POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Serve New York AmeriCorps VISTA
Veterans Medical-Legal Partnership Project
Program Start Date:
Members will
attend a Pre-Service Orientation (July 31-August 3, 2017) and start their term
of service on August 4, 2017.
Project Description:
Legal Assistance
of Western New York's (LawNY) Geneva office seeks one
AmeriCorps VISTA Member to assist with developing our Veterans Medical-Legal
Partnership Project. LawNY is a not-for-profit law firm which
provides civil legal services to low-income clients in a fourteen-county region
in western New York State. The Geneva office serves five of those fourteen
counties (Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates) and provides
representation primarily in the areas of housing, public benefits, family,
education, consumer, health and elder law. LawNY has six other
offices located in Bath, Elmira, Ithaca, Jamestown, Olean and Rochester, New
York.
Through outreach, community education,
and capacity building, the VISTA member will help LawNY continue
the development of a project that will serve and assist veterans and military
families through outreach at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in
Canandaigua, New York. Part of this project includes recruiting and supporting
pro bono attorneys. Our AmeriCorps VISTA member will also help us identify and
secure resources to make this a permanent part of our service delivery system.
LawNY is looking for a talented and dedicated AmeriCorps VISTA member to help develop
the project into something that can meet the community's needs now and for
years to come. Candidates should have a bachelor's degree, strong writing
skills, and strong verbal communication skills. Prior experience working with
veterans and/or low income/disadvantaged households is preferred. The member should have a commitment to
eliminating poverty and its effects in our communities and to high standards of
professional performance. The member's activities will include community
outreach, developing relationships with VAMC staff members, recruiting pro bono
volunteer attorneys, seeking financial resources to sustain the project and
finding ways to better serve the project's clients.
Serve New York
and LawNY present an opportunity to be part of a great AmeriCorps
VISTA team, excellent training and mentoring, and a chance to make a critical
difference in the lives of low income people and their communities. The VISTA
member will team with dedicated professionals, including other AmeriCorps
members, in an established poverty law program.
Benefits of AmeriCorps VISTA Service:
A. $17,170
annual stipend, paid as follows:
B. $11,881 annual stipend (paid in
increments bi-weekly) from AmeriCorps Serve New York VISTA Program
C. $5,289 housing allowance ($440.75 per
month) paid by LawNY
D. Option
of a $5,815 education award or a $1,500
cash stipend presented at the end of a year of service
E. Deferment
of qualified federal and some private student loans
F. Year
long position with possibility of 2nd year
G. Post-service
federal employment incentives and opportunities
H. Health
care, child care, life insurance available
I.
Intensive trainings and member support
Member Qualifications:
A. Requires
full-time service
B. Applicant
can have part-time outside employment
C. Bachelor's
degree required
D. Excellent
communication and writing skills
E. Applicants
should be enthusiastic, committed to an ethic of service and interested in
serving the communities of New York State
F. Self-initiative
and past experience in volunteering and/or within the non-profit sector
encouraged
G. Honorable
military experience or relationship to the Armed Forces encouraged but not
required
H. Access
to a car is recommended
Application Procedure:
Applicants
should email a letter of interest, a resume, and the names of three references
to Kate Woods, Managing Attorney of LawNY's Geneva office, at the
following email address: lawnyapplications@lawny.org. Applicants will also need
to submit an application to the general program posting at https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=65637&fromSearch=true
More information
about AmeriCorps and the Serve New York VISTA Program is available at
http://www.tscwny.org/programs/vista-programs/. All applications will be
considered until the position is filled.
Legal Assistance
of Western New York, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
Minorities, women and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. |