OASIS SHELTER YOUTH ADVOCATE
About The Position
Youth Advocates provide compassionate, trauma-informed care to youth ages 13 to 17 at the Oasis Youth Shelter in Mount Vernon, Washington. The program is licensed as an Overnight Youth Shelter (OYS) through the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families. YMCA Oasis also provides wraparound support for youth in Skagit County through drop-in services and street outreach. Youth Advocates help create a safe, confidential, and secure environment for youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability and trauma. They model healthy, pro-social behavior and support youth with activities such as homework help and tutoring, vocational skills, cooking and nutrition, and social-emotional development. Advocates are part of the Oasis staff team and regularly collaborate with administrative staff and community agency partners.
Requirements
- Must be at least 21 years of age.
- Associate’s degree in a related field or equivalent work experience.
- Good verbal and written communication skills.
- Knowledge of crisis de-escalation, negotiation, and problem-solving techniques.
- Ability to model healthy, pro-social behavior and socialization skills for teens.
- Ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Ability to use positive reinforcement and work as a team member in a residential, dynamic, and multicultural environment.
- Knowledge of, or interest in learning about, Harm Reduction, Positive Youth Development, and Housing First best practices and their effects on young people.
- Must be eligible for DCYF clearance to work in a shelter facility.
- Negative TB test by the Mantoux method before beginning work.
- Current Food Handler’s Card within 30 days of employment.
- Current state-approved CPR/AED, First Aid, and Bloodborne Pathogens certifications within 30 days of hire.
- Complete Right Response Advanced Certification within 60 days of employment.
- Complete 16 hours of new-hire training before working shifts with youth, covering topics such as Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention and Mandatory Reporting.
Nice To Haves
- Fluency in Spanish, Triqui, Mixtec, Russian, or Ukrainian qualifies for additional bilingual premium pay; writing or translating materials is not required.
Responsibilities
- Provide unconditional, trauma-informed care to at-risk youth.
- Monitor youth’s emotional and physical well-being while on shift.
- Listen to and engage with youth, and facilitate daily activities and meals.
- Maintain a safe, confidential, and secure environment for youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability and who may have a history of trauma.
- Collaborate with the Oasis staff team and community agency partners to support interventions prescribed in each youth’s Individual Service Plan (ISP).
- Monitor youth behavior and maintain appropriate case notes, nightly logs, incident records, and service-plan progress notes.
- Conduct intake orientation interviews with new youth and complete required intake paperwork.
- Provide conflict resolution and verbal de-escalation in group and individual crisis situations.
- Respond to and report aggressive or violent behavior, suicidal ideation or self-harm, allegations of abuse or neglect, unsafe behaviors or circumstances, and sexual exploitation or commercial sexual abuse of youth in a timely manner.
- Make intake phone calls to Child Protective Services when abuse or neglect of a minor is identified, in compliance with mandated-reporting laws.
- Learn about and maintain awareness of local resources for supporting youth in Skagit County.
- Complete at least 24 hours of annual training and continued education in compliance with DCYF OYS licensing regulations.
- Attend regularly scheduled staff meetings and complete other regularly scheduled duties as assigned.
Benefits
- Free YMCA household membership from day one.
- 403(b) savings account enrollment from day one.
- Eight paid federal holidays per year for eligible full-time benefited employees.
- Paid sick and vacation days, accruing from day one and available to use after 90 days.
- Two paid personal days and one paid birthday day per year.
- Medical, vision, and dental insurance for eligible full-time benefited employees.
- 403(b) retirement employer match after two years and 1,000 hours.
- Life insurance and additional benefits for eligible full-time benefited employees.
- Additional $1.00-per-hour premium pay for fluent bilingual Spanish, Triqui, Mixtec, Russian, or Ukrainian speakers.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Education Level
Associate degree
