Employment Specialist (Full-Time)

Covenant House California•Santa Clara, CA

About The Position

Covenant House California (CHC) is a nonprofit organization that provides sanctuary and support for young people overcoming homelessness, ages 18-24. CHC believes that no young person deserves to be homeless; that every young person in California deserves housing, food, clothing, education, and most importantly, to be loved. CHC provides a full continuum of services to meet the physical, emotional, educational, vocational, and spiritual well-being of young people. CHC’s doors are open to young people and staff regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. We believe that young people and team members deserve to be in an environment that is inclusive and affirming; where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and valued and appreciated for who they are. Maintaining a diverse community of young people and staff is key to our ability to achieve our mission most effectively. We are also committed to being a leader in advancing anti-racism, and to promoting opportunities for the free expression of the lived experiences of our young people and staff. We are looking for people who, like us, believe that every young person deserves a place to belong. We think it takes all kinds of people to create diverse solutions to end young people homelessness and we are on a committed journey to build an inclusive and equitable work culture that brings out the best in everyone. In our Santa Clara location, we have been offering housing and supportive services to young people since May 2021. This location is also the first CA site to offer support to young families. As this position provides direct care to young people that are 18-24 years old, we require that applicants are at least 25 years old. Covenant House California offers an excellent benefits package, (most benefits effective date of hire), including medical, vision, dental, an EAP program, 403b retirement account, and a generous vacation package. POSITION SUMMARY: Employment Specialists will assist young people experiencing homelessness in building employment skills and obtaining entry level and step up employment. The position will work with residents and non-residents of Covenant House California who are between the ages of 18 to 24. Essential functions of the position include job search coaching, job matching, development of internships for young people, networking in the business community, development and maintenance of business partnerships, case management, documentation, workshop facilitation and includes a range of supportive duties spanning coordination of the intern program, clothing closet, facilitating job search groups, dissemination of external materials for posting, field work with young people, establishing partnerships with other agencies, etc.

Requirements

High School Diploma required.
Associates or Bachelors degree in human services or related field preferred; relevant life and/or work experience will be considered in lieu of diplomas.
Minimum of 3 years of employment development experience working with at risk young people
Adolescent Development, Crisis Intervention, Multi-Cultural Awareness, Trauma Informed Care, Harm Reduction, and CPR & FIRST AID, Job Skills Development, Employment Readiness
Must have strong verbal and written communication skills and strong organizational skills.
Must be computer literate (Word, Outlook, ACCESS, etc.).
Must be a self-starter and team player with the ability to work with other staff members, young people, vendors and the public.
Must have and maintain a valid California Driver’s license and a good driving record and be able to drive residents to activities using CHC vans.
As our direct care staff work with young people that are 18-24 years old, we require that applicants are at least 25 years old.

Nice To Haves

CPR and PART 2000 training is preferred.

Responsibilities

Implement individualized plans that are created in conjunction with a young person’s primary Case Manager as it relates to employability, job search skills, skills enhancement, and job retention.
Determine young people’s ongoing needs in searching for employment; provide 1:1 support as needed.
Hold regular meetings with assigned young people to address progress and refine focus of search.
Participate in Success Plan meetings with young people, their case manager, Director and others in their circle of support on a monthly basis or as needed.
Ensure each young person has the tools and skills to properly search for and find work—including job search techniques (online and personal contact), computer skills (for submitting applications), résumé, job applications, cover letters, follow-up, interview skills, etc.
Facilitate and lead any employment or workforce curriculum currently being utilized.
Provide monthly workshops in areas of interviewing skills, resume writing, career exploration, job retention, etc.
Coordination and facilitation of regular weekly, monthly and annual groups and events including employment group, Job Retention group, job fairs, and other identified employment related topics assigned – includes external corporate, community, and Covenant House-wide partnerships.
Ensures that all files are complete, current, and in compliance with standards and grant requirements using both ETO and HMIS.
Update daily log and input data into the database as requested by the Program Coordinator.
Create a weekly engagement/employment touchpoint in ETO and update employment data on all young people.
Data updates include job retention information, increase in pay/salary and career path explorations a young person might have that is relevant to their employment growth or set-backs.
Support creating goals for the employment section of a young people’s Success Plan, this is done in conjunction with their assigned case manager.
Ensure ongoing communication with other CHC departments serving their young people; support as backup to other Specialists when necessary.
As assigned, position will attend CHC program trainings, daily residential transition meeting, case review and CHC taskforce meetings.
Encourage and assist young people with enrollment into benefits and resources, including CalFresh and CalFresh E&T with the QA team and case management staff assigned.
Attend and participate in the CHI Federation wide workforce meetings (bi-monthly and quarterly), seminars/webinars to collaborate, learn best practices, compliance and overall awareness of the expectations across the CHI Federation.
Organize and lead “job search” sessions (outings and/or individual and small group client meetings)
Research and share job opportunities, job fairs, and professional clothing resources; coordinate or provide transportation as applicable
Coordinate career exploration related activities and visits to vocational programs, community colleges, or other areas of interest.
Encourage participation and support enrollment in educational/vocational training programs, as well as client incentives programs (when applicable or available)
Oversee the on-site internship program including monitoring client’s progress and meet with internship mentors on a weekly basis, overseeing payroll for young people in the internship program.
Oversee off-site internship program once established.
Serve as liaison to external organizations promoting employment of young people.
Attend community events to promote short and long term employment opportunities for CHC young people.
Ensure collaborations and partnerships are recorded in an MOU and filed onsite accordingly.
Perform duties as assigned by the Director of Mental Health and Wellness Programs (or delegate) to meet the needs of young people and ensure adherence to the program expectations.
Ensuring the cleanliness and safety of the living environment
Providing crisis intervention, as necessary.
Providing back up support and coverage for other direct care positions (e.g. Residential Services, Support Center, Wellness Center, etc.)