Mentor Advocate Position
In response to the development of the Re-Housing Support Pilot Project, PLM Families Together is creating a new Mentor Advocate position to begin in February 2012.
Position: Mentor Advocate
Accountable to: PLMFT Executive Director
To Apply: send resume and cover letter to
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Closing Date: January 31, 2012
The Mentor Advocate is responsible for:
Delivering effective supportive services for homeless and formerly homeless families, for the purpose of helping families achieve residential stability. This includes: Establishing effective professional social work relationship; Providing in-home visitation and case management through mentor advocacy model; Addressing relevant issues with client families (root cause of homelessness, physical & mental health, substance abuse, trauma and domestic violence, employment, education, credit and financial management, family well being, parenting and child enrichment); Coaching around client goals; Making appropriate referrals to community resources; Documenting work in case files; Serving on committees and as agency liaison with partnering and supporting agencies; Assessing eligibility for services; Leading support groups and workshops; Entering client data into the statewide database; and Collaborating as a member of the PLMFT team.
Position Requirements:
Bachelors degree in a Human Services related field and experience working with vulnerable populations, providing crisis response services, and working from a coaching/client-valued perspective
- MSW and experience working with homeless families preferred
- Valid driving license and clean driving record
- Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
- Knowledge and experience with trauma informed practice, Rapid Re-housing and other best practices is a plus
- A willingness to work in a shared office environment
- A willingness to uphold the values and mission of PLM Families Together:
We value:
- Respect, compassion, and dignity
- Resilience, creativity, and determination
- Honesty and dependability
- Clear written and oral communication
- Accountability and good stewardship of time and resources
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Professional development and continued improvement
- Volunteer engagement in meaningful work
- Resourcefulness
We are a small team working extensively with volunteers and other community organizations to support our mission in helping homeless families reach independence through short-term housing and re-housing support services. Please review other areas of our website for more detail about our programs including the article below on Latest Program Developments.
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John Rex Endowment Capacity Building Grant for PLM Families Together
RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 30, 2011) – The John Rex Endowment has selected four nonprofits to receive Capacity Building Initiative grants, which total $97,900. The intent of the Capacity Building Initiative is to build the strength and resilience of the local nonprofit sector so that the children and youth of our community have the quality of services and support they need to thrive. PLM Families Together received $11,000 to complete an organizational assessment beginning in January, 2012.
About the John Rex Endowment:
The John Rex Endowment invests in the development and support of activities, programs and organizations that improve the health of underserved children and youth in Wake County. To learn more, please visit www.rexendowment.org.
Latest Program Developments
A few major changes are developing in 2011-12 in relation to the way PLM Families Together provides services and as Wake County addresses the issues of homelessness as a whole community. We are releasing our rental units at Brookside and have consolidated offices at 908-101 Plainview Drive. In addition, we are starting two new pilot projects.
Coordinated Intake
PLM Families Together, supported by Wake County and in collaboration with The Women's Center, will be staffing a Coordinated Intake center as an initial point of entry for all housing related services for single women and families who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Single women or families may call or walk in to the Coordinated Intake office where they will speak with a counselor, complete an assessment and be paired with the most appropriate and available services. This pilot project is still in development. Keep watching our website for updated information.
Re-housing Support Services
PLM Families Together is developing a new housing service that moves families directly from homelessness into housing or from other shelters into housing. Rather than having families move from shelter program to shelter program in today's times when the short term stay at shelters is not enough for family stabilization; we will focus on stable housing first. Once housed, we will continue to work with the family for 12 months, helping them gain skills for budgeting and working with landlords. Housing first reduces the number of transitions for the family, a nationally recognized best practice. Initial rental subsidy will be available for housing and will gradually decrease as families meet their goals, a less expensive model than housing families in PLMFT leased apartments.
There are three key elements that make this program stronger than simple financial assistance programs that you may have seen in the past -
1. Landlord relationships: PLM Families Together will provide support and mediation between landlords and tenants, helping resolve issues before the need for eviction.
2. Year-long Mentor Advocate support: our skilled Mentor Advocates will work with families for one year after housing is obtained. They will help families set and meet their goals, manage household budgets, increase and maintain employment, access resources, and ultimately maintain their housing stability.
3. Year-long incentives: PLMFT will continue our escrow savings program to help families develop the habit of saving. We will also offer other supportive services and concrete assistance such as bus passes, gift cards, and donated household supplies as incentives for meeting goals, attending workshops, and increasing capacity to maintain stability.
The outcomes for serving homeless families are shifting - once it was our desire to simply shelter those who had no shelter . . . then we realized that quality of life during this traumatic transition is critical and keeping families together in normalized settings (apartments) was the goal . . . over time we realized that there is a longer-term view of helping families to become stably housed . . . now we know, to end homelessness, we must address services from a trauma-informed perspective and assist families in maintaining stability . . . and we must address homelessness as a community, in collaboration with other service providers, our neighbors, the business community, our churches, and our government . . . we must all work together.
A Letter From Our President
October 14, 2011
Dear PLM Families Together Supporters,
For over 30 years, PLM Families Together has provided transitional housing, professional social work services and advocacy for the homeless in Wake County. During its rich history, we’ve graduated hundreds of families through the program focused on building financial literacy, developing life management skills, and obtaining financial independence through employment. This past year alone, 54 families moved into stable housing.
The program prepares families for transition to permanent housing by building a nurturing community led by a team of mentor advocates located at the PLMFT-owned Plainview apartments and another offsite leased location.
Recently, the management of our offsite location, Brookside, advised us that our apartment leases would not be renewed though 2012. Demand for apartment housing in Raleigh is so great that they could no longer justify the below-market leasing agreement.
There are times in every life cycle, individual or organizational, where struggles are present. Our true challenge, and where God speaks to us most, is in our response to such difficulties. The Board of Directors responded with the bold move to launch a program re-design with a renewed commitment to our mission of helping homeless families reach independence while meeting our financial responsibilities.
Highlights of our transitional plan are as follows:
1. Align our overhead expenses with our reduced apartment capacity. This included a reduction of three staff members.
2. Conduct town hall meetings and feedback sessions with our primary stakeholders, including members of our founding congregations, as well as donors and other partners.
3. Complete organization and board assessments and strategic planning, working in conjunction with The John Rex Endowment and Armstrong McGuire & Associates.
4. Implement new fund development strategies and program design (see more below in FAQs.)
Adjusting to the changes in the world around us is something PLMFT has always done well, which is why we have remained a viable organization during the hard times, and the good times. Now is no different.
As a strong supporter of PLM Families Together and the work we do in helping homeless families succeed, we recognize this change may raise questions.
To that end, we have prepared the following FAQs:
1. What is the financial status of PLMFT?
The reduction of staffing expenses coupled with the lease reduction will allow us to meet our budget goals for 2012. If you would like more information about our financial position, please contact Beth Bordeaux, Executive Director at 919-212-4181.
2. How are the Plainview apartments affected by this budget change?
There is no change in the Plainview status – PLMFT owns two buildings with 7 apartments and will continue to operate its office onsite and provide short-term housing. We have the capacity to serve up to 32 families per year through this facility.
3. How will you grow apartment capacity to supplement the loss of the Brookside apartments?
Our plan is to aggressively secure additional funding via corporate and private donations during the fourth quarter of 2011.
4. Are there plans to secure lease agreements with another apartment provider?
We are presently piloting a single apartment lease in a North Raleigh complex. We are also working diligently to build relationships with new landlords.
5. What is the future of PLMFT?
We are very excited about our growth opportunities in 2012. The latest research shows new developments in housing services called “Rapid Re-housing” We will explore possibilities for a pilot project in this area and other options for increasing housing options for homeless families. The lack of affordable housing continues to be a huge issue in Wake County and one of the primary barriers for homeless families in their struggle to gain stability. For more information on best practices in services for homeless families, go to www.endhomelessness.org.
6. Will PLMFT continue the Homeward Journey Fund Raising Event?
Yes, our next event is scheduled for Spring, 2012.
7. How can I help?
Join our Sustainability Fund to ensure the long-term stability of PLM Families Together and our commitment to the mission of helping homeless families reach independence. Also, if you have any corporate foundation or giving program contacts, please help us build a list for our Corporate Giving Campaign to begin this fall.
To make a donation or assist in our corporate giving campaign, please contact
PLM Families Together, PO Box 14395, Raleigh, NC 27620
919-212-4181 ~ www.plmft.org
Thank you for your continued support of this important program. If you have any questions, please contact one of our board representatives (see list below) or you may reach Beth Bordeaux, Executive Director at 919-212-4181 or by email at
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.
Sincerely,
David Rowe,
PLMFT Board President
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