Youth Development & LGBTQ Specialist

About Covenant House New York

Join a Legacy of Hope and Empowerment at Covenant House New York!

For over 50 years, Covenant House New York (CHNY) has been at the forefront of transforming lives by providing comprehensive shelter, housing, and wrap-around support services for vulnerable homeless, runaway, and exploited youth. As the largest provider of these essential services in New York City, CHNY impacts the lives of over 1,500 young people aged 16-24 every year.

At CHNY, our doors are open to all young people in need, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. Our dedicated team offers various services, including shelter, housing, education, employment, health, mental health support, youth development, and anti-human trafficking initiatives. We operate with harm reduction and trauma-informed principles to ensure the best care for our youth.

But our mission goes beyond immediate support. We are passionate advocates for systemic change, influencing public policy, and raising awareness of the critical issues surrounding youth homelessness. Our ultimate goal is to provide a safe refuge and empower young people to build a brighter future founded on compassion, unconditional love, and absolute respect.

Join us in making a difference in the lives of countless young people. Join a team that inspires long-term transformation and hope.

About the role

The Youth Development & LGBTQ Program Specialist (“YD Specialist”) is responsible for assisting in the creation and implementation of all youth development and LGBTQ programming initiatives at Covenant House New York (CHNY), including in our crisis shelter, new transitional sites in the Bronx (Rights of Passage), and our permanent housing programs (New Covenant and Transitional House/Rapid Re-Housing programs). Reporting to the Youth Development Coordinator, the YD Specialist is an energetic, creative, and detail-oriented self-starter who is mission-focused and thrives on working and building trusting relationships with adolescents and young adults. The YD Specialist is expected to support and assist in creating and implementing an appropriate blend of social and recreational activities, and Life skills workshops, geared towards providing Covenant House youth with a variety of opportunities for growth and development. This includes managing our Restorative Justice Process, creating a monthly program calendar, providing staff coverage, and performing other related work as required. Additionally, the YD Specialist will dedicate 40% of their time to our LGBTQ initiatives, thereby fully actualizing our vision of creating an affirming, empowering, and voice-giving community for LGBTQ youth of color experiencing homelessness. Flexibility, proactivity, and a willingness to work in the evenings and on weekends occasionally are required.

What you'll do

• Work collaboratively with the Youth Development Team to plan, implement, and evaluate life skills programming to ensure opportunities for growth and development are available to all CHNY youth.
• Work collaboratively with the Youth Development Team and Volunteer Partners to develop and/or coordinate agency-wide events and workshops for CHNY youth.
• Manage CHNY’s Restorative Justice Practice
• Assist in managing CHNY’s LGBTQ initiatives, which include: Convening CHNY’s weekly Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Organizing Pride Month activities, and Strengthening our partnerships with LGBTQ-Affirming Non-Profits throughout the City.
• Facilitate New Resident Orientation
• Coordinate and manage agency-wide youth events calendar
• Regularly promote programs so that residents are aware of available opportunities and activities, and motivate residents to participate in program offerings.
• Consistently seek out new activities to meet our youth's needs.
• Provide staff coverage for scheduled nightly program activities to ensure compliance with established regulations.
• Comply with the relevant policies and procedures of Covenant House./Rights of Passage
• De-escalate conflicts among clients through non-violent intervention.
• Instruct and demonstrate to youth Covenant House’s Mission and 5 Principles.
• Attend various meetings and participate in various committees as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned and needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• 2 years of Youth Development experience required
• Experience in providing program support for a childcare non-profit organization preferred.
• Bilingual a plus
• Flexible schedule required; ability to work evenings and weekends required