Housing Navigator

San Diego Youth Services

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Housing Navigator

San Diego Youth Services seeks a Housing Navigator in the Tay Academy Program to be based at Golden Hill Campus.  This is a full time & exempt position reporting to the Program Manager

San Diego Youth Services:  Who we are

San Diego Youth Services has helped improve the lives of more than 780,000 homeless, runaway and vulnerable youth since its beginning in 1970. We provide safe places to live and long-term solutions through shelter, foster homes, community centers and housing to more than 28,000 youth every year at 100+ community and school locations. Through prevention, early intervention and treatment, we also help youth before they need higher levels of care or become homeless.

We aim to:

1. Meet the basic needs of youth.  Hunger, poverty and youth homelessness are on the rise for many youth and their families today. We help meet these basic needs for youth. What could be more vital than food and shelter? We provide safe places to live and long-term solutions through shelter, foster homes, community centers and housing.
2. Create positive connection. We help youth focus on positive life changes and healthy relationships as part of providing needed resources and services. San Diego Youth Services has long provided foster homes and adoption support services for families considering adopting a youth in the foster care system.
3. Help youth develop life skills. In addition to a range of safe and stable housing options, we offer support to help youth develop the independent living skills necessary to become self-sufficient and keep off the streets.
4. Promote overall health and well-being. Early intervention and care for the whole child are critical. We provide a broad continuum of services to help youth overcome trauma and challenges that put them at risk, including case management, counseling, mental health treatment and educational support and resources.

SDYS has a staff of approximately 215 employees and 80 volunteers working across San Diego County and an annual budget of approximately $22 million.

You can learn more about us at www.sdyouthservices.org

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION OR PROGRAM DESCRIPTION HIRING FOR

TAY Academy: serves as a centralized hub for resources and services relating to job-readiness training, case management, education, mental health and housing for Transition Age Youth (ages 14-25), including foster youth, former foster youth, out-of-home probation youth, youth experiencing homelessness and runaway youth

CONTEXT OF THE POSITION

This position is responsible for providing comprehensive trauma-informed services to youth in drop-in center and residential site in order to ensure that standards relating to inclusivity and safety are maintained. The Housing Navigator provides supportive services focused on obtaining and stabilizing housing. Encourages participant motivation, skill building and permanency; provides housing system navigation and removal of barriers.

Essential functions include:

1. Orient participants to TAY Academy services through intake and needs assessment. Provide direct supervision, crisis intervention, recreational opportunities, and support services to youth.
2. Work collaboratively to address participant needs that include assessing for housing readiness, navigating housing resources and supporting youth through processes to obtain and maintain housing; Engage in advocacy for youth needs, and provide independent living skills education and referrals as applicable.
3. Support youth connection with informal and formal resources and networks in the community. Engage with youths’ safe networks to identify appropriate housing options. Including family reunification and/or transition to self-sufficiency.
4. Assist youth in identifying, obtaining, and maintaining stable housing. Assist youth in moving in and out of the coordinated entry system including administering the TAY VI-SPDAT to participants, if needed. Serve as an advocate when navigating resources outside of the agency.
5. Help teach youth basic knowledge about housing searches and tenant-landlord laws to assist them in preparing for the future.
6. Support intake and interview procedures for youth moving into the program, including arranging the moving of youth in and out of placements.
7. Monitor participant progress and maintain accurate records including data entry into approved databases and manage other pertinent housing records. Assist with data collection for reports.
8. Conduct ongoing outreach to youth and community organizations and participate in multi-disciplinary teams to assist youth in obtaining/maintaining housing placements.

PREFERRED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, or another closely related field.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
• At least two years’ experience working with at-risk transition aged youth (ages 18-24) who have experienced homelessness, preferred.
• Knowledge of the Coordinated Entry System.
• Experience with residential and housing services (i.e. case management, resource linkage, housing navigation, voucher systems).

SDYS EXPECTATIONS

• Adhere to and uphold the rigorous standards of SDYS as mandated by its mission, purpose, guiding principles and standards of quality.
• Maintain confidentiality and privacy standards of service partner protected health information and other applicable information and material in accordance to agency and center policies, and applicable regulations and laws including HIPAA. 
• Welcome and support SDYS volunteers and assist them in accomplishing their services whenever applicable.
• Effectively communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Receive and give supportive feedback to foster equity and inclusion in working relationships.
• Recognize, nurture, and learn from strengths in co-workers.
• Maintain warm, welcoming and safe work environments.
• Possess flexibility to accomplish job responsibilities in several work environments, whether it be from home, on the road, or in an office.

Salary Range:  $20-$23/Hour

To apply, please send resume and cover letter through job posting on SDYS website.

SDYS offers a comprehensive benefits package to full time employees that includes generous PTO, personal holidays, health, vision, dental, life insurance, parental leave and a 403(b)-retirement plan with matching contribution.  SDYS is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) employer.  Read more about the PSLF program here.

Candidates must be able to follow all the guidelines provided by the agency, government, and health authorities to maintain safety and health when the job requires physical presence and/or contact with others during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the submission of proof of vaccination as mandated by the California Public Health Order. The successful candidate will need to submit verification of vaccination or have a valid religious or medical reason not to be vaccinated.

Commitment to cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. 

As an organization working to meet the basic needs of youth, create positive connections, help youth develop life skills, and promote overall health and well-being, SDYS believes its practices and actions must reflect the highest level of commitment to access, equity, and social justice.

The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent that our members invest in their work represents not only part of the SDYS’ culture, but the SDYS’ reputation and achievements as well.  SDYS remains open to feedback from all communities it touches and knows that input from those with direct experience of issues will make the SDYS more effective in achieving its goals.

SDYS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.  Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. In compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act as amended, all new employees must verify their eligibility to work in the United States.