Direct Care Staff - South King County Youth Shelter

Job Summary

Supports youth who may have experience in foster care, homelessness, disconnection from school, juvenile justice, and/or other systems in developing the skills to live independently.  Provides general support to youth in family engagement, mental health, health and wellness, education, employment/career development, housing, technology, or other designated field and supports them in achieving their goals. Provides information and referral services.  Creates a welcoming and supportive environment at the YMCA. 

The South King County Youth Shelter, located in Auburn, Washington, is a 24/7 group home for youth ages 12-17, for up to 21 days, who are homeless or at imminent risk of homeless that have been self-referred, referred by a provider, community member, street outreach team, or law enforcement. SKYS staff and case mangers work with youth to increase stabilization, transition youth to safe and stable housing, and work towards family reunification whenever possible.

This position is with the Y Social Impact Center, the social services division of the YMCA of Greater Seattle (YGS), serving around 5000 youth, young adults, and families every year in communities across King County, Pierce County, and various counties across WA. Through our programs we aim to strengthen young people’s ability to develop to their fullest potential through four strategies: reducing risk factors; navigating systems towards successful life transition; establishing stability, safety and wellness in times of crisis; and building competencies and social capital. The Social Impact Center’s programs include homelessness prevention, housing, behavioral health, crisis response, foster care licensing, violence prevention, and employment. Since many of the young people we serve have been involved in the foster care, criminal justice, behavioral health, and/or homelessness systems, we truly value relatable lived experience of our staff and those applying for our positions as an asset.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

Full-Time Role Anticipated Schedule: Sunday through Wednesday* or Sat/Sun 12a-8a

*Hours are subject to change to meet program operation needs

This role is located in Auburn, Washington. 

What you'll get from working at The Y

• Membership to the YMCA of Greater Seattle for you and your household 

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life insurance 

• Retirement with generous employer contributions 

• Free access to mental health resources 

• Rapidly accruing paid time off (PTO) 

• Discounts on qualifying YMCA of Greater Seattle childcare, day camp, overnight camp and outdoor leadership programs. 25% for part-time staff, 50% for full-time staff

* Some benefits only available to full-time staff 

Hiring Range: $24.50 – $27.50/hour

• Provides general support to young adults in education, employment/career development, housing, technology, or other designated field and supports them in achieving their goals.
• Build strong relationships with Y program participants to effectively provide quality services.
• Develops or assists development of individualized, strengths-based, youth-driven service plans.
• Must understand contract/grant terms and conditions to ensure program outcome requirements are met and services rendered to young adults appropriately.
• Maintains clear, professional, timely participant contact notes, service plans, progress updates, outcomes, and other documentation in designated databases.
• Provide direct serve and referrals to with a focus on under-served populations in South King County area.
• Teams effectively and collaboratively with YMCA staff and/or community partners to plan and facilitate activities, including visits to related resources in the community.
• Builds and maintains collaborative relationships with funding liaisons, other service providers, businesses and/or educational institutions as related to specialized services.
• Supports participant success in key domains such as safe and stable housing, permanent connections to supportive adults, education and employment, health and well-being, and life skills.

*Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Code of Conduct for Applicants

All employees and volunteers are responsible for adhering to abuse prevention policies, maintaining appropriate boundaries, completing required training, reporting suspicious or inappropriate behavior, and complying with mandated reporting requirements.

Responsible for ensuring staff are properly screened, trained, supervised and held accountable to the organization’s abuse risk management standards.

• Must have high school diploma/GED/HSEC
• Minimum one year of experience working with teens or young adults in foster care, group care, housing, education, juvenile justice, anti-poverty, vocational support, mental health, chemical dependency and/or homelessness fields.
• Must be 21 yrs. of age (unless between 18 and 21yrs and enrolled in an internship, as well as be supervised by a staff 21yrs of age or older.)
• Ability to teach effective independence skills for a variety of learning styles and to plan supportive activities.
• Strong youth engagement and relationship-building skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Basic computer skills and working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
• Ability to transport self and client(s) in a safe and effective manner, and to meet clients at community locations; proof of adequate vehicle insurance coverage is required, or ability to travel to areas without public transportation.
• Current state approved First Aid and CPR certification.*
• Current approved HIV blood borne pathogens training.*

*indicates it must be completed within 30 days of being hired. 

Authorized Driver Requirement

This role transports clients as an “authorized driver” for the YMCA of Greater Seattle (YGS) using an employer-provided vehicle. Driving duties for this role are Required.* Driving roles are safety-sensitive. To become an authorized driver, you must be 21+, have possessed a driver's license for at least 3 years, and pass a drug screen that will test for impairing substances (including marijuana) in addition to meeting the driving record standards below:

YGS Driving Record Standards

Within the last three (3) years: No more than two (2) vehicle related suspension(s) and/or reinstatement(s). No more than two (2) moving violations and/or accidents. Moving violations include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Speeding

· Improper Lane Change

· Failure to Yield in Right-of-Way

· Failure to Obey Traffic Signal

· Failure to obey Traffic Sign

Within the last five (5) years: No Major Violations which include, but are not limited to, the following:

· DUI, DWI, OUI, OWI, BUI (Boating), Administrative Per Se, or Refusing to Test

· Driving with an open container of alcohol

· Reckless Driving

· Hit and Run – property damage only (Incidents involving injury fall under Permanent Disqualification)

· Racing

· Driving with a suspended/revoked license/insurance

· Speeding over 20 mph

· Fleeing and/or eluding police

· Any other felony driving conviction(s)

Driving records that result in Permanent disqualification from driving duties:

· More than 3 DUI, DWI, OUI, OWI, BUI, Administrative Per Se, or Refusing to Test for entirety of driving history.

· More than 3 Driving with a suspended/revoked license

· Hit and Run resulting in bodily injury or death

· Manslaughter/felony death by motor vehicle

*Due to state-specific reporting requirements in our driver management system, we are not currently able to enroll California Driver's License holders as Authorized Drivers.

Additional Preferred Qualifications

• Associates or Bachelor’s degree
• Prefer knowledge of, and previous experience with, diverse populations (language, culture, race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc.).
• Ability to speak any language in addition to English may be helpful.

Education Requirement

As a staff member in the SKYS/Stepping Stones program, upon hire you will be required to undergo employment/education verification to ensure your qualifications meet our Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB)/Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) contract requirements. 

You'll be a great fit for the Seattle Y if you: 

• Thrive on working in a collaborative environment. 

• Are very adaptable. 

• Have high ownership and strong work ethic. 

• Are a great problem solver who can think on your feet. 

• Truly enjoy being of service to people. 

• Like being part of a team that cares about one another as people and enjoy working together. 

• Want to know that the work you do contributes to building a better, stronger community for all. 

OUR MISSION 

Building a community where all people, especially the young, are encouraged to develop their fullest potential in spirit, mind, and body.  

OUR VALUES 

• Respect 

• Responsibility 

• Honesty 

• Caring 

• Passion for Excellence 

YGS is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse and equitable work environment.  Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by local, state, or federal law. 

We are a drug & alcohol-free workplace. We participate in the Federal E-Verify system. All job offers are contingent on the results of a background check in accordance with Washington's Fair Chance Act. Please download and review the below resources for more information: 

(i) The updated 2025 requirements of 49.94.010: 

https://seattleymca.icims.com/icims2/servlet/icims2?module=AppInert&action=download&id=251099&hashed=1503034877