The Y.O.U. Youth and Family Outreach Counselor will engage disconnected, runaway, and homeless youth in Evanston and provide access to housing, education, employment, healthcare, and other basic needs. The Outreach Counselor will build positive relationships with adolescents, young adults, and families and be able to support youth at key transition points through individual/family therapy, intensive case management, and life skills training using a Trauma-informed approach. This is a full-time position. The Outreach Counselor is supervised by the Director of Clinical and Outreach Services.

Summary of Role:

• Provides direct services to disconnected youth to provide access to critical community-based resources and life skills training.
• Provide ongoing counseling services to individuals, families, and youth in Y.O.U.’s Outreach programs.
• Implements group programs based on client and/or community needs for youth ages 12-21.
• Collaborates with community partners to link youth to immediate needs such as housing, healthcare, employment, education, and social supports.

Areas of Services and Responsibilities:

Direct Service:

• Manages a caseload of 25-30 clients
• Develops programming for groups of youth and staffs weekly Outreach drop-in hours.
• Participates in Y.O.U. committees relevant to Outreach services.
• Builds positive, age-appropriate relationships with disconnected, runaway, and homeless youth.
• Facilitate the Homeless Crisis Response Team, ensuring 24-hour coverage is provided to address potential homeless, runaway, and/or locked-out youth.
• Assists youth in accessing housing, employment, education, healthcare, and other basic needs.

Preventative Services:

• Develops presence in community locations where displaced youth frequent.
• Obtains and assimilates best practices related to restorative justice, trauma-informed, and harm-reduction strategies.
• Attends annual RHY conference to gain, and integrate best practices for disconnected youth

Community Partnerships:

• Collaborates and strengthens partnerships with local youth agencies for purposes of linking youth to critical services and enhancing Outreach programming.

Administrative:

• Maintains accurate, complete, and up-to-date client records including treatment planning and HMIS and data entry.
• Assists with other grant reporting and compliance related to the Outreach program.

Salary Range: Commiserate with Experience

Salary & Benefits

Salary: Salary w/o license requiring supervision is $45,000. Salary w/ license is $47,000.

Hours: Full-time flexible schedule

Benefits include: Health, dental, vision, and term life insurance, PTO, 401K option, FSA/Pre-tax transit option, professional development, and flexible work schedule.

There will be no relocation costs included in this package. Applicants should have a current, valid legal authorization to work in the United States.

To apply, please submit:

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Names/contact information of three professional references

The Organization

Founded in 1971, Y.O.U. is an Evanston-based non-profit that partners with families, schools, and the community to provide academic, social, and emotional support to close the opportunity gap and prepare all youth for post-secondary and life success. Each year, Y.O.U. provides over 1,600 youth across 11 school sites with free, holistic, out-of-school support, including afterschool and summer learning programs, mental health counseling, and experiential learning through partnerships.

Y.O.U. is committed to creating a diverse team environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's in social work, psychology, counseling, or other equivalent.
• Experience providing counseling and casework in a youth-centered work setting (minimum of 2 years of supervised experience in a relevant setting).
• Outstanding counseling and casework skills.
• Experience in and passion for youth services.
• Excellent communication skills, ability to build relationships of mutual trust and respect with youth, colleagues, school professionals, and community members.
• Experience with data collection and proficiency in using technology as a management reporting tool.
• Highly collaborative, entrepreneurial, and energetic personality.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to and passion for Y.O.U.'s mission.

Preferred:

• LCSW or similar certification
• Experience in counseling elementary and/or middle school-aged youth, play therapy, etc.
• Fluency in languages such as Spanish, Assyrian, Arabic, Urdu or Tagalog, including the ability to conduct counseling sessions in multiple languages