Residential Counselor

TITLE:  Residential Counselor Part-Time

SALARY: $23.00 - $25.75 Hourly

STATUS: Non-exempt/ Union

SCHEDULE: 20 Hours per week, 2pm-11pm shift, primarily weekend shifts (Friday-Sunday), 2 hour weekly staff meeting (virtual) on Wednesdays 2pm-4pm. 

PROGRAM:  Huckleberry House Youth Shelter

SUPERVISOR:  Residential Manager

AGENCY DESCRIPTION: 

For over 50 years, Huckleberry Youth Programs (HYP) has partnered with Bay Area youth and families to overcome adversity. Huckleberry strengthens families and empowers young people with services that promote safety in times of crisis, physical and emotional health and well-being, social justice in communities facing inequity, and educational success. We provide a continuum of services rooted in the fundamental rights of young people to be safe, healthy, educated, & treated justly. As a result, youth are diverted away from violence, crime, as well as other harmful behaviors, including running away, drug/alcohol abuse, risky sexual activities, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. 

Huckleberry House, was the first shelter in the U.S. for runaway and homeless youth and has served as a model for hundreds of other adolescent shelters nationally. Huckleberry House provides youth experiencing any form of instability with access to temporary shelter, therapy services, case management, linkage to additional services and after-care follow up.

DUTIES   

1. Provisions of house coverage includes:
   1. Direct supervision of the youth in the shelter, on outings in the community, during meetings and/or appointments, etc.
   2. Conduct intake assessments with youth and engage with parents, legal guardians, and/or other involved adults
   3. Provide crisis counseling for any and all clients and/or their families who access services in person and/or over the phone. 
   4. Support with phone coverage including answering phones, responding to incoming crisis, business, information, and referral calls
   5. Assist with aspects of case management as assigned by Case Manager(s) or Program Director including referrals, collaboration with community partners, collaboration with Huckleberry clinicians, etc.
   6. Participate in a minimum of one overnight shift per week
   7. Support with emergency shift coverage when necessary
2. Supervision of in-house clients as follows:
   1. Provide supervision of clients at all times in alignment with their case plan and daily schedule.
   2. Supervise activities including group time, homework time, meal time, phone time, and bedtime prep.
   3. Supervise clients on an awake overnight shift and ensure compliance with all licensing regulations. 
   4. Ensure that all community agreements are upheld by clients and other staff to ensure client safety at all times

1. Client engagement includes:
   1. Educate clients on tools, themes, and resources that will uplift and improve their life skills including support with identifying better coping skills, identifying steps needed to achieve their case plan goals, etc.
   2. Reinforce and model boundaries and conflict resolution
   3. Conduct “check-ins” with clients as needed or requested by either client, case manager, or management. 
   4. Support with creating, planning, and/or facilitating activities for clients in alignment with their case plan 
   5. Create a safe environment for the youth to explore their healing journey, identify areas of personal growth, and feel empowered to advocate for themselves with the support of staff.
2. Support with household maintenance including:
   1. Providing support with maintaining a clean and safe facility at all times by ensuring that light cleaning and organization of space is completed on each shift as needed. 
   2. Completing the Overnight Checklist during the awake overnight to ensure that the facility is prepared for the next day
   3. Notifying management of any facility repairs that require attention and supporting with coordinating arrangements of the repairs as instructed by management.
3. Ensure that all Community Care Licensing regulations are being followed at all times
4. Attend all necessary meetings as directed by the Program Director including daily client review, weekly staff meetings that take place on Wednesdays 2pm-4pm, weekly Supervision check-ins with management, and other agency related meetings. 
5. Perform any other duties related to this position as directed by the Program Director

COMPETENCIES:

1. Perform tasks and responsibilities in a complete and timely manner, complying with agency policies and standards. 
2. Adhere to the scheduling requirements of this job description and program
3. Maintain a creative, team-building, cooperative approach to job performance and seek to bring a constructive, problem-solving orientation to all tasks
4. Maintain an awareness of the agency’s mission and work to promote the positive individual and social change goals it embodies
5. Exercise discretion and professional judgment at all times in conjunction with the responsibility carried personally and by the agency for the care and welfare of the youth and their families.
6. Actively strive to improve personal and professional development by participating in adequate training experiences

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Previous experience engaging with youth and their families in a setting that promoted youth advocacy, case management, youth centered services, and/or provides crisis services 
• Willingness to work evenings, weekends, and an awake overnight shift (awake overnight shift is mandatory)
• Possess a valid CA driver’s license and possess a driving history that allows candidate to be enrolled into the Agencies auto policy 
• Historically demonstrated ability to work as part of a team
• Highly organized, creative, innovative

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience working with youth in a residential setting
• Ability to speak Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese at a professional capacity

SECURITY CLEARANCE:

• Must pass Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks. Due to our licensing requirements, candidates with backgrounds including items on the non-exemptible crimes list will not be eligible for exemptions at this time. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This position works at Huckleberry House. This role routinely includes driving and transporting youth. The position also includes the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. Huckleberry House is located in San Francisco and is accessible by public transportation.    

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear and sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, climb stairs and use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools and controls. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:

Huckleberry Youth Programs is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal opportunity to its employees and applicants for employment without discrimination on the basis of race; color; ethnic background; religion; gender; gender identity or expression; sexual orientation; national origin; ancestry; age; marital status; pregnancy, childbirth, or other related medical condition; disability, including HIV-related conditions; or status as a covered veteran. This policy applies to every aspect of employment, including but not limited to: hiring, advancement, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, compensation, benefits, training and working conditions.  

FAIR CHANCE:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records

Huckleberry Youth Programs is committed to workforce diversity. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be at least twenty one years of age as of the beginning of the assignment and must be able to make an 11-month commitment. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

For more information, please visit www.huckleberryyouth.org.