Micah Fellowship: Public Benefits Advocate Description
The General Assistance Advocacy Project’s mission is to provide education, empowerment and advocacy to those who need it most. GAAP serves over 2,000 homeless and marginally housed San Franciscans each month by helping them obtain and retain the public benefits to which they are entitled.
Duties of Public Benefits Advocate:
- Assist clients with applications for and compliance with General Assistance (CAAP), Food Stamps and SSI Programs. Advocate for clients who have been denied or discontinued from these programs by acting as an authorized representative who deals directly with government agencies on behalf of the client. Tasks will include, among others:
- Setting up appointments to remedy compliance failures;
- Filing for fair hearings/appeals;
- Representing clients at hearings/appeals.
- Establishing eligibility for CAAP, Food Stamps and Social Security programs can require proof of identity, verification of low- or no-income status, proof of residency, and clearing outstanding warrants, which will require the Advocates to:
- Help clients obtain the documentation necessary for a California ID;
- Assist clients with CAAP residency requirements;
- Assist clients who are required to apply for EDD or SDI benefits;
- Advocate for clients who are working to clear “fleeing felon” warrants.
- Many clients have limited reading/writing skills and need help with the following:
- Understanding and completing written compliance forms;
- Writing letters;
- Filling out job applications;
- Preparing resumes;
- Using the internet to find employment opportunities;
- Finding referral agencies who can assist them in matters that GAAP does not handle directly.
- Involvement in GAAP’s policy work, which may include attending quarterly meetings with the San Francisco Department of Human Services’ management staff and advocating for program changes.
Desired Qualities of Public Benefits Advocate:
- Students who are interested in social justice and/or working directly with homeless and very poor individuals.
- Students must have excellent oral communication and active listening skills.
- Students should be flexible and willing to take the initiative on a range of projects.
St. Anthony Foundation believes strongly that charity and justice are the keys to realizing the systematic changes needed to address the causes of hunger and poverty. As a Micah Fellow at the Foundation you will have a unique opportunity to combine your commitment to social justice with research, teaching and community advocacy.
About St. Anthony Foundation:
St. Anthony Foundation is a Franciscan social service agency, located in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, serving individuals and families in need of basic human services. Founded in 1950 by Franciscan Friar Alfred Boeddeker, St. Anthony Dining Room was established to provide an atmosphere that welcomed low-income and homeless people with dignity and respect. Since the Dining Room’s inception, St. Anthony’s has responded to the needs of our guests by developing a comprehensive multi-service approach to fulfilling our mission “to feed, heal, clothe, shelter, lift the spirit of those in need and create a society in which all persons flourish.”
In response to the growing needs of the community, St. Anthony’s programs now include: St. Anthony Dining Room, St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic, Social Work Center, Madonna Residence, Father Alfred Center (drug and alcohol rehabilitation program), Free Clothing Program, Tenderloin Tech Lab, and Justice Education, Volunteer and Advocacy Program.
MICAH SUMMER FELLOW Responsibilities:
SAF addresses the constantly changing needs of poor and homeless individuals in the community and while your primary responsibilities will be to the Dining Room, you may be asked to perform duties with other departments that require assistance. Internships at the Foundation are composed of three key elements:
1)Direct service and involvement with clients and guests. This intern will have the opportunity to serve in many of the Foundation's direct service programs. This will help the intern become familiar to our clients so that their outreach work will be successful.
2)Research on current issues affecting the client populations served by the Foundation. As part of the Dining Room Program, the intern will research a topic that both interests him/her and affects our clients.
3)Assistance with administrative and organizational tasks that enable the Foundation’s programs to serve members of the community.
Our summer internship program has a unique collaboration and enrichment component. You will participate in activities and justice education sessions with other summer interns. Participation in this community building piece is expected of a summer intern . . . and it is a fun experience!
Duties & Tasks:
The Dining Room Intern’s main goal will be to provide clients with information, awareness and resources related to an issue that affects them. Pieces of this internship include:
Quickly becoming a familiar face with our clients in the Dining Room through direct service.
Researching the policy/issue you will be presenting to clients
Outreach to clients to call their awareness to an issue, invite them to small group presentations, and explore what issues they would like more information about
Plan and prep for presentations to small groups and individuals
Present information in an accessible way
Utilize the Tech Lab to guide clients through the “next step.” That can include writing letters to senators and representatives, inquiring about eligibility for programs, enrolling in programs on-line, or accessing online resources.
A Typical Day at SAF:
There is no typical day at the Foundation! One of things that makes working at St. Anthony’s an exciting and unique place is that each day interns, staff and volunteers work to address the constantly changing needs of the community.
Your experience with the Foundation will include many opportunities to interact, on a personal level, with the individuals that make use of our services. By learning, first hand, how poverty and homelessness affect people in the community, we hope you will gain a new insight into the systematic changes needed to address these social issues.
Interns will meet with their direct supervisor to arrange a mutually agreed upon work schedule.
Special Skills Required:
- Excellent interpersonal, listening, written and verbal communication skills
- Bi-lingual preferred (English/Spanish or English/Cantonese)
- Ability to successfully work with a diverse client population including homeless, low-income and mentally disabled persons
- Familiarity with basic word processing applications (Word, Powerpoint etc).
- Ability to conduct online and library research
- Ability to work with minimal supervision and in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment
- Ability to be polite, tactful, and firm with clients
- Excellent work habits: punctual, reliable, cooperative, and team-oriented
- Commitment to the St. Anthony Foundation Statement of Values (attached) and desire to work for a social service agency serving those who are homeless and low-income
- Adherence to guidelines explained in the Volunteer/Intern Handbook
Additional Info:
Dress at the Foundation is casual and you will be asked to avoid wearing revealing or inappropriate clothing (tank-tops, mid-drifts, low cut shorts, open-toed shoes, t-shirts with profanity, clothing with holes in them, etc). Comfortable shoes are a must!
920 Peralta Street, Oakland, CA 94607 / 510-208-5651
The Prescott-Joseph Center for Community Enhancement, Inc. is a non-profit corporation organized in 1995 in the Prescott district of West Oakland. It evolved out of the conceptual scheme for the adaptive re-use of the former Saint Joseph's Convent (St. Patrick Convent) as a center for community services, education, culture and development in West Oakland.
The purpose of Prescott-Joseph is to revitalize the Convent building with programs that will not only serve the current needs of this economically deprived and undeveloped community but will enhance the people of this community to go forward and participate in the re-development of their community. It aims to build the community by building the individual.
The mission of the Center is three-fold:
- To promote the individual self-esteem of citizens in the community through education, skill training and cultural programs, thus supporting healthy families and economic self-sufficiency.
- To promote the on-going renewal of community spirit among West Oakland residents.
- To organize and promote community activities that facilitate economic and community development in West Oakland.
Micah Summer Fellow Description
The Prescott-Joseph Center will establish a Family Resource Center and needs to conduct further research regarding requirements for the PJC Family Resource Center. To that end the Micah Summer Fellow will work with community members and review the literature in order to document the needs for a PJC Family Resource Center.
The Micah Fellow in consultation with PJC staff, West Oakland community members, and the best practices literature:
- Identify strengths of community and ways for nurturing those strengths.
- Map community assets, capabilities, and abilities.
- Develop voluntary support network.
- Identify professional services; work on establishing bridges/parternships.
- Determine a community gathering place (family room)
- Determine needs for family room (eg: furniture, kitchen items, etc.)
- Determine content, length, time & place of parenting classes.
- Determine content, length, time & place of proactive stress coping classes.
- Determine content, length, time & place of activities that give opportunities for parents and children to experience success. (eg: art, drama, spoken word, music)
- Document core services of PJC Family Resource Center (p. 12 of Family Resource Center booklet)
- Document comprehensive services of PJC Family Resource Center (p. 13 of FRC booklet)
- Create comprehensive final report & power point presentation to be delivered to the PJC board of directors by July 20th.
Qualifications
- Excellent interpersonal, listening, written and verbal communication skills
- Bi-lingual preferred (English/Spanish)
- Ability to successfully work with a diverse population including low-income, homeless and mentally disabled persons
- Familiarity with basic word processing applications (Word, Powerpoint etc).
- Ability to conduct online and library research
- Ability to work with minimal supervision and in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment
- Excellent work habits: punctual, reliable, cooperative, and team-oriented
- Commitment to Prescott Joseph Center mission and purpose.
Our mission is to empower West Oakland community members to meet the immediate and basic need for healthy organic food for themselves and their familiesby creating high-yield urban farms and backyard gardens. Every year, we empower low-income West Oakland community members to grow, distribute and eat thousands of pounds of locally-grown organic produce, increasing the health and self-reliance of our community and decreasing our use of polluting and non-renewable fossil fuels.
Our Services
Community Market Farms Program
We transform empty lots into productive market farms, working with community members to cultivate organically-grown seasonal produce for distribution through our weekly donation-only Farm Stands. Our plant nursery and bicycle-cart compost pick-up route provide seedlings and compost for our urban farms and backyard gardens.
Backyard Garden Program
City Slicker Farms helps low-income West Oakland residents grow food to feed their families or to sell through our Farm Stands. Each backyard garden consists of planter boxes, trellises, soil, seedlings, seeds, mulch and information on how to tend the garden. We follow-up with four home visits per year with all the necessary help, supplies and materials necessary for successful growing. We also build gardens for a fee for middle and upper income residents who wish to sponsor a low-income family.
Urban Farming Education Program
Our Workshop Series, taught by community members and experienced gardeners, creates a forum for residents to share gardening and cooking ideas and skills. Our School Visits and Farm Tours provide experiential learning opportunities for children and adults. The Urban Farming Apprenticeship Program provides local residents with the necessary training to pursue farming careers.
City Slicker Farms will be hiring several urban farming interns for the Summer 2012 season. Urban farming interns work alongside our staff during our regularly scheduled work hours at our Community Market Farms and in our Backyard Gardening program. Work can include building and maintaining compost piles, light construction, weeding, harvesting, pest management, greenhouse plant propagation and farm stand set up and sales. Prior organic gardening experience is not required. This year we also have internship opportunities within the office helping us with data entry, community outreach and fundraising initiatives. This position will require between 35-40 hours per week.
Qualifications
- Committed to social justice
- Familiar with or have a strong desire to learn about food justice issues
- Excellent work habits: punctual, reliable, cooperative, and team-oriented
- Enthusiastically prepared to do manual labor
- Excellent interpersonal, listening, written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to successfully work with a diverse population including low-income, homeless and mentally disabled persons
- Familiarity with basic word processing applications (Word, Powerpoint etc).
- Ability to work with minimal supervision.
- Commitment to City Slicker Farms mission and purpose.