Life Skills Specialist - Arnett House

Center for Youth Services•City of Rochester, NY

About The Position

OVERVIEW: The Arnett House team provides independent living supports and services to homeless and runaway youth 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, year-round, with a focus on LGBTQ+ and trafficked youth. Life Skills Specialists strive to engage and establish mutually respectful, trusting relationships with the young people we serve. Residents are approached from a strength and asset-based perspective and staff form partnerships with them to help facilitate the identification of issues, concerns and needs and develop strategies to meet those needs. The ultimate goal of the team is to provide transitional care and support to RHY in a safe, respectful environment and to work with them to resolve the issues which led to their homelessness so that they can ultimately, secure and maintain a stable living environment.

Requirements

Youth friendly and positive
Calm and objective in crisis situations
Sensitive to the cultural issues and needs of youth from diverse backgrounds
Able to establish and maintain positive working relationships with key stakeholders (i.e., youth, peers, referral sources, law enforcement)
Able to work evenings, weekends and holidays, as needed and assigned
significant knowledge of and skills related to: positive youth development, serving LGBTQ+ and trafficked youth, counseling approaches and techniques, adolescent development and issues, residential services, group facilitation and training methods, community resources, crisis prevention, intervention skills and resolution, verbal and written communication, time management and multi-tasking, social, recreational activities, meal preparation, housekeeping and the maintenance of facility and grounds
A valid NYS driver's license and a driving record acceptable to agency insurance carrier
Regular access to a motor vehicle or reliable transportation
Automobile insurance at the level of $300,000 per accident/$100,000 per person Bodily Injury and $50,000 Property Damage
new employees be cleared by the NYS Central Register prior to interaction with clients

Nice To Haves

A Bachelor's degree in a Human Services related field or an equivalent combination of education and 2 years of experience is recommended.
Microsoft Office - Advanced

Responsibilities

Supervision of daily activities
Liaison with Intake and the Counseling teams
Individual support and mentoring
Development and supervision of social, cultural and recreational activities
Crisis/conflict prevention/intervention, response and intervention
Maintenance of accurate and timely program records
Research, development and facilitation of age-appropriate basic life skills and independent living skills trainings
Maintenance of facility and grounds
Daily meal planning and preparation
Promotion of positive team interactions throughout the agency
Active participation in individual and group supervision
Attendance at staff meetings
Development and pursuit of professional development
Representation of the agency on community committees, coalitions, etc., as assigned
Other duties, as assigned