Shelter advocate vs program assistant

The differences between shelter advocates and program assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a shelter advocate and a program assistant. Additionally, a shelter advocate has an average salary of $36,889, which is higher than the $35,193 average annual salary of a program assistant.

The top three skills for a shelter advocate include crisis intervention, safety planning and client intake. The most important skills for a program assistant are patients, customer service, and data entry.

Shelter advocate vs program assistant overview

	Shelter Advocate	Program Assistant
Yearly salary	$36,889	$35,193
Hourly rate	$17.74	$16.92
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	7,801	96,901
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

Shelter advocate vs program assistant salary

Shelter advocates and program assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Shelter Advocate	Program Assistant
Average salary	$36,889	$35,193
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $44,000	Between $27,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Connecticut
Best paying company	Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking	The Aspen Institute
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between shelter advocate and program assistant education

There are a few differences between a shelter advocate and a program assistant in terms of educational background:

	Shelter Advocate	Program Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Northwestern University

Shelter advocate vs program assistant demographics

Here are the differences between shelter advocates' and program assistants' demographics:

	Shelter Advocate	Program Assistant
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 8.1% Female, 91.9%	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9%	Black or African American, 13.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between shelter advocate and program assistant duties and responsibilities

Shelter advocate example responsibilities.

Enter data in HMIS and NCATrak.
Complete necessary monthly and yearly statistics for HUD and OASAS.
Preform regular chores and cleaning tasks to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the shelter facility.
Perform routine chores and cleaning tasks assign by shift to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the shelter facility.
Facilitate weekly case management sessions with all residents, focusing on HUD goals of employment, housing and self-determination.
Record keeping, data entry into HMIS data-base, statistics, compliance to federal guidelines, chart notes, file management.

Program assistant example responsibilities.

Lead classes in anatomy/physiology, medical terminology, transcription.
Manage oversight of budget/finance, personnel and continuous program improvement.
Assist in achieving and maintaining DoD certification and national accreditation where applicable.
Instruct students in C++ and Java programming, robot design and construction.
Introduce students to various computer pro- gramming languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
Present information about RSVP to community organizations.

Shelter advocate vs program assistant skills

Common shelter advocate skills

Crisis Intervention, 24%
Safety Planning, 11%
Client Intake, 9%
Mental Health, 7%
Cleanliness, 5%
Social Work, 4%

Common program assistant skills

Patients, 12%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 8%
HR, 6%
Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
Data Collection, 4%