JOB TITLE:  Youth Engagement Worker                     

FLSA Status – Non-Exempt 

Department: Ujima Village Overnight Shelter              

Reports to: Ujima Village Supervisor 

Position Summary: Responsible for the night-to-night care and case management of Ujima Overnight Shelter guests, and for maintaining a safe and secure environment. 

General Purpose: Promote and maintain Unity Parenting and Counseling’s mission to serve and empower homeless youth aged 18 – 24 in an innovative low-threshold overnight program.  Must be able to demonstrate sensitivity to the service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics. 

Role Qualifications: 

• Must present a positive, welcoming, non-judgmental attitude and posture
• Must maintain impeccable professional boundaries
• Must react quickly and demonstrate good judgment in emergencies or stressful situations
• Must maintain calm, empowering demeanor when faced with agitated client guests
• Must be attentive to group dynamics and thorough with detailed tasks and protocols
• Must work cooperatively within a team
• Must embrace and celebrate diversity among team mates and program participants
• Must endorse a Harm Reduction, Trauma Informed, and Positive Youth Development philosophy, cultivate knowledge and skills in these areas and put them into practice
• Must take every opportunity to engage with and cultivate professional relationships with client  guests

Position Responsibilities: 

• Transition facility space at the beginning and/or end of each night according to program needs, including setting up or stowing tables, chairs, cots, laundering shelter linens, managing or inventorying supplies, etc.
• Greet and welcome overnight guests and orient them to the facility and program, including explaining behavioral expectations.
• Distribute bedding and self-care supplies, including first aid and over-the-counter remedies according to established protocols.
• Support food service and distribute supper and/or breakfast, distributeto-go lunch bags and snacks if available, and insure that food is stored according to safety protocols. 
• Supervise guests and insure that rules and policies are observed. Respond promptly to hate language or bullying, and enforce policies of inclusion and respect for all youth, including LGBT young people and people of all backgrounds and abilities.
• Monitor space and clients for safety at all times; insure guests’ well-being; report all incidents, emergencies, substantial behavioral difficulties, and any intrusions or visits by police, ambulance, or any other outside agencies to the supportive service coordinator or on-call manager or director immediately.
• Provide individual crisis case-management and referrals for the client guests.
• Furnish natural and logical consequences for minor behavioral violations according to established guidelines. Consult with team mates and with supervisor or on-call manager if needed to determine appropriate, fair, and consistent consequences.
• Enact disaster response protocols and other emergency procedures quickly when needed.
• Mentor youth, teach and coach independence skills, and monitor for cleanliness and hygiene of the facility.
• Facilitate youth leadership, supervise completion of chores by young people, and distribute stipends and incentives according to established guidelines.
• Provide referrals for and linkages to other housing and support services, and provide resource cards and CTA transportation according to established guidelines.
• Support individual volunteers, interns and service groups who serve on your shift.
• Facilitate and/or support youth development programming or activities (such as art projects, bedtime stories, relaxation activities, wellness workshops, etc.) as possible and appropriate.
• Complete shift reports and logs and contribute to inter-shift debriefings. Review logs and reports for prior shifts or nights as needed between shifts.
• Perform data entry on HMIS and other systems as required by funders.
• Wash bedding and other laundry as needed or according to established protocols.
• Work to deliver the best possible services and programming, and provide input and feedback to improve programming whenever possible.
• Attend required agency and program orientation, initial and ongoing trainings, weekly team meetings, quarterly to agency All-staff meetings, and other meetings as required. Maintain certification in CPR, First Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens, and CPI (Non-violent Crisis Intervention) according to the schedule of trainings provided by the agency and take refresher training in Harm Reduction, Opiate Overdose, LGBT Cultural Competency, Positive Youth Development, and Trauma Informed Practices as advised by supervision.
• Check and respond to email and voice messages regularly and promptly.
• Participate in regular performance review.
• Take initiative, and complete all duties as assigned.

Essential skills and experience: 

• 1-2 years of relevant experience preferred and/or two or more years experience providing drop-in, residential, or other support services (such as  teaching in elementary or high schools, community organizing, City Year, AmeriCorps, the Peace Corp, etc.) to or for at-risk youth.  
• Knowledgeable and conversant in the needs of homeless persons and/or of adolescents, including youth with trauma experience
• Pass CANTS and LEADS background screens
• May be subject to random drug testing
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to interact comfortably with diverse populations
• Excellent attendance and reliability

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; climb stairs; crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move 30 pounds and drive an automobile. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Employee must be physically able to respond quickly and aid resident client guests when an emergency may occur, including the ability to quickly ascend and descend stairs while offering assistance, and the ability to get up and down from the floor and to provide CPR.
• Work environment:While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. Some work out of doors will be required. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but may vary considerably due to the continuous presence of adolescents. 

Unity is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Please sign the General Sign off document Attached below

General Sign Off