Wide Awake International “Live-In Assistant” Role Description

In the last blog post “A Call to a Small Life” we hinted at the soon-to-be-revealed job descriptions. The time is come!

Below is the Role Description for “Live-In Assistants” for the new duplex.

We are actively seeking individuals, couples or families to live in community with us, our boys, and the ones we have yet to bring out of the institution. We are looking for a commitment of at least one year after a successful 90-day trial period. An openness to a longer commitment would be amazing, but is not required.

We are seeking foreigners and Ukrainians to grow this community together. 

Because of the nature of this work and the experience we have had thus far with the deinstitutionalization of our boys, we are not currently open to families with small children living in the home. If you have small children and are interested in joining our team we definitely have a need for “Live-Out” assistants as well. So, please inquire by email if that interests you. kjohnson@wideawakeinternational.org 

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Live-In Assistant Job Description

Live-In Assistants are people who choose to live in a Wide Awake International home with adults who have intellectual and possibly physical disabilities, the “core members” of the community. Assistants share life, laughter, and friendship with the core members. Assistants provide skilled direct care supports to core members, ensure their safety and well-being, and support their integrated participation in all aspects of daily life. They are committed to mutual relationships with core members and other assistants in which all parties are recognized as having something to share with the others.

Live-In assistants participate in community prayer, retreats, trainings and celebrations.

To apply:

• Please read the job description and qualifications below

• Contact Kim Johnson for an application at kjohnson@wideawakeinternational.org

Live-In Caregiving Assistant Purpose: Assistants accompany and assist core members in their activities of daily life: creating home and supporting core members in sharing their gifts within the house and the larger community.

Responsibilities relating to:

Community Development

• Uphold and share the vision and hope of the community and maintain the simple life style of the community

• Help extend warm welcome to visitors, including community members, families, neighbors, and merchants

• Encourage households members to develop and nurture friendships within, and especially outside the community

• Attend team and community meetings, community nights, and community activities.

• Help plan celebrations for birthdays, anniversaries, and days of special importance to household members

• Accept community mentoring from more experienced community members

Core Members 

• Develop caring and loving interpersonal relationships. The most important aspect of the “living with” spirit of Wide Awake is that of fostering relationships.This area calls forth both the assistant and the core member in their personal growth, as well as the growth of the community. It is a process of discovering one’s own gifts and helping the other to find theirs.

• Carry out core member training programs where applicable and teach skills needed to be learned (personal hygiene, personal appearance, laundry, room management, household cleaning, cooking, budgeting, job skills, shopping skills, appropriate behavior)

• Help core members to look at alternatives, anticipate consequences, make decisions, and accept responsibility for their actions

• Listen to and respect the desires of the core members.

Home Management/Administration

• Assume responsibility for the health, safety, and care of core members

• Do assigned housekeeping chores and take initiative to keep house (inside and out) clean and in repair. Assist core members with their chores if needed. Aid in motivating core members to complete needed tasks

• Plan and prepare balanced meals. Assist core members to help cook and prepare meals.

• Maintain and operates house vehicles in a safe manner

• Maintain accurate financial records of core member and house money

• Be conscious of budgeting and keep within house and community budgets

• Take initiative, be resourceful and creative, think out problems, be willing to use own judgment when deemed necessary

Spiritual Life

• Support the community and carry in prayer the homes, each member of the community, their families, friends, and concerns

• Maintain and respect the home as a Christian home in terms of values and prayer. Encourage prayer in the home and in the community with assistants and core members.

• Respect days of worship. Attend with core members their choice and place of worship.

• Share faith life with the community. Be responsible for communicating needs and meeting personal worship needs.

Qualifications

• Interest in living in a faith community founded on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5)

• Minimum age of 18 years

• Desire to work with individuals with disabilities (Experience with people with disabilities is not a requirement)

• Creativity, flexibility, attention to detail, and ability to organize time

• Commitment to living in the community for at least 1 year after a successful 90-day trial period

• Verbal and written communication skills

• Physical ability, with reasonable accommodation, to fulfill role responsibilities, including ability to transfer adults from wheelchairs to vehicles, beds, etc. and to lift wheelchairs into and out of vehicles

• Ability to work as part of a team

Other Details:

• Assistants are responsible for funding their own way to and from Ukraine

• After a successful 90-day trial period, assistants are responsible for the costs related to obtaining a visa and temporary residency in Ukraine. Wide Awake International will assist with the legal process in obtaining residency

• Food and lodging will be provided by Wide Awake International

• Assistants will be responsible for providing for their own toiletries, food needs beyond the community meals, and personal spending money

You can also find this role description on our website: http://wideawakeinternational.org/volunteer

Much of our language, like “assistant” and “core member”, and some wording for the role description was adopted from an organization with a lot more experience than us. Thank you, L’Arche Communities, for paving a beautiful path of dignity for us to follow.