Position: Youth System Navigator
Supervisor: Director of Social Services
Job Summary:
The Youth System Navigator supports community partners and provides access to resources and referrals for youth, particularly those not already receiving services in the homeless crisis response system in Brown County. This position serves as a single point of contact to help youth under the age of 24 to navigate existing systems such as education, workforce development, healthcare, economic support, law enforcement, and homeless services.
The target population is at-risk youth and youth experiencing homelessness, with the goal of building relationships and enhancing collaborative action with community partners.
Key responsibilities include supporting the Brown County Youth Action Board, recruiting youth for leadership opportunities, facilitating training, and advocating for system changes.
Hours:
Full-time, salaried position. Ability to work flexible hours is necessary. Primarily works afternoon and evening shifts. Some weekends and holidays will be required to ensure adequate and proper program delivery.
Essential Duties:
· Meeting youth where they are and walking them through complex systems of care they need to access, along with addressing their housing needs. This includes assessment of service needs and case management.
· Outreach and market the services to youth in the community through social media, flyers, educational training for the community and relationship building with providers who work with youth and young adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
· Facilitate training and discussion with stakeholders and other community partners around the unique needs and barriers experienced by youth in the community.
· Communicate regularly with coalitions and staff about barriers and issues youth are having accessing resources.
· Advocate for change driven by youth with lived expertise.
· Support the local Youth Action Board (YAB) by facilitating meetings, reviewing and approving reimbursements, recruiting youth to participate in the local YAB, identifying additional leadership opportunities, and being the point of contact for the YAB with state and county coalitions.
· Ensure all services are provided through a positive youth development, trauma informed, harm reduction, housing first lens.
· Attend YHDP System Navigator meetings.
· Enter required data in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
· Work with the local coalition to ensure that authentic youth voice is integrated into all local decision-making processes.
· Provide crisis intervention as necessary.
· On-going maintenance of outcomes measurement and continuous improvement efforts.
· Proposes program modifications in response to client and community needs.
Education and Experience Requirements:
Degree and/or work experience in social work, psychology, human services, youth development, or related field required.
- Preference for someone between the ages of 18-24 with lived expertise.
- Strong and outgoing networking skills.
- Ability to work independently.
- Comfortable making phone calls and meeting with organizations for the purpose of collaboration.
- Demonstrated effectiveness in building relationships and establishing trust.
- General computer skills and understanding of Microsoft applications, including Excel and Google Docs.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Organizational, planning, and coordination skills.
- Ability to travel within the state of Wisconsin.
- Must have a valid driver’s license, adequate vehicle insurance, and reliable transportation.
- Strong knowledge of local housing programs and low-income community resources preferred.
- Appropriate interpersonal and communication skills in working with diverse clientele is required.
- Must be organized and able to work well in a busy environment with frequent interruptions and be able to work effectively as a part of a team.
- Ability to maintain flexible work hours.
Physical and Mental Demands:
Must be physically and mentally able to work alone safely while caring for residents and children with or without reasonable accommodations and without supervision.
DCF 52.12 (3)(e) Each staff person before working with residents must pass a health check to ensure they do not have a communicable disease, illness or disability that would interfere with the staff person's ability to work with or care for residents.
DCF 57.15(2)(c) Upon hire and before working with residents, require each staff member to have a tuberculosis test and provide certification from a physician, physician assistant, or a health check provider that the staff member meets the minimum physical requirements of the position and that the staff member is in general good health.
DCF 59.04(1)(b)3 Every shelter care worker shall be in good physical and mental health so that the health of the children or the quality and manner of their care will not be adversely affected. If there is reason to believe that the physical or mental health of any shelter care worker in a shelter care facility might endanger children in care, the department of children and families may require an alcohol and other drug abuse assessment or a physical health or mental health evaluation of the person by a physician or other health care professional as a condition for continued employment or service in the facility.
Requires ability to stand, bend and twist, reach, kneel, stoop, and crawl. Requires eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a computer and standard cleaning, maintenance, and office equipment. Requires hearing within normal range and vision correctable to 20/20 to read communications, reports and computer terminals. Must be able to analyze many variables and choose the most effective course of action for clients and/or the organization at any given point in time. Must be able to communicate and provide verbal feedback in a professional manner. Must be able to resolve problems, handle conflict, and make effective decisions independently. Must handle novel and diverse work problems on a daily basis. Must be able to perform arithmetic calculations involving fractions, decimals and percentages. Must be able to lift at least 50 lbs.
This position description should not be interpreted as all-inclusive. It is intended to identify the major responsibilities and requirements of this job. The employee may be requested to perform job-related responsibilities and tasks other than those stated in this description.
Mission: To provide a safe and supportive place where youth and young families experiencing homelessness will become confident, independent, and successful members of our community.
Vision: A future where every youth knows what it feels like to have a home.
Values: At House of Hope and in our community, you and I will:
- be honest and vulnerable to build trust
- create opportunities to overcome barriers
- be progressive to drive collaborative innovation
- embrace accountability to promote stability