Advocate

First Step: A Response to Domestic Violence

Harrisonburg, VA

Advocate:

First Step is seeking a highly motivated individual to provide crisis, advocacy, and supportive services to survivors of domestic violence and their children. The position also assists the Director of Outreach and Volunteer services in providing community outreach, engagement, and awareness activities to encourage those who are abused to seek safety and supportive services.

About our organization:

First Step: A Response to Domestic Violence is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has served the City of Harrisonburg and County of Rockingham for over 45 years. We provide crisis, advocacy, rapid rehousing, and shelter services to survivors of intimate partner and relationship violence and their children. First Step welcomes and respects all survivors, regardless of race, ethnicity, color, age, gender, disability, national origin, religion, language(s) spoken, language proficiency, citizenship status, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. We are committed to providing free and confidential services to survivors of intimate partner or relationship violence who have experienced economic, physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, and/or verbal abuse and their children.

Our mission:

Empowering survivors to break the cycle of violence and abuse in their lives.

Our vision:

The vision of First Step: A Response to Domestic Violence is a community free of abuse.

Responsibilities:

Advocacy

• Provide survivors of intimate partner violence with information and referrals, safety planning services, advocacy services, and accompaniment services as needed to appointments, court hearings, etc.
• Completes intakes, assessments, and safety plans with survivors of domestic violence.
• Assists survivors with goal planning and completing set goals.
• Assists other staff members in providing employment counseling, housing counseling services, budgeting and financial management education, and legal advocacy to survivors and child and youth advocacy and activities.
• Assists survivors with transportation plans.
• Assists survivors in learning life management skills as needed.
• Assists survivors in accessing medical, mental health, and supportive services as needed.
• Assists survivors in finding and accessing appropriate community resources.
• Advocates for survivors with staff of First Step and community at large.
• Networks with community agencies in provision of services to survivors.
• Assists Director of Outreach and Community Development with community outreach, engagement, and awareness activities
• Completes evaluations and follow-up with clients, as assigned.
• Complete case notes, forms and data entry
• Attend regular staff meetings, trainings, and multidisciplinary team meetings/events
• Complete all other assigned activities

Crisis Services

• Answer crisis hotline
• Provide safety planning services, intake, assessment, information and referral, accompaniment, advocacy, and evaluation and follow-up services to survivors of intimate partner violence and their children.
• On-call services
• Complete case notes, forms and data entry
• Assist with shelter management duties
• Complete all other assigned activities

Hours

• Full-time salaried position
• Evening, night, and weekend hours required
• Some holiday hours required
• On-call rotation as needed

Salary and Benefits

• Salary -$44,000.00
• Health Insurance on the first day of the month after 60 days of employment, 50% of employee premium paid
• SIMPLE IRA Plan with up to 3% match
• Sentara Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Time Off

Reports to

• Director of Client Services

Qualifications

• Educational Background in Social Work or human service-related field
• 3 to 5 years of related experience working with survivors of intimate partner violence, vulnerable populations, and/or families.
• Experience working with immigrant/refugee, and/or Latino/Latinx communities.
• Knowledge, skills and ability to work with survivors of intimate partner of violence
• Experience answering a crisis hotline
• Computer literacy and proficiency in Outlook, Microsoft Office and/or similar business software suites

Skills

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
• Motivational interviewing skills
• Bilingual/multilingual fluency preferred (e.g., ability to read, write, and speak)
• Time management and flexibility with job duties
• Organized and a self-starter
• Works well in a team setting, as well as independently

Apply by

• Please apply by October 23, 2026

To Apply

• Please submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references (please no phone calls)

First Step: A Response to Domestic Violence is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Drug Free Workplace.

We welcome applications for candidates from diverse backgrounds. Although it is not a requirement for this role, candidates who are bilingual/multilingual are encouraged to apply.

Pay: $44,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person