Youth Engagement Specialist - Anaheim (Various Shifts Available)

• Covenant House California (CHC) is a nonprofit organization that provides sanctuary and support to youth ages 18-24 who are overcoming homelessness.
• CHC believes that no young person deserves to be homeless; that every young person in California deserves housing, food, clothing, education, and most importantly, to be loved.
• CHC provides a full continuum of services to meet the physical, emotional, educational, vocational, and spiritual well-being of young people.
• CHC’s doors are open to youth and staff regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
• We believe that youth and team members deserve an environment that is inclusive and affirming, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and valued and appreciated for who they are.
• Maintaining a diverse community of youth and staff is key to achieving our mission most effectively.
• We are also committed to being a leader in advancing anti-racism and to promoting opportunities for the free expression of our youth's and staff's lived experiences.
• We are looking for people who, like us, believe that every young person deserves a place to belong.
• We think it takes all kinds of people to create diverse solutions to end youth homelessness and we are on a committed journey to build an inclusive and equitable work culture that brings out the best in everyone.

Position Summary

Youth Engagement Specialists (YES) are an essential and core position on our residential team. CHC is looking for passionate, qualified Youth Engagement Specialists who are skilled in supporting youth who have experienced homelessness and human trafficking, have experienced trauma, identify as LGBTQ+, are gender non-conforming and/or who often face multiple issues and have complex needs. Youth Engagement Specialists will have knowledge and/or experience utilizing a strengths-based, harm reduction framework, using trauma informed practices and will value working within a multi-disciplinary team to create a safe inclusive environment for all. All CHC staff work together to facilitate safety and comprehensive programming for youth in our housing programs. Youth Engagement Specialists facilitate the day-to- day operations and duties, provide essential supervision and support, including triage of door and phones, assessing safety, preventing, and managing crises, upholding programmatic policy and procedure, documentation, light cleaning and building maintenance, as well as being a positive adult role model that relentlessly engages with our youth. Overnight shifts are awake, and staff must complete overnight checklist to ensure facility is prepared for next day. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Build rapport with youth and act as a positive role model and safe adult while maintaining and facilitating healthy boundaries. Work directly with youth doing triage (i.e., field questions, enquire on needs, clarify the problem, etc.) Direct supervision of youth on-site, on outings and during meetings and appointments in the community. Provide welcoming, engaging, and professional phone and door coverage to include answering and responding to incoming crisis, business information, resource, and referral inquiries. Crisis prevention and intervention while adhering to agency protocol for responding, reporting, and seeking support. Teach basic life skills such as personal hygiene, household cleaning, and interpersonal interactions, in a manner that is compassionate to each youth’s situation. Be a proactive and involved team member and encourage youth to participate in activities. Lead groups and workshops on skill building and healthy choices. Develop knowledge of the current community resources available to youth. Inspect common areas of the housing program for cleanliness daily. Maintain consistent communication with the multidisciplinary team by preparing clear and concise shift notes, logs and critical incident reports. Maintain safety awareness of situations and spaces. Function as Person in Charge (PIC), as designated. Attend trainings, meetings and supervision as assigned. Be timely and present at all scheduled meetings, trainings, and shifts. Perform day to day operations and duties in accordance with established policies and procedures. Provide supervision of the program, including oversight and maintenance of the various areas of the facility. Available Shifts: Part-Time (Overnight) - Friday / Saturday / Sunday Part-Time (Day) - Friday / Saturday / Sunday Full-Time (Overnight) Per Diem JOB REQUIREMENTS: EDUCATION: Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services or related field preferred or equivalent experience in residential program. High School Diploma required. EXPERIENCE: Minimum of 1-2 years’ experience working with youth ages 18-24. SKILLS: Must be well organized and have strong verbal and written communication skills. Must be computer literate (Word, Outlook, Excel, etc.) Must be a self-starter and team player with the ability to work with other staff members, youth, vendors, and the community. TRANSPORTATION: Must have a valid CA driver’s license and good driving record. May need to transport clients/staff if required using agency transportation. WORKING CONDITIONS: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may work occasionally in outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud. SUPERVISORY DUTIES: This position does not perform supervisory duties. EQUIPMENT USED: Must be able to utilize basic word processing, email, and internet programs. Must be able to communicate effective both orally and in written form. We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer Covenant House California (CHC) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. CHC is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at CHC are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, family or parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. CHC will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics and encourages all qualified applicants to apply. Covenant House California is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are applicants or employees who need accommodations. If you require accommodation due to a disability to complete this application OR to participate in other aspects of the hiring process for which you have received an invitation, please reach out to our HR team. Contact us at 1-323-461-3131, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pacific Time or email us at HR@covca.org. If you are experiencing issues submitting your application and accompanying materials, please email HR@covca.org.