Youth Advocate -Student Support Specialist II

Agency: Impact NW

Program: SUN Youth Advocacy Program (SYAP)

Job Title: Youth Advocate - Student Support Specialist II

Classification: Full Time (FTE 1.0), non-exempt

Salary: $24.00/hr ($.50 bilingual differential)

Location: Impact NW- Dancing Tree 10055 E Burnside St. Portland, OR & Various School locations in Portland Metro

At Impact NW we are a nonprofit with a mission to prevent homelessness, because we believe in the fundamental right to: beautiful life, stability and peace. More importantly, it also means a life filled with opportunity and community support, especially for Indigenous, Black, Brown, Melanated, Immigrant, and Asian people.

What we seek is for you to share your skill sets - especially if you:

*Put people first

*See the beauty in people

*Promote peace

*Find a way

We believe that with our mission and values as our north star, we can move toward our vision of a future where housing is a human right. If this resonates with you, we’d love to have your purpose and passion on our team at Impact NW.

BENEFITS SUMMARY:

At Impact NW, we care deeply about the well-being of our team and strive to support a healthy balance between work and life. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and additional Self-Care Leave to help you recharge and take care of yourself.
• Employer-paid health insurance for employees, plus a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) with an employer contribution to help cover out-of-pocket medical expenses.
• Long-Term Disability Insurance fully paid by Impact NW.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering free and confidential support for mental health, finances, and more.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with an employer matching contribution to help you plan for the future.
• A positive, inclusive, and mission-driven work culture where every team member is valued and supported.

We believe that taking care of our people helps us take care of our community.

JOB SUMMARY: SUN Youth Advocacy (SYA) is a program that connects youth to a supportive adult advocate that will assist in navigating youth through different barriers so they can reach their goals academically, socially and emotionally.

ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Traveling/driving to various schools and worksites (SE Portland: Kellogg MS, Franklin HS, Impact NW worksites- Dancing Tree and Brentwood Darlington; SW Portland: Ida B Wells HS, Jackson MS, Robert Gray MS).
• Implementing and delivering age-appropriate, trauma-informed, client-centered programming and services.
• Develop and maintain a working knowledge of best practices for prevention and intervention services for issues related to poverty, homelessness, juvenile delinquency, family dysfunction and school challenges.
• Effectively interact with a diverse population of volunteers, staff, and community members.
• Meet program service standards set forth by the program’s supervisor regarding quantity, type, and quality of services to be delivered to clients.
• Attend ongoing training for the curriculum used in the school classroom setting.
• Attend agency and community meetings and trainings as required.

YOUTH SUPPORT & ADVOCACY:

• Provide outreach and case management services.
• Supporting middle and high school-aged youth in grades 6th through 12th grade.
• Form, maintain and foster positive relationships with youth and their families.
• Support youth in academics, social, and emotional well-being that include but are not limited to: meeting 1:1 and/or small group settings to set goals; challenges and barriers youth are facing; exposure to education and career opportunities; skill building.
• Creating, reviewing, and updating youth’s Individual Success Plan, comprehensive needs and strengths assessment.
• Advocacy to ensure youth's overall success in and out of school includes, but is not limited to: meeting with school partners (teachers, counselors, support staff), parents and/or community partners; class observations.
• Connecting/referring youth to other school and community services as needed, which includes but not limited to academic tutoring, after-school and summer programs, school clubs, affinity groups, and community support and events.
• Supporting youth’s family with basic necessities to lower barriers to youths' overall success that include but are not limited to: home visits, rental and utilities assistance, food and clothing resources, attending school/parent meetings with youth and their family

DATA COLLECTION & CASE NOTING:

• Complete accurate, legible, and timely documentation of services.
• Keeping track of interaction and communication with youth and their families.
• Tracking prevention and intervention activities, tasks and progress.
• Documenting client information in the agency and Multnomah County databases.

SCHOOL & COMMUNITY RELATIONS:

• Forming and fostering relationships with school staff and community.
• Effectively communicating and collaborating with other Impact NW programs, school staff and community partners.

SUPERVISION:

Reports to: Program Manager