Social Worker - Housing

EBCLC is a non-profit legal services organization, a community-based clinical program for U.C. Berkeley Law School, and one of the Bay Area’s largest and most effective systems disrupters. With a dual service and teaching mission, EBCLC is a racial justice organization committed to building a culturally diverse workplace, centered on an internal Equity and Inclusion Roadmap that outlines the organization’s equity priorities. EBCLC is also an organized workplace, having reached its first collective bargaining agreement in 2021. With about 80 staff, 150 law students a year, and a nearly $9 million annual budget, EBCLC is the largest provider of free legal services in Alameda County, providing multimodal, collaborative, and holistic legal services to over 5,000 clients annually and engaging in legislative and policy advocacy at the state and local level.

The Housing Social Worker works alongside EBCLC attorneys and program staff to provide holistic representation to low-income tenants with a broad range of housing-related legal problems and contributes to the creation of more just and humane housing policies and practices for Alameda County tenants. The position requires a strong, client-centered advocate with excellent case management and organizational skills, experience working with housing insecure communities, 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 continue growing the exciting and challenging endeavor of integrating social workers into a legal organization.

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 and their families
• Support clients in identifying their needs, setting goals, and developing structured plans for achieving those goals
• Meet and advocate for clients in various settings, such as at home, social services, court, government agencies (e.g. local housing authorities), and other community-based settings
• Help clients connect with appropriate social services and support
• Develop relationships with local social service organizations and agencies
• Supervise MSW interns
• Lead and participate in the training of the legal and social work teams, including law and social work students
• 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 or expected as of May 2023
• Demonstrated commitment to racial justice
• 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 trauma-informed manner
• Demonstrated ability to work independently
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a diverse range of groups, including people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, formerly incarcerated people, people of color, people experiencing homelessness, immigrants, non-English speakers, people with mental disabilities, people experiencing domestic violence, students, service providers, government employees, and community partners
• Demonstrated ability to manage time effectively
• Demonstrated ability to keep accurate records and complete reports or notes in a timely manner.
• Demonstrated ability to de-escalate individuals in crisis.
• Strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team
• Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin language fluency is highly preferred.

Salary and Benefits:
Starting salary for this full-time exempt position is $68,000 - $78,000 based on the school graduation date, as the EBCLC salary scale dictates.

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); EBCLC also offers flexible spending accounts for qualified health, dependent care, and commute expenditures.

Workplace Expectations:
Due to COVID-19, EBCLC employees are often working remotely several days a week. Staff may work in the office if they wish to do so, subject to certain capacity limits and other safety protocols. EBCLC will provide the necessary equipment to fulfill the job responsibilities of working from home. Please note that this position may require in-person meetings with clients and other stakeholders, attending in-person court proceedings, and in-person fieldwork, including home and community-based visits, to support clients on a regular basis.
Currently, there is an eviction moratorium in place in Alameda County, and an option for some staff to appear remotely for court appearances. However, when the moratorium lifts, we expect Housing staff will be required to perform more responsibilities in person.

Working at EBCLC:
EBCLC is a unionized workplace and members of the bargaining unit are represented by the Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, IFPTE. This position is part of the bargaining unit.

EBCLC is strongly committed to advancing justice through education and advocacy, and the need to transform legal services and legal education. Please take time to review EBCLC’s mission, vision, programs, and website, and ensure that your cover letter reflects how your background, experience, and expertise have prepared you to be successful in performing the responsibilities of the position.

Additionally, EBCLC is committed to building a culturally diverse workplace centered on equity and providing an inclusive, welcoming, and culturally responsive environment for all members of our 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 where differences are acknowledged and valued. In your cover letter, please address how your personal background and experiences, professional or otherwise, have prepared you to contribute to our commitment to cultural responsiveness and diversity amongst 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 legal system, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should submit an application by
visiting https://eastbaycommunitylawcenter.easyapply.co/ EBCLC will review applications on a rolling basis. In light of the end of the eviction moratorium on April 29, 2023, priority review will be given to applications received by March 31, 2023. It is our plan to contact applicants in April 2023 to begin scheduling interviews. A complete application must include a cover letter, resume, and names/contact information for two professional references. Please submit your complete application as one single pdf file by uploading it under “Upload Your Resume.”

*If you need technical assistance to submit your application, please message us or email [email protected].