:

• Utilizes motivational interviewing to complete needs assessment and creates collaborative service plan reflecting clients selfidentified biopsychosocial emotional immediate and longterm needs
• Develops and implements traumafocused and culturally aware interventions to support clients in achieving selfidentified goals.
• Establishes a regular schedule of home visits contacts and followup phone calls to encourage the building of relationships with clients and the completion of service plans
• Connects violenceexposed individuals youth and families with comprehensive services that promote healing foster lifeskills and aim to address risky behaviors resulting in increased exposure to violence and adverse outcomes
• Provides and assists in crisis intervention and stabilization support to ensure client and community safety
• Collaborates with BUILD programs to ensure appropriate wraparound services such as individual/group therapy justice system navigation and advocacy mentorship extracurricular programming etc.
• Participates in weekly supervision with manager of Community Support Services
• Engages in biweekly case consultation with therapist team to establish collaborative care
• Represents BUILD to broaden community awareness and support by attending programrelated community and committee meetings as needed
• Maintains knowledge current in the field in way of participation of coursework seminars and/or workshops
• Attends departmental and agencywide staff meetings as scheduled and agencywide events as required
• Documents and reports program activities and outcomes and ensure progress toward annual program objectives
• Submits statistics and reports to corresponding managers on a biweekly and monthly basis and/or as needed
• Maintains File Compliance as required and compliance with ETO

• Minimum three years of experience working with innercity youth in a human service setting traumainformed care social service setting or related field
• Bachelors degree in social work or related mental health field preferred
• Maintain respectful and appropriate relationships with program participants all levels of agency staff and the various publics of the agency demonstrating sensitivity to all ethnic racial and economic backgrounds
• Selfmotivated leader with the ability to communicate in a friendly and informative manner with people from a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and lifestyles
• Must be willing to provide communitybased direct services
• Operate professionally in the field on a flexible time schedule which includes late evenings and weekends.
• Proficiency with technology (Microsoft Office) tech integration into daily program operations and evaluation systems.
• Must successfully pass an extensive background check
• An automobile is required along with current insurance and a valid drivers license
• Must successfully pass extensive background check
• Bilingual English and Spanish preferred

Benefits:

• 401(k) 2% match
• Medical Dental and Vision
• Life Insurance
• Paid Vacation
• Wellness Days
• Flexible Spending Account

BUILD Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race color religion sex citizenship ethnic or national origin age disability medical status military status veteran status marital status sexual orientation gender identity or expression genetic information ancestry or any legally protected status. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization including hiring recruiting promotion termination layoff recall leave of absence compensation benefits and training.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically prohibit employment. Rather BUILD Inc. considers conviction information on a casebycase basis and assesses the nature of the offense the circumstances surrounding it the proximity in time of the conviction and its relevance to the position.

American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Statement: External and internal applicants as well as position incumbents who become disabled must be able to perform the essential job specific functions (listed within each job responsibility) either unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation to be determined by the organization on a casebycase basis.

This organization reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.