Youth Engagement Support Staff (Mon thru Wed)

Covenant House New Jersey; Asbury Park (NJ); On-site; USD 28,000 - 33,000; Part time

Job summary

Covenant House New Jersey is seeking a dedicated team member to support youth in a program focused on wellness, education and employment, financial literacy, and social navigation. The role involves direct youth engagement, case management support, and creating a safe, empowering environment in the program.

The incumbent will work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 4:00 PM to 10:30 PM, with an hourly rate of $21.77.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, Sociology, Social Work or related field preferred.
• Preferred experience with youth aged 18–24 facing homelessness or trafficking and/or lived experience.
• Knowledge of NJ public benefits and community resources.
• Must be a self-starter and team player with strong collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of adolescent development and ability to build rapport with youth.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; concise, timely, professional.
• Bilingual in Spanish preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Provide unconditional positive regard to young people.
• Support Case Management to develop positive relationships and goals.
• Welcome youth and orient them to the program structure and resources.
• Maintain medication logs and health-related documentation as needed.
• Cover front desk and building areas as assigned.
• Transport youth when required using agency vehicles.
• Attend supervision and professional development sessions.
• Assist with fundraising events as needed.

Skills

Communication

Team collaboration

Bilingual Spanish

Public benefits knowledge

Education

Bachelor's in psychology

Sociology

Social Work

Tools

Driver's license

Job description

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide unconditional positive regard to young people regardless of their behavior.
• Support Case Management services with the goal of developing positive relationships with young people through the utilization of the case management system, including:
  • Welcome young people to the program, ensure they feel comfortable, safe and understand the program structure, opportunities for engagement, and access to supplies that they might need.
  • Build a supportive relationship with youth that encourages them to find their voice and connects them to opportunities, experiences, and resources that enrich and enhance their lives.
  • Support identified Success Plan goals with each young person.
  • Support the youth’s progress of self-identified goals and coach young people to plan, implement, and follow-through with tasks.
  • Motivate young people to explore and improve wellness, education and employment, financial literacy and social navigation goals and any other areas that will impact their success plan.
  • Monitor youth while taking medication and enter Medication Logs.
  • Engage with youth in daily House Activities. To include assisting in completing chores, dining, joining the gym and other fun activities, bus tickets, and on-going movement throughout the day.
  • Explore and participate with youth in outside activities, which can include trips, walks to parks, visiting college campuses and other experiences that expose and enrich a youth’s time with CHNJ.
  • Provide crisis de-escalation and intervention as necessary according to training and best practices.
  • Document Intake, Orientation and Transitions into ETO, HMIS and case files.
  • Document regular daily progress notes in young people’s case records (HMIS and ETO).
  • Document pertinent information in Youth Incident Report, Medication Logs and House Activity Logs.
  • Facilitate if assigned youth group activities which support the 5 resiliency objectives: Wellness, Social Navigation, Financial Literacy, Education and Employment, on a regular basis.
  • Perform all duties assigned by the supervisor to meet the needs of young people while ensuring adherence to the daily program schedule.
  • Make copies of any forms or documents as assigned.
  • Prepare welcome kits. Sort new donations, organize unit storage closets, replenish youth supplies as requested and/or needed.
  • Do laundry as assigned for youth linens.
  • Clean and prepare vacant residential space to be ready for new intakes.
  • Maintain youth common areas according to cleanliness standards.
  • Count medication nightly and document on medication log, notify supervisor of any inaccuracies.
  • Rotate youth files according to the annual system.
  • Attend supervision with supervisor and meetings as assigned.
  • Attend professional development training as assigned.
  • Read and respond daily to all emails, calendar invites, and any other agency communications.
  • Cover the front desk when required.
  • Cover all areas of the building as assigned.
  • When assigned to transport youth in agency vehicles.
  • Utilizing agency resources for agency use only which include but are not limited to vehicles, computers, telephones.
  • Assists as needed with fundraising affairs and special events which may be conducted outside the employee’s normal work schedule.

Candidate must be available to work the following shift: Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 4:00 PM -10:30 PM.

Hourly Rate: $21.77

Experience and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, Sociology, Social Work or related field preferred.
• Preferred experience with young people ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness or human trafficking and or lived experience.
• Knowledge of public benefits and community in NJ.
• Must be a self-starter and team player with the ability to work well with others. Knowledge of adolescent development and ability to build positive rapport with young people. Excellent communication skills as demonstrated by concise, timely and professional correspondence, both written and verbal. Bilingual in Spanish preferred but not required.
• Must have a valid NJ driver’s license and good driving record. May need to transport clients/staff if required using agency transportation.