Peer Advocate

The Night Ministry is a Chicago based organization whose mission is to provide human connection, housing support, and health care to members of our community who are unhoused or experiencing poverty. We've successfully provided these lifesaving services for 45 plus years, everyday providing a lifeline to our most vulnerable neighbors. We serve everyone without concern for race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. With an open heart, we compassionately accept each individual as they are and work alongside them to advocate for their immediate physical, emotional, and social needs while affirming our shared humanity.

As a member of The Night Ministry team, you can look forward to engaging and compelling work, building dynamic professional relationships with staff, volunteers, and our broad base of supporters. While also knowing you are making a meaningful impact on those who we serve. Employees of The Night Ministry come from a wide variety of backgrounds, representing different ethnicities, educational levels, skills, religious affiliations, spiritual traditions, and sexual orientations. Their commonality is their dedication to improving the lives of those who are homeless, at-risk for homelessness, or otherwise under-served. Although not all employees are involved in direct services, everyone is dedicated to the mission of The Night Ministry, believes in its core values, and knows that their work is highly valued.

Position Summary:

In this role, the individual assists with street outreach activities, engaging with and educating homeless persons to promote available services. This includes helping with office-based preparations for outreach, such as organizing food supplies, harm reduction kits, and hygiene kits. Additionally, they contribute to the planning and presentation of outreach strategies, sharing information about The Night Ministry's programming and resources. The role involves building and sustaining relationships with individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, using various outreach methods such as van-based or walking outreach in designated areas.

The individual participates in periodic community needs assessments to understand the needs and skills of community members, distributing supplies and referring individuals to appropriate services as required. They also help maintain collaborative relationships with community organizations and social service agencies. Holding a valid driver's license, they are responsible for driving the Outreach Van as needed and must be familiar with the encampment locations scheduled for visits.

Continuous learning is supported through participation in training and educational opportunities provided by The Night Ministry. The role also requires assisting with data tracking and entry, reporting, and maintaining relevant records and files. Regular participation in team meetings and periodic training sessions ensures alignment with organizational goals. Additional tasks and duties may be assigned as necessary to support the team and program objectives.

Qualifications:

• Must work collegially with staff, volunteers, interns, and community groups.
• Comfort in exploring, developing, and implementing new methods of outreach.
• Be trauma competent, LGBTQQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual) competent, and street culture competent, and able to work with diverse populations.
• Be knowledgeable about Harm Reduction, Trauma-Informed Care and Housing First Approach.
• Previous lived experience of homelessness is required.
• Physically able to be outdoors and/or mobile outdoors for as long as six consecutive hours at night in all varieties of Chicago weather.
• Scheduling flexibility for daytime, evening, weekend, and nighttime shifts
• Passion for and commitment to serving vulnerable populations. 
• Professionalism and excellent interpersonal skills  
• Ability to react quickly in emergency situations; demonstrated "street smarts." 
• Ability to cope with intense client situations that may require de-escalation. 
• Ability to function successfully in a team-based environment where responsibilities may be shared, and all are expected to help each other. 
• Physically able and willing to work in various settings, including outdoors. 
• Physically able to set up, load, and break down supplies for outreach shifts. 
• Current driver's license and good driving record or willingness and eligibility to obtain a driver's license, access to reliable transportation.

Education & Experience:

• High School Diploma or GED.

Additional Information:

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is regularly required to talk or listen. The employee must occasionally drive an automobile and the outreach bus; and lift and/or move 20 pounds.

Benefits: Full-time staff are entitled to full benefits after 30 days of employment, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, and more, starting 30 days after their employment commences.

Our Anti-Racist Organization Statement

The Night Ministry is committed to racial equity in its services, its organizational structure, and its policies and procedures. Given that the majority of those whom The Night Ministry serves and most of our staff are people of color, we must center racial equity in our day-to-day operations as well as in our strategic planning and take deliberate and thoughtful action to become an anti-racist organization.

Through this work, we will identify and dismantle institutional racism that exists within our organization. We will empower staff, clients, and partners with the tools and support to disrupt white supremacy within the confines of the agency and within the spheres in which we operate. We commit to the ongoing, collective assessment of where we are as an organization and where we want to be while formulating and taking the necessary steps to get there. We call upon all members of our community, from staff, volunteers, and supporters to our clients, to engage with us on our commitment to anti-racism.