Housing First for Youth

**Housing First for Youth Worker (Full-time, Permanent)**

**Working with vulnerable youth is more than just a job; it’s a calling**

You thrive in an environment that supports and empowers you to do what it takes to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

At Durham Youth Services (DYS), we partner with youth to achieve and maintain lasting solutions to their housing crisis, and our Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) team provides intense case management, for as long as it takes, to a small caseload of the most vulnerable, chronically homeless, suffering from mental illness and/or addictions.

As a HF4Y Worker, your days will be challenging and rewarding. You will work closely with your clients to confront and overcome the issues that impede their ability to be housed, and support them in finding, securing, and maintaining safe and stable housing. You are resourceful, with a keen awareness of the supports and resources available for vulnerable youth, and you have the skills to advocate for what your clients most need. You will offer information, support and direction that will empower participants to make informed decisions in the hopes of improving their quality of life.

You will change lives.

If you are a compassionate, resilient case manager with a gift for building trust and making a meaningful connection with youth, despite complex barriers, with the tenacity to work with a client for as long as it takes, we are interested in hearing from you Together, we will achieve our vision of ending youth homelessness in the Durham Region.

**So, What Will You Actually Do?**
- Embrace the Housing First for Youth philosophy and ensure it is adhered to and applied with all clients.
- Collaborate - establish collaborative relationships with clients, working to increase their strengths
- Respond - safely resolve crisis situations and respond nonjudgmentally to problematic behaviour
- Advocate - help develop and implement service plans, and be a strong advocate for the client, and demonstrate understanding of oppression and marginalization of homelessness; work with clients to overcome the stigma of homelessness
- Teamwork - make positive contributions to the team, support and back up your co-workers at all times
- Coordinate Housing - working with clients to secure income, find housing, advocating with landlords to lease to clients, monitoring clients through home visits
- Youth Support - conduct one-to-one and group life skills development and recreational activities, support family and natural supports and community attachments for youth, coordinate counselling and other services as needed for clients.
- Social Inclusion - organize culturally relevant workshops and activities with and for participants and pprovide supports to improve client’s social integration, by organizing social/recreational activities for

Housing First clients.
- Community Engagement - develop and maintain positive and productive relationships with external partners, advocate for clients throughout various community partners that will benefit and assist clients with their needs, build and maintain engagement with network of landlords
- Documentation - complete and maintain accurate, up-to-date professional, factual, and non-judgmental incident reports, client records and case management software notes

**At Durham Youth Services, the safety of our staff and clients is our top priority. As a member of our team, you will embrace and benefit from the following**:

- Maintain an emotionally, mentally, and physically safe environment for the clients and family i.e.: family crisis and conflict, investigations by authorities, court proceedings etc.
- Establishes and maintain professional boundaries with clients, staff, students, volunteers, and other community agencies
- Maintain client confidentiality in keeping with DYS policies and procedures
- Trouble-shoot and problem solve; crisis management, de-escalate crisis situations
- Ensure that a personal safety and emergency plan are in place for each client
- Clearing all areas from anything that may make them unsafe
- Lifting items up to 20 pounds
- Carrying and moving items
- Following all DYS and Public Health guidelines concerning the pandemic
- Follow all DYS policies and procedures

**What Skills and Experience Will Make You Amazing At This Job**:

- Completion of a college or university program in social work, child and youth care, counselling or other social science or health-related discipline.
- Minimum of two years of full-time work experience with homeless, at-risk and vulnerable youth, not including student placements
- Minimum of one year working in an outreach position
- Knowledgeable in harm reduction principles as well how to work with persons who have concerns with substance abuse, mental health, or trauma
- Strong crisis intervention skills
- Current on new trends that pertain to our clients (addictions, mental health, services, etc.)
- Update any training as need