Youth Worker Jobs

Day/Evening Youth Worker

Rights of Passage (ROP)

Contract until March 2024

For forty years, we have maintained a steadfast dedication to our mission: supporting the vulnerable youth who come through our doors. To this day, we remain committed to this duty.

Covenant House helps youth ignite their potential and reclaim their lives. As Canada’s largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk, we offer the widest range of services to hundreds of young people every day. More than a place to stay, we provide 24/7 crisis shelter and transitional housing on-site and in the community, along with comprehensive services including education, counselling, health care, employment assistance, job training and after-care. Since 1982, Covenant House has supported more than 100,000 young people.

As a national leader, we educate and advocate for long-term change to improve the lives of vulnerable youth. This includes influencing public policy, leading awareness and prevention programs and continually building and sharing our knowledge. As a learning organization, we strive for excellence and programs with impact.

We provide life-changing care with unconditional love and respect. We meet youth's immediate needs and then we work together to achieve their future goals.

Thanks to our donors, who contribute 80 per cent of our $44.2-million annual operating budget, we are able to deliver these comprehensive programs and services.

Overview:

In this position the candidate will be responsible for direct implementation of Covenant House’s philosophy, mission statement and policies as they pertain to transitional housing. This position is day/evening from Wednesday to Sunday.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting in training of new staff
• Facilitating at least two group life skill sessions monthly and providing occasional individual life skills with participants
• Ongoing assessment of participants' needs; providing individual counseling and completing referrals to other supports in the community
• Crisis intervention in situations of physical confrontation, medical and psychiatric emergencies, and for participants who have recently experienced trauma
• Consistent worker responsible for care coordination for 6 to 8 participants in ROP. This involves maintaining client physical and electronic files, preparing case summaries (CMT), completion of all necessary forms pertinent to youths' plans including Outcome Star and ETO
• Support participants in their life skills development by working one on one with them on daily routines such as personal hygiene, laundry, cooking, budgeting and room cleanliness
• Completing intakes and supporting participants through orientation, their experiences in program and successful transition to independent living or other supportive housing
• Accompanying participants in the community for leisure and appointment based outings
• Advocating for participants both within the organization as well as with external organizations
• Utilize a trauma-informed approach and relentless engagement with participants
• Management of the external environment; by supervisor’s request completing building checks and searches
• Shift coordinating role that includes delegating responsibilities among staff team on shift and taking primary accountability for the safety of everyone and the environment
• Conducting reception functions and monitoring of various spaces in the building to ensure safety

Qualification, Experience:

• Ability to identify, assess and intervene differentially with youth in crisis.
• Knowledge of community resources.
• Understanding of case management principles and practices and relentless engagement.
• First Aid, CPR, UMAB and basic computer skills (SMIS, ETO, Word, Excel, etc.) an asset.
• Minimum two years’ experience in a shelter or transitional housing program.
• Knowledge of adolescent developmental theory and specific issues related to youth experiencing homelessness.
• College or university degree or diploma in child and youth work or equivalent.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability of using trauma-informed approach working with young people.

Interested internal applicants please submit a cover letter and resume directly this posting. Only candidates selected to move forward in the recruitment process will be contacted. No agencies or phone calls, please.

At Covenant House Toronto we believe in a workplace culture of inclusion that is welcoming, respectful and safe for all staff. It is critical to Covenant House Toronto success to eliminate barriers and promote the inclusion of equity groups. Equity groups have been, and continue to be, underrepresented and marginalized in the workforce, leadership roles, and in some specific occupations. Equity groups include but may not be limited to Indigenous persons, racialized people, gender diverse people, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities.

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Covenant House Policy on Accommodation, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the Covenant House recruitment process.