Housing Advocate

The Agency
Legal Assistance for Seniors (LAS) is a non-profit agency serving Alameda County residents who are 60 years of age and older.  We provide legal advice and information, representation in court and administrative hearings, and community education and training in the following areas: prevention of elder abuse, public benefits, housing, guardianships, naturalization, and health law.

Through our Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP), LAS provides individual counseling and community education to Medicare beneficiaries in the areas of Medicare, supplemental coverage including Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, low income assistance programs, and long-term care insurance.

This position
This is a full-time position at Legal Assistance for Seniors. The Housing Advocate will provide direct services to older adults related to their housing issues.  This position will be responsible for the initial phone and in-person intakes from potential clients with housing issues.  This position will maintain a caseload under attorney supervision and will support the housing attorneys. This position is a member of the Legal Team and reports to the Legal Director.

Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for initial phone and in-person intakes
• Provide direct assistance to older adults with housing problems and maintain caseload under attorney supervision
• Draft letters, judicial council forms and rent board petitions
• Provide administrative support to attorneys with preparation, service and filing of legal pleadings
• Maintain accurate client files and client contracts. Regularly maintain the data and other records for each case. 
• Attend meetings with other community and legal services organizations providing housing advocacy
• Regularly attend trainings to maintain knowledge of local housing law
• Participate in weekly case review, housing team meetings, monthly staff meeting, and other agency functions
• Participate as a member of the legal team and coordinate with colleagues, court staff, and outside agencies to provide comprehensive service and representation to clients. 
• Conduct community outreach and education
• Provide support for the agency's annual Elder Abuse Conference
• Assist with special projects and perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Associates Degree
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to issue-spot, gather extensive client information, and create concise summaries for attorneys and advocates
• Self-motivated and able to work independently and as part of a team
• Detail oriented and organized
• Punctual and efficient with time use
• Demonstrated commitment to serving the historically disenfranchised, sensitivity towards older adults and persons with disabilities
• Computer proficient, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and database knowledge
• Experience with customer service preferred
• Access to an automobile and ability to drive to out of office appointments preferred
• Bilingual desired

Working conditions & physical requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods and alternate between sitting and motion tasks frequently
• Ability to use phone and computer systems for long periods of time
• Ability to multitask in a busy and diverse office environment
• Ability to travel within Alameda County to file documents at the courthouses, attend trainings and meetings with other housing services providers and provide community outreach and education

TO APPLY:  Please email a cover letter and resume in PDF format to jobs@lashicap.org with the subject line “Housing Advocate.” In your cover letter please address the following:

LAS serves a very diverse population. Our clients include seniors, people with disabilities, low income members of our community, LGBTQ individuals, and people of color. How have your experiences, professional or otherwise, prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural humility and equity? Feel free to think broadly about your response to this question.

Legal Assistance for Seniors is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on ancestry, age, color, disability (physical and mental, includes HIV and AIDS), genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, medical condition (gender characteristics, cancer or record or history of cancer), military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion (includes religious dress and grooming), sex/gender (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and/or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, request for FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act), or any other factor that is not related to the position.