Youth Stabilization Specialist

Youth Stabilization Specialist

Location: New York City, NY

Position Type: Full-Time

Reports To: Director of Programs or Designee

Schedule: 11am to 7pm

About exalt

exalt elevates expectations of personal success for youth ages 15-19 who have had contact with the criminal justice system. We inspire youth at a critical crossroads to believe in their worth, from the first steps in contemplation through the journey to create lasting behavioral change. Our powerful combination of structured classes for tangible skill development, individualized support to navigate the education and justice systems, placement in paid internships and an alumni network of resources equips youth with the tools and experience to avoid further criminal justice system involvement. At exalt, we empower youth to see a future filled with hope, and we provide the road map to get there.

As exalt continues to deepen its impact in New York City, the organization is strengthening its capacity to support young people facing significant barriers, particularly those transitioning from detention and returning to their families, schools, and communities.

Position Summary

The Youth Stabilization Specialist provides intensive, individualized, and coordinated support to young people experiencing significant barriers to stability, educational engagement, and successful participation in exalt's programming.

The position will focus particularly on young people transitioning from detention, who may require immediate assistance with housing, identification documents, school enrollment, family relationships, court obligations, behavioral health referrals, and other essential needs.

The specialist will serve as a consistent point of support throughout the young person's engagement with exalt, including the classroom phase, paid internship experience, and transition to alumni services.

Working closely with exalt's staff and external partners, the specialist will coordinate individualized stabilization plans that address immediate needs while supporting longer-term educational, professional, and personal development.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish trusting, consistent relationships with young people experiencing significant personal, educational, and justice-system challenges.
• Conduct comprehensive assessments of immediate needs, strengths, barriers, and available support systems.
• Develop, implement, and update individualized stabilization plans in collaboration with young people and relevant exalt staff.
• Provide intensive case management with regular follow-up, adjusting services as circumstances change throughout the young person's participation in exalt.
• Assist young people in obtaining essential identification documents, including birth certificates, Social Security cards, state identification, and other necessary records.
• Coordinate access to emergency housing, transitional housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and other essential resources.
• Identify emerging concerns and barriers at home, school, court, or internship and coordinate timely responses to prevent disruptions in program participation.
• Attend court appearances with young people when appropriate, providing practical assistance, emotional support, and continuity of engagement.
• Coordinate with the Court Advocate team, defense attorneys, probation, and other authorized stakeholders to address barriers to stability.
• Help young people understand, prepare for, and meet court-related obligations, without duplicating the formal advocacy of court staff.
• Conduct school visits and participate in school meetings and educational planning, as appropriate. Assist young people in navigating school reentry following detention, including enrollment, transfers, and access to academic records.
• Work collaboratively with exalt's Education Liaison and instructional staff to advocate for educational resources and supportive interventions that promote school attendance and educational progress.
• Support connections to high school equivalency programs, alternative educational settings, vocational training, and postsecondary pathways when appropriate.
• Work closely with internship and program staff to identify potential barriers to successful placement, participation, and completion, including attendance concerns, interpersonal challenges, and other difficulties as they arise.
• Maintain regular contact with young people during their internships to assess stability, engagement, and emerging needs.
• Coordinate with internship staff to address attendance concerns, interpersonal challenges, or other difficulties that may threaten successful internship completion.
• Provide coaching and problem-solving to help young people navigate workplace challenges, family responsibilities, and other circumstances that may affect internship success.
• Support successful completion of the internship phase and transition into alumni services, education, or employment.
• Build relationships with families and caregivers, including identifying safe and supportive living arrangements.
• Facilitate communication, collaborative problem-solving, and conflict resolution between young people and their families, caregivers, and support networks when interpersonal challenges affect a young person's stability, including mediation when appropriate, voluntary, and safe, and within the specialist's training and scope of practice.
• Support young people in developing self-advocacy, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Identify and respond to urgent needs that may affect a young person's safety, stability, or continued program engagement.
• Identify, assess and maintain a current network of effective agencies and organizations that provide essential resources and specialized services to youth. Evaluate each for quality, accessibility, eligibility requirements, capacity and responsiveness to young people.
• Provide trauma-informed support and de-escalation within established organizational protocols.
• Coordinate access to essential resources and specialized services, including emergency and transitional housing, food, transportation, healthcare, mental health and crisis intervention services, substance use treatment, family support, mediation, and restorative justice programs. Follow up to confirm that young people are connected and that services meet their needs.
• Collaborate with appropriate professionals and community partners to support continuity of care.
• Participate in coordinated safety planning when necessary.
• Maintain clear professional boundaries and refer clinical matters to appropriately qualified providers.
• Participate in regular case conferences and interdisciplinary meetings with Court Advocacy, Education, Program, and Internship staff, as well as school meetings educational planning discussions, and meetings with internship partners, to ensure stabilization needs are considered in service planning. Attend school and internship partner meetings as appropriate and in coordination with the staff responsible for those relationships.
• Maintain clear communication regarding youth needs, progress, challenges, and required follow-up to the Court Advocacy team while maintaining appropriate confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• Support continuity of services as young people transition between phases of exalt's program.
• Document services, referrals, interventions, and progress in organizational case management systems.
• Identify recurring barriers and service gaps and contribute to improvements in program coordination.
• Collaborate with the Alumni team to ensure appropriate continuity of support following program completion.

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, education, criminal justice, human services, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Minimum of three years of experience working directly with justice-involved youth or young adults experiencing significant barriers.
• Experience in intensive case management, youth reentry, crisis intervention, educational advocacy, or community-based services.
• Familiarity with New York City's youth justice, education, housing, and social service systems.
• Experience collaborating with courts, schools, families, and community organizations.
• Strong relationship-building, communication, crisis response, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently in community settings while maintaining strong coordination with internal teams.
• Commitment to trauma-informed, culturally responsive, strength-based, and youth-centered practice.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to maintain accurate and confidential case documentation.

Preferred

• Master's degree in social work, counseling, education, or a related field.
• Experience working with young people transitioning from detention or other institutional settings.
• Knowledge of New York City Family Court, Criminal Court, school reentry, and youth housing resources.
• Training in mediation, restorative practices, or conflict resolution.
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong youth engagement skills, sound judgment, resourcefulness, accountability, cultural responsiveness, and the ability to work collaboratively across multiple systems.

The specialist must be comfortable working with young people experiencing complex circumstances while maintaining high expectations, appropriate boundaries, and a belief in each young person's capacity for growth and success.

Work Environment

This is a primarily in-person and community-based position requiring regular travel throughout New York City. Responsibilities may include attending court appearances, conducting school visits, meeting with families and community partners, visiting internship sites, and providing direct support at exalt