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 plans, and an outstanding retirement plan. Put your passion for racial equity and social justice to work - apply today!

What You'll Do

This position has a social justice component that will require critical thinking around how external systems impact the work that we are doing through the lens of racism and intersections with poverty. Knowing the core principals 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. As an equal opportunity employer, we highly encourage people of color to apply.

The Lead Family Support Specialist will deliver services for residents that are strength based, personalized and designed to equip families with the skills and support they need to achieve housing stability. Upon entry an assessment of needs will be completed to identify strengths and barriers and assess their need for services and assist them in reaching their personal and housing goals. This position will also be available to community members to assist with; job readiness skills, connect to Work Source resources, conduct assessments, provide job training workshops, assist clients with job retention, wage progression and money and time management skills. Maintain records of client progress, complete reports on demographics and achievement of program outcomes, enter data into the Safe Harbors HMIS system, will work with employers to develop job opportunities and to ensure that clients are meeting workplace expectations and may also facilitate resident meetings, support groups, job clubs and workshops.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we highly encourage people of color to apply

Expectations of your role:

• • Office Management
    
    • Work with the Director to develop office protocols for strength based culturally relevant and holistic approach
    • Provides coordination, support, supervision and scheduling for support staff to include Family Support Specialists, Custodian, Office Assistant, Volunteers, Interns and Practicum Students
    • Reviews, completes and submits to Director timesheets for all support staff
    • Ensures Family Support Specialists have completed their internal tracking sheet on or before the 25th of every month
    • Ensure that all Health and Safety practices are followed by YWCA policies and procedures
    Housing Case Management
    • Assesses client's basic needs at entry and ongoing
    • Provides clients with support services and/or makes referrals or linkages to other community agencies to resolve barriers to housing, employment and other basic needs
    • Works as a member of case management team and in partnership with other community service providers to deliver support services and ensure follow-through; develops and maintains these collaborative relationships
    • Maintains complete and accurate client files
    • Prepares and submits reports that meet YWCA and program contract
    • Facilitate resident meetings, educational classes, workshops and presentations
    • Meet with clients on a regular basis, maintain case files, documents services provided and tracks client progress and referrals
    Employment
    • Initiates and develops relationships with local employers for the purpose of developing job and internship opportunities and placing clients
    • Supports clients in maintaining employment following placement by making regular direct contracts and/or working with job retention specialists to provide need services
    • Identifies employer needs for skills and training
    Other Responsibilities
    • Implement all work by incorporating the YWCA's Social Justice Initiative by understanding how racism, sexism, classism and other oppressions 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

Must have's to be successful:

• Experience working with communities of color; Demonstrate understanding of the intersection of racism and poverty
• (2) years professional experience in providing case management services to families
• Professional experience as a service provider in areas of crisis intervention, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health, employment services, low income and homeless families
• Knowledge of community services available in Seattle-King County for low-income families
• Knowledge of Seattle-King County low income, public and subsidized housing programs
• Excellent communication, organizational and interpersonal skills
• Basic computer literacy
• Valid Washington State driver's license, reliable transportation, and insurance.
• Core competencies expected: Communication: Oral and Written, Attention to Detail, Relationship Building, Crisis Management, Resilience, Analytical Thinking, Coaching, Discernment/Judgment, Organizational Understanding, Problem Solving, Social Justice Advocacy

Hours, Rate, and Benefits

• Hourly Rate: $28.00
• Hours: 40 Hours per week
• Excellent benefits package including medical insurance, retirement plan, plus generous vacation, holiday, and sick leave plans. For more information about our benefits, please visit: YWCA Careers & Benefits Information
• At the time of hire, employees may enroll voluntarily in the Fidelity 403b Plan
• After two years of employment, employees are eligible to participate in the YWCA Retirement Fund

Physical Requirements

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. In performing this position, the employee:
  
  • Continuously exchanges information through listening and talking with clients, agency staff, employers, representatives of community organizations and other individuals in the community
  • Frequently stands, walks, sits, and climbs in performing duties in the office and in traveling to off-site meetings
  • Frequently reaches and grasps in using telephones, computers, fax machines and other office equipment and supplies
  • Frequently lifts and carry up to 5 lbs. of paperwork, files, and training materials, occasionally up to 40 lbs.
  • Frequently to occasionally performs close work while updating files, reading program information, and using computer
  • Occasionally kneels, bends, pushes and pulls in obtaining files in drawers
  * Continuously over 80% time, Frequently 20-80% time, and occasionally under 20% time

YWCA encourages applicants with a variety of experiences to apply!

At YWCA, we recognize that lived expertise is a powerful asset. This refers to the insights, knowledge, and skills developed by those who have navigated systems and experienced inequity.

Valuing lived expertise helps build trust with program participants, develop culturally responsive programs, and break down barriers to equity. It enriches our collective understanding and enhances our ability to serve communities that are furthest from opportunity.

Mental Health Considerations

All employees of the YWCA interact with clients who have experienced or are experiencing trauma in various forms, including but not limited to, racial trauma, domestic violence, sexual violence, homelessness, unemployment, and financial hardship. As a result, employees are at risk of secondary trauma. We encourage employees to seek support inside and outside the workplace and maintain self-care routines.

Equal Opportunity Employment

YWCA Seattle King Snohomish is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To read more about this, view the EEO is the Law Poster and this EEO is the Law Poster Supplement.

For more information

Contact us at [email protected] with any questions or if you need accommodation for your application.