Mentor Navigator

At Covenant House Alaska we are in the people business.  We provide holistic services to young people who come to us from circumstances beyond their control.  Our people provide absolute respect and unconditional love to youth who deserve a chance to be the best version of themselves.  When you join our team, you become part of a massive movement to interrupt the path to chronic adult homelessness.  The pay is competitive, the benefits package is best in class and the experience is life changing. We look forward to meeting you. 

Position Summary

All Covenant House Alaska program staff work as advocates and allies for youth experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and who are at increased risk for human trafficking. 

The Mentor Navigator provides and ensures high quality trauma informed services delivery in Success Planning and mentoring through collaboration with the youth on their caseload. The Mentor Navigator will build intentional relationships with youth, engage them in a variety of programming, assist in providing desired referrals to residents, and work through their stages of change in order to drive toward long-term positive outcomes. The Mentor Navigator will provide group and one-on-one mentoring activities for youth both onsite at the MACK House and with offsite partner locations. 

Essential Functions

• Understand, practice, and promote the vision, mission, and five principles of Covenant House Alaska.
• Performs intakes, assessments and discharges, answers the telephones, and assists in the operating needs of the MACK House or other program elements.   
• Maintain intentional contact with every assigned participant on a weekly basis to collaborate on Success Plans and assist in the attainment of goals derived from the youth.
• Relentlessly engage and be present in young people’s lives, especially through times of relapse and crisis. 
• Engage youth in appropriate educational, vocational, and life skill programming.
• Employ early de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques to help keep youth in residence at the Mack House whenever possible and safe
• Maintain a positive and professional working relationship with the general public, including placement agencies and families of the youth we serve.
• Maintain a high level of ethical standards.
• Demonstrate an enthusiastic commitment to the job and the Agency.
• Ensure the safety of youth seen by CHA at all times.
• Provide security of the building, including the surrounding area.
• Assists new residents with program orientation.
• Provide referral and case management services to youth 
  • Document in youth files 
  • Create client-centered Success Plans for individual youth
  • Establish and maintain contact with all community agencies as outlined in the Success Plan 
  • Establish discharge and aftercare plans for youth leaving the program
• Provide program support services such as teaching meal preparing and food shopping with budget, independent living skills, coordinating recreational activities, providing referrals to supportive services, and maintain notifications for youth.
• Understand housing resources including rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, transitional living programs, and independent housing and navigate youth to those resources.
• Assists in packing and storing resident’s belongings, assists residents with move in and move out along with preparing rooms for new residents.
• Inspects and assists in maintaining rooms and common areas for cleanliness, maintenance, and safety issues. 
• Utilize a client-centered approach that emphasizes client choice while recognizing the innate resiliency and unique strengths and abilities of every young person.
• Help clients develop permanent connections in the community, including peer support, mentors, non-offending family members or guardians, volunteers and other caring adults.
• Participate in case conferencing meetings to advocate for and assist youth, including (but not limited to) child welfare team decision meetings (TDMs).
• Engage in goal setting with young people to help them achieve success in four core outcome areas: 1) Safety, security, and stability, 2) Education & Employment, 3) Permanent Connections, and 4) Well-being.
• Ensure accurate file audits, data entry in all required data systems and information reporting for the MACK House.
• Maintain Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) data base through data entry of all work with participants on a weekly basis and all other tools as required for evaluation purposes.
• In partnership with CHA Community Partners, provide support, supervision and facilitation of youth’s health and wellness needs.
• Keep supervisor fully informed at all times.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education

 Bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Social Work, Psychology or a related field is preferred. Relevant work experience may be substituted for degree on a year-by-year basis. 

Minimum Experience

 Experience working with adolescent or disadvantaged populations, including trafficking victims, is preferred; life, volunteer, and internship experience will be considered. Subject matter expertise or lived experience preferred. 

Knowledge Skills and Abilities Required

• Understand and comply with all Agency policies and procedures; including Child Protection Policies.
• Understand and comply with all principles of Trauma-Informed Care, Harm Reduction, and Positive Youth Development.  
• Willingness to acquire basic concepts in care coordination for adolescents and young adults and incorporate into service-provision.
• Is approachable, relatable, builds rapport well, and practices active listening with individuals of varied cultural backgrounds, embracing differences in behavior and lifestyle choices.
• Knowledge of crisis intervention and ability to address conflict between youth exhibiting challenging behaviors; able to respond quickly and safely while continuing to be a settling influence in crisis situations and emergencies.
• High degree of sensitivity to and respect for diversity and cultural issues involved in working with individuals of varying ethnicities and income.
• Understand best practices in the areas of prevention, recognition, and response to suspected and identified victims of human trafficking.
• Willingness to engage with partner human trafficking service agencies and law enforcement. Understand the intersectionality of youth homelessness, mental health, substance misuse, human trafficking and poverty.
• Knowledge of community social service resources to assist youth with needs related to safety and security, healing, housing, employment, education, and well-being.
• Can maintain confidentiality while understanding and complying with requirements of mandated reporting, duty to warn, HIPAA, and other limits to confidentiality.
• Willingness to utilize training opportunities in support of personal and professional growth, competence development, and to increase overall capacity to serve youth every day.
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient with standard computer operating systems. Ability to navigate Microsoft Office Suite, online databases, and other programs and websites as required.
• Willingness and ability to work outside of normal business hours as well as Holidays and weekends as needed.
• Able to accommodate a wide range of physical activity, including but not limited moving up and down the stairs, lifting up to 50 pounds, driving, and physically assist youth if needed.
• Willingness and ability to attain a CPR/First Aid Certification.
• Possess a current and valid Driver’s License and have a good driving record.
• Pass federal, state, and local background check investigations.

Working Conditions 

• Position works in a variety of Program environments (Commercial and Residential)
• Noise level is mild to moderate, consistent with office and residential environments.
• Must have the ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• Must have the ability to observe details within close range.
• Must be able to remain in stationary position for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to move within the office to access files and office equipment.
• Consistently operates a computer and related office machinery.
• Must be able to ascend/descend stairways within a wide variety of facilities with and possibly without the assistance of an elevator
• Occasionally moves items up to 40 pounds while ascending/descending stairways.

Covenant House is an Equal Opportunity Employer