Hope Center Young Adult Support Specialist

Position Information

Title: Emergency Shelter Young Adult Support Specialist

FLSA Status:  Hourly, Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Location:  Hope Center

Reports to: YA Emergency Shelter Program Coordinator

Job Description

    Support Specialists at Rod’s House focus on providing a safe and stable environment for young adults to learn new skills in order to thrive on their own in the community. Support Specialists help support a wide-spectrum of needs for young people (ages 18-24) experiencing homelessness throughout Yakima County. Support Specialists play a pivotal role as guides for young people so they may progress from temporary sheltering to permanent, safe, and stable housing.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Engage with young adults to make them feel welcome, safe, and supported;

• Collaborate with case managers and the program coordinator on how best to support young adults

• Connect young adults to community and on-site resources to ensure basic needs are met;

• Appropriately respond to and coach young adults  through verbal, physical, and emotional altercation;

• Prevent and de-escalate situations as they arise;

• Maintain a positive, non-judgemental, trauma-informed approach;

• Actively seek opportunities to be inclusive and equitable.  

• Go on outings with young adults to embrace more life experiences outside the emergency home

• Help them learn life skills; cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, budgeting, laundry, resume building 

• Escort young adults to designated activities and meal times;

• Assist with housekeeping duties in the emergency home, Rod’s House after hours, and ensure cleanliness and tidiness at all times;

• Ensure a safe environment for fellow employees, volunteers and residents;

• Conduct fire watch with proper documentation;

• Ensure completion of closing duties each morning to ensure sites are ready for operations;

• Monthly assigned tasks

• Daily responsibility checklist

• Deep cleaning throughout the week/Sunday deep cleaning

• Participate in monthly program outcome reporting with all program staff;

• Complete data entry tasks, as assigned

• Maintain proper record keeping and documentation

• Ensure standard operating procedures are clearing defined, updated, and followed;

• Regularly assess policies, procedures and processes and recommend improvements;

• Provide general assistance and support as directed. 

• Attend weekly staff meetings (Wednesdays mandatory)

Education and/or Experience

• High school diploma or GED Required

• Must be at least 21 years of age Required

• Valid driver’s license and auto insurance Required

• Bilingual (Spanish-English)  Preferred 

• At least 1 year experience working directly with youth (ages 13-17) and young adults (ages 18-24), particularly youth and young adults experiencing homelessness OR 2 years of social services education Required

Salary/Compensation and Benefits 

• Starting hourly wage of $17.30

• Medical, Dental, and Vision

• Vacation Time

• Sick Time

• 401K

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• At least 1 year experience working directly with youth, particularly youth experiencing homelessness

• Effective communication and problem solving skills

• Ability to work with young people in crisis; 

• Willingness to learn and teach new things;

• Ability to maintain confidentiality;

Work Conditions and Physical Requirements 

Shifts could include evening, early mornings, or weekends, including holidays. This position requires daily interactions with youth experiencing homelessness and with community members, social service providers, and other organizations.. Physical requirements for the position include frequent walking, hearing, seeing, speaking, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, grasping, climbing, and repetitive motions. This position requires exerting up to 50 pounds of force to lift, carry, pull, or move objects. 

Rod’s House is all about building authentic connections. We are committed to equity and inclusion and

are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people with lived experience of homelessness and those who identify as LGBTQ and people of color to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Rod’s House will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability so that they can perform the essential functions of a job unless doing so causes a direct threat to these individuals or others in the workplace and the threat cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation or if the accommodation creates an undue hardship to Rod’s House.