Youth in Transition Worker

Voluntary Youth Service Agreement Worker (VYSA)

Full-Time, Permanent

Downtown Toronto

Covenant House helps youth ignite their potential and reclaim their lives. As Canada’s largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk, we offer the widest range of services to hundreds of young people every day.

More than a place to stay, we provide life-changing care with unconditional love and respect. We meet youth’s immediate needs and then we work together to achieve their future goals. We offer 24/7 crisis shelter transitional housing options on-site and, in the community, health and well-being support, training and skill development, and ongoing care once youth move into the community.

For over 40 years, Covenant House has been dedicated to its mission of serving youth on the street and to protect and safeguard all youth with absolute respect and unconditional love. Since 1982, Covenant House has supported more than 100,000 young people.

Overview:

The successful candidate will be responsible for direct implementation of Covenant House philosophy, mission statement, and policies as they pertain to residential care. The incumbent will work collaboratively with local child welfare agencies (CAS) to create and coordinate plans with youth aged 16-17, who are exiting Care, ready to be housed and/or receive aftercare with guidance in navigating community-based supports, teach Life skills and navigate the adult service system independently.

The VYSA program is geared towards 16-17 years old youth in need of protection through the Child Welfare Agency. Designed for youth who don’t feel safe in their current living situations, and/ or have left home and/or homeless because of safety concerns.

This position will report to the Youth In Transition Supervisor.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible to connect with youth in the scattered sites to support their tenancy
• Housing Support
• Responsible to do community orientations, life skills, budget workshops with youth
• Meeting youth in the community, accompanying the youth to appointments, and connecting to other resources
• Working collaboratively with the youth and Child Welfare worker to develop a service plan around securing housing and aftercare components.
• Acting as an advocate for youth with community resources
• Ensuring safety of youth during escorts in the community
• Primary responsibility for a caseload of up to 20 youth
• Monitoring with a Trauma Informed lens
• Data collection via stats due to the MCCSS on a quarterly basis
• Collection of intake information and weekly documentation of progress and monitoring the youth’s case plan
• Communicating youth progress to referring worker and participating in case review meeting on a bi monthly basis
• Participating in program evaluation through completion of outcome tools and surveys with youth
• Completing all documentation relevant to progress of the youth’s case plan with ISP’s on ETO
• Promoting supports to youth in other shelters and work in collaboration with the referring workers from those agencies
• Promoting the program to relevant referral sources

Qualifications/Skills:

• College or university degree or diploma in child and youth work or equivalent;
• Minimum two years’ experience in a shelter or residential setting;
• Knowledge of adolescent developmental theory and specific issues related to street youth;
• Ability to identify, assess and intervene differentially with youth in crisis;
• Demonstrated leadership skills; ability to work from a trauma informed, strength based framework from a DEI perspective;

Interested candidates can submit their resume and cover letter in one document on or by January 16, 2024. Please note, only candidates selected to move forward in our recruitment process will be contacted. No agencies or phone calls please.

At Covenant House Toronto we believe in a workplace culture of inclusion that is welcoming, respectful and safe for all staff. It is critical to Covenant House Toronto success to eliminate barriers and promote the inclusion of equity groups. Equity groups have been, and continue to be, underrepresented and marginalized in the workforce, leadership roles, and in some specific occupations. Equity groups include but may not be limited to Indigenous persons, racialized people, gender diverse people, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities.

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Covenant House Policy on Accommodation, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the Covenant House recruitment process.

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