Family Support Specialist

Why work with YWCA Seattle King Snohomish?

YWCA SKS is the region’s largest non‑profit organization with a 120+ year legacy, focused on the needs of women, with programs serving 7,000 people each year. When you work with YWCA, you make a difference.

We’re women and BIPOC‑led, family‑centered, and supportive of employees. As a full‑time YWCA employee (30+ hours) you’ll enjoy a benefits package including medical insurance, generous vacation, holiday, sick leave and an outstanding retirement plan.

Put your passion for racial equity and social justice to work –
apply today!

This position has a social justice component that requires critical thinking around how external systems impact our work through the lens of racism and intersections with poverty. Knowing the core principles of antiracism and grounding those principles in everyday work, as well as working well in non‑white environments and championing anti‑racism policy, are required job skills and core values.

The Lead Family Support Specialist delivers strength‑based, personalized services that equip families with the skills and support to achieve housing stability. An initial assessment identifies strengths, barriers, and required services, and the specialist helps residents reach personal and housing goals. The role also supports community members with job readiness skills, connects them to Work Source resources, conducts assessments, provides job‑training workshops, and assists clients with job retention, wage progression, and money‑and‑time‑management skills.

The specialist maintains records of client progress, completes reports on demographics and program outcomes, enters data into the Safe Harbors HMIS system, works with employers to develop job opportunities, helps clients meet workplace expectations, and may facilitate resident meetings, support groups, job clubs, and workshops.

• Work with the Director to develop office protocols for a strength‑based, culturally relevant, holistic approach.
• Provide coordination, support, supervision and scheduling for support staff including Family Support Specialists, Custodian, Office Assistant, Volunteers, Interns and Practicum Students.
• Review, complete and submit timesheets for all support staff.
• Ensure Family Support Specialists complete their internal tracking sheet on or before the 25th of each month.
• Ensure that all health and safety practices are followed by YWCA policies and procedures.

• Assess clients’ basic needs at entry and ongoing.
• Provide clients with support services and/or make referrals or linkages to other community agencies to resolve barriers to housing, employment and other basic needs.
• Work as part of the case‑management team and in partnership with other community service providers to deliver services and ensure follow‑through; develop and maintain these collaborative relationships.
• Maintain complete and accurate client files.
• Prepare and submit reports that meet YWCA and program contract requirements.
• Facilitate resident meetings, educational classes, workshops and presentations.
• Meet with clients regularly, maintain case files, document services and track client progress and referrals.

• Initiate and develop relationships with local employers to create job and internship opportunities and place clients.
• Support clients in maintaining employment after placement by making regular direct contacts and/or working with job‑retention specialists to provide needed services.
• Identify employer needs for skills and training.

• Implement all work by incorporating the YWCA’s Social Justice Initiative, understanding how racism, sexism, classism and other oppress ions intersect and are embedded in all institutions and systems.
• Recognize that solving racism is the root of how we understand and heal from these –isms.
• Develop and implement quality assurance, procedural flow charting and system development for housing services in collaboration with housing operations.

• Experience working with communities of color.
• Demonstrate understanding of the intersection of racism and poverty.
• Two (2) years professional experience in…