Youth Engagement Specialist - Santa Clara (Various Shifts Available)

About the role

Covenant House California (CHC) is a nonprofit organization that provides sanctuary and support for youth overcoming homelessness, ages 18-24. 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.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervision of the shelter, including oversight and maintenance of the various areas of the facility.
• Conduct bag and pocket checks, and have youth walk through the metal detector or use a metal detector wand, each time youth enter the building. Store and lock up safety weapons and confiscate any prohibited items.
• Conduct wellness checks in youth bedrooms on assigned schedule during each shift.
• Safety awareness of situations and spaces.
• Perform day to day operations and duties in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Provide welcoming, engaging and professional phone and door coverage to include answering and responding to incoming crisis, business information and resource and referral inquiries.
• Crisis prevention and intervention while adhering to agency protocol for responding, reporting and seeking support.
• Build rapport with clients and act as a positive role model and safe adult while maintaining and facilitating healthy boundaries.
• Be a proactive and involved team member and encourage youth to participate in activities.
• Direct supervision of the youth in the program on-site, on outings in community, and during meetings and appointments in the community.
• Develop knowledge of the current community resources available to clients.
• Teach basic life skills such as personal hygiene, household cleaning, and interpersonal interactions.
• Lead a group or activity for the youth, at a minimum of once a month.
• Maintain and engage in consistent communication with the multidisciplinary team by preparing shift notes and logs, as well as creating critical incident reports.
• Enter engagement notes in our internal database, Efforts to Outcomes (ETO).
• Check email at the beginning of every shift, to review previous shift notes, important updates and incidents that took place.
• Attend trainings, meetings and supervision as assigned.
• Function as back-up coverage, as assigned.
• Work directly with clients doing triage (i.e., field questions, ask what clients need, clarify the problem, etc.).
• Supervise clients in completion of chores, if applicable.
• Inspect common areas of the shelter for cleanliness on a daily basis.
• Function as Person in Charge (PIC), as designated.
• Be timely and present at all scheduled meetings, training sessions and shifts.

Requirements

• Education: High School Diploma or bachelor’s degree in human services or related field preferred, but relevant life and/or work experience will be considered in lieu of diplomas.
• Experience: Minimum of 1-2 years’ experience working with youth ages 18-24.
• Skills: Must have strong verbal and written communication skills and strong organizational 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, clients, vendors and the public.
• Transportation: A valid CA driver’s license, and good driving record highly preferred. May need to transport clients/staff if required using agency transportation.

Qualifications

• Knowledge: Adolescent Development, Crisis Intervention, Multi-Cultural Awareness, Trauma Informed Care, Harm Reduction, and CPR & FIRST AID.

Skills

• Must have strong verbal and written communication skills and strong organizational 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, clients, vendors and the public.

Benefits

Not specified.

Pay

$28.35

Schedule

• Morning Shift 7:30am - 4:00pm
• Swing Shift 3:30pm - 12:00am
• Overnight Shift 11:30pm - 8:00am

About Covenant House California

Covenant House California (CHC) is a non-profit youth shelter that provides sanctuary and support for youth experiencing homelessness, ages 18-24. We believe 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, in order to provide them with the best chance for success in independence.