Lead Youth Engagement Specialist

Founded in 2017, Covenant House Illinois (CHIL) provides critical protection and resources for youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness throughout Chicagoland and across Illinois. To date, CHIL has served nearly 2,000 young people, administering tailored, wraparound services, including interim and transitional shelter, workforce and education programming, clinical case management, life-skills training, and more to help youth permanently escape the cycle of homelessness.

CHIL's programs and services are youth affirming, supportive, and rooted in harm reduction and trauma-sensitive care. With a newly renovated campus on Chicago’s west side and a recently enacted three-year strategic plan outlining a comprehensive vision of program expansion and service innovation, CHIL is uniquely positioned to meet the emerging needs of young people experiencing housing instability and provide the resources and care they need to achieve sustainable independence.

Position Summary

This position provides direct, individualized, supportive care through purposeful engagement with youth who reside in our residential program and/or who attend the drop-in program while establishing positive rapport with peers and partnering agencies. The Lead Youth Engagement Specialist provides day-to-day task coordination for services delivered to youth in collaboration with management. This role serves as a resource to team members by offering informal guidance, mentorship, and modeling of best practices.

While not having supervisory or disciplinary authority, the Lead is expected to demonstrate advanced proficiency in all Youth Engagement Specialist responsibilities, foster positive collaboration among peers, and promote consistent, high-quality service delivery through effective communication and professional leadership, and notifies management of any barriers affecting tasks coordination or service completion that require supervisor follow-up.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities: (Covenant House Illinois reserves the right to unilaterally modify, remove, or add to any of the following)

• Mission and Standards of Procedure:
• Ensure the provision of trauma-informed care and the highest quality delivery of services to youth in accordance with the Covenant House Mission Statement, Principles, and Core Values.
• Contribute to a clean and organized facility through light physical work and inspection of common spaces.
• Flexibility to work holidays and weekends as scheduled; holidays are distributed fairly across staff.
• Engage youth using Positive Youth Development, Harm Reduction, and motivational interviewing strategies.
• Supervise youth activities and maintain a calm, welcoming, and emotionally/physically safe space.
• Build empathetic, non-judgmental relationships with youth, ensuring their voice is valued in case planning.
• Maintain confidentiality while complying with mandated reporting, duty to warn, HIPAA, and legal guidelines.
• Relentless Engagement
• Supervise and engage youth in day-to-day activities with empathy and respect, maintaining a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment.
• Support youth and model for others effective Trauma-Informed Care, Harm Reduction, and Positive Youth Development frameworks.
• Assist in the creation and implementation of individualized success plans for youth assigned for Relentless Engagement initiative.
• Escort youth to external appointments and community-based services, promoting autonomy and life skill development.
• Responsible for submission of daily census and data reporting assigned.
• Serve meals to youth when kitchen staff are unavailable, and ensure space is cleaned up after meals have been completed.
• Prepare and distribute lunch bags to youth.
• Participate in wanding and bag checks of youth entering the space to ensure the safety of the facility.
• Participate in room searches when directed by supervisor.
• Routinely check and respond to emails and all other agency approved forms of communications in a timely manner.
• Facilitate group services, activities, and peer support meetings.
• Facilitate and support group programming that fosters peer connection and builds coping skills.
• Assist youth with daily…