Youth Empowerment Advocate

The Youth Empowerment Advocate works for Hope thru Soap's, Thrive by Hope program. The YEA is responsible for providing ongoing connection throughout the homeless system engagement for a youth household. They will provide dedicated and consistent support to ensure that the youth in Atlanta have a seamless pathway to access resources in our community to meet their wholistic needs of youth-choice housing, dream preparation, mental empowerment, and wealth building. This is a collaborative, strength based, process asking the youth first what their own unique dream is, then planning action steps for reaching that specific dream sustainably.

This role is expected to carry a caseload of approximately 30 clients annually.
• The YEA is responsible for ensuring youth engaged with the housing system have connection to the “Youth Seamless Services Network” to help participants meet their mental empowerment, dream preparation, and wealth building needs.
• The YEA collaborates with the Youth Dream Team: Youth Outreach team, Youth Empowerment Advocates, Youth Navigator Case Managers and Youth Action Board and is the consistent contact point, directing youth to the resources available to support their goals while following a path to self-sufficiency with ongoing and consistent contact.
• The YEA coordinates the Thrive by Hope mentorship process and pairing, coordinates and assists with professional development classes, life skills classes, financial classes, educational enrichment and employment search, coordinates and connects to overall wellness care for mental health and physical health, and schedules case management meetings with youth dream team and agency partners.

We share in the goal to make housing rare, brief, and non-recurring for youth in our community who encounter homelessness and are seeking an intervention to exit using Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based objectives. Empowerment advocate will focus on wrap-around services and long-term goal planning aspects of the Individual Service Plan.
They will be trained on motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, certified peer support and a referral team approach. Target population is Youth in a Housing Crisis that are literally homeless, have an imminent risk of homelessness and/or fleeing from domestic violence. Targeted Outcomes are stable housing, permanent connections to services, education/employment and social emotional wellbeing.

We will continue to monitor and measure progress for continuous quality improvement thru ongoing proactive monitoring, monitoring outcomes from engagement to housing placement and ongoing stability, assessment of programs, qualitative assessment of youth experience, and measurable increase in stability outcomes for achievements.

Qualifications & Expectations

At least two years of experience working in any capacity of outreach, navigation, case management, coordination of life skills classes, job assistance, or similar role working with youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. Hope thru Soap recognizes relevant lived experience as highly valued and considered a key part of these applicants’ experience. Thus, individuals with six months of lived experience of homelessness/navigating the homeless response system will also be considered qualified. A young adult with lived experience of homelessness is preferred for this role but is not required.

 Excellent communication skills to ensure participants have a good experience.

• Must be able to work some evening or weekend hours if needed. Some remote work required.

• Experience working in the nonprofit sector preferred. 

• Ability to effectively manage self and time management in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Experience using systems and tools such as Microsoft Office Suite and Zoom. 

• Resourceful, creative problem-solver.

• A strong collaborator and comfortable with working in a highly dynamic and team environment.

• Ability to seek guidance when necessary and provide insight, guidance and support in client interaction and program requirements.

• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple clients and projects.

• Organized and goal oriented with a strong attention to detail and commitment to quality.

• Must be a team player and have the ability to be proactive. 

 In cover letter please answer the following if applicable: 

How has your lived experience of homelessness influenced your view of case management? 

What would you do differently if you had a chance to do your own case management with young adults experiencing homelessness?