Youth Worker, ROP

Covenant House Vancouver; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Covenant House Vancouver seeks a Youth Worker for the Rights of Passage Program to support vulnerable youth transitioning to independent living. The role involves providing housing, life skills support, and maintaining relationships with at-risk youth. A diploma in social services is required, along with strong interpersonal and communication skills. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits, aligning with the organization's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

Extended health and dental benefits

Three weeks paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Registered pension plan

Investment in professional development

Qualifications

• Experience in a similar role is preferred but not required.
• Familiar with the challenges facing youth experiencing homelessness.

Responsibilities

• Provide youth with safe, affordable housing and support.
• Assist youth with life skills, employment, and education plans.
• Respond to emergencies using trauma-informed practice.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills

Self-Care

Goal Setting

Education

Diploma or degree related to social service

Tools

First Aid

Non-Violent Crisis Intervention

Basic Computer Skills

Job description

As we serve vulnerable youth, all employees working for Covenant House Vancouver must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Proof of vaccination status will be required prior to your start date.

Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has provided relentless support for youth experiencing, or at-risk of experiencing, homelessness. We provide support to young people age 16 to 24 who have experienced a wide range of early life and ongoing, complex trauma; including physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. Our purpose is to serve all youth, with absolute respect and unconditional love, to help youth experiencing homelessness, and provide a safe and supportive environment for all youth in need.

Working at Covenant House will be one of the most meaningful things that you’ll do in your life. However, you will be confronted with significant issues in this work and frankly, this work is not for everyone. In the course of doing your work, particularly for those doing frontline work, you will be exposed to the trauma of others. The youth we serve may also experience overdose, physical harm perpetuated by self or others and even death. Because we provide a relational model of care, the harms our youth experience can impact us in varying degrees.

While we provide training for youth workers on avoiding what we call vicarious trauma (namely, the trauma you can experience or take on by hearing other’s traumatic stories), and a generous allowance for counselling, it is still difficult work that can and does take its toll on many employees. Self-awareness and self-care are key. Some candidates and employees decide during the recruiting and probationary periods that this work isn’t for them, and that is totally fair.

We will provide more information on vicarious trauma during recruiting and on-boarding, to help you decide if Covenant House is the place for you.

The Impact a Youth Worker in the Rights of Passage Program can make:

Your primary role as a youth worker is to provide youth with safe, affordable housing and support while they transition to independent living. Working in the Right’s of Passage Program, you will offer support to youth residing in their private apartments. You will support youth with life skills, support them to maintain employment and/or develop an education plan. You will also celebrate the youth with their achievements!

How you will contribute:

• Greet and welcome youth accessing CHV services, assess and respond to their immediate needs, and provide them with practical resources including food, clothing, transportation
• Initiate, develop and maintain relationships with at risk youth 16-24 years of age
• Upon entry to the Program, introduce the services provided, orient new youth, complete program intake/admission
• Work collaboratively with other staff to assist youth in identifying attainable short and long-term goals, strategies for meeting these goals, and an action plan for implementation
• Assist youth with accessing external community supports and accompany them if needed
• Support youth with Life Skills, including cooking, money management, self-care and goal setting
• Respond to any emergencies or potential behavioral, mental health, emotional, or substance use concerns using trauma-informed practice
• Manage youth case files, including all relevant reporting and documentation
• Attend all training as directed by your manager
• Clean, search, and remake resident rooms at discharge
• Laundry as needed
• Front Desk and reception duties as required
• Other duties as required

Who are we looking for?

Education and Experience:

• Diploma or degree related to social service
• Experience in a similar role is preferred but not required
• First Aid & Non-Violent Crisis Intervention is an asset
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Familiar with the challenges facing youth who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability
• Familiarity with substance misuse
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries with the Youth
• Basic computer skills

Compensation

The successful candidate can expect a starting hourly rate of between $23.92 and $29.90 depending on factors such as internal equity, experience, competencies, and education. Once hired, the hourly rates are reviewed annually following the annual performance review and successful employees have the opportunity for their hourly rate to increase, over time, up to the maximum of the pay band, currently $35.88.

Total Rewards

Beginning immediately, this position has excellent extended health and dental benefits for you, your spouse, and your children, including generous counselling benefits. During the first year, employees receive three weeks’ paid vacation, increasing to four in the second year. We have paid sick leave, paid personal leave, a registered pension plan, investment in professional development, and more. If you’d like more information on what we offer, please ask!re information on what we offer, please ask!

We were recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2024!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Covenant House Vancouver is a secular organization that welcomes and serves young people from all backgrounds. While the international federation to which we belong was founded in the 1970s by members of the Catholic Church, we are not aligned with any specific faith traditions.

CHV is committed to upholding diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace. We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:

• Persons from groups marginalized due to race, ancestry, colour, religion/spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
• Persons with visible (physical) and/or invisible (mental) disabilities;
• Persons who identify as women;
• Persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; and

We recognize that many of these identities intersect and that therefore, diversity, equity, and inclusion can be complex. We value the contributions that each person brings and are committed to ensuring full and equal participation for all at Covenant House Vancouver.

We love what we do and try to make a difference every day. Covenant House Vancouver offers a competitive salary with a great benefits package and excellent opportunity for training and career advancement. If you are looking to join a place where we have a purpose and aim to achieve positive outcomes, please join us by applying.

If our recruitment process does not work for you, let us know. Let’s see how we can work together to get to know you and see what might be a great fit!