Youth Housing and Health Navigator

Job Status: 1.0 FTE Exempt

Job Site: Clackamas County/Portland Metro Area, must reside within 20 miles of DevNW office

Job Salary: Salary commensurate with experience ($36,670-$47,330); plus, Benefits

Supervisor: Assistant Director for Clackamas County

Bilingual English/Spanish Preferred

TO APPLY, please submit a resume and cover letter to with subject line ‘Youth Housing and Health Navigator’. Position open until filled, with preference given for materials received by October 12th, 2020.

Purpose of Position:

DevNW’s Financial Wellbeing and Thriving Communities departments provide a full spectrum of services to help low- to moderate-income individuals and families stabilize through housing, gain financial stability, build assets, and achieve a stronger financial future. Accordingly, DevNW develops and manages affordable housing for low income individuals and families. Through the newly formed YHDP in Clackamas County we aim to create a comprehensive housing and supportive services program to empower youth, ages 14-24, to transition to healthy, independent, and self-sufficient adults.

Over the duration of the grant period, and potentially beyond, the Youth Housing and Health Navigator is responsible for providing intensive individual case management for youth participants facing housing instability, ages 14-24. The Navigator will be responsible for helping clients identify their goals (including housing, employment, education, transportation, and finances), develop an action plan and connect with all available resources within the YHDP, Continuum of Care and outside of these to reach their goals, and generally be a supportive connector through the transition from youth to adult systems. This position provides extensive coaching and encouragement for clients, as well as the knowledge and tools to help them move forward toward long-term stability. The Youth Housing and Health Navigator will work with youth, both individually and in groups. Navigators will also cultivate and leverage a wide network of partners, resources, and funding streams on behalf of clients, and integrates those programs and providers as seamlessly as possible into their case management.

Essential Duties:

Housing Navigation and Case Management:

  • Conduct youth-centered outreach to eligible youth (both youth currently in care and those who have previously exited care and are experiencing homelessness or housing instability) and via potential trusted referral resources, including DHS, workforce partners, case workers, foster parents, homeless youth peer organizations, and others.
  • Complete a thorough intake and assessment for each youth to determine immediate and long-term needs, goals, existing services they are receiving, social service gaps, and additional connections needed.
  • Driving to meetings, as well as driving to meet with clients.
  • Support clients in navigating housing market and securing stable, affordable housing.
  • Provide one-on-one case management, based on positive youth development best practices, for youth and young adults (ages 14-24), including direct coaching, connecting with resources, and coordinating multiple service providers toward the best long-term outcomes for each youth.
  • Coordinate and conduct classes or other small group workshops about a wide variety of life skills topics, including education, employment, financial wellbeing, and life skills.
  • Participate in internal and external meetings as appropriate. Including, but not limited to, YHDP team meetings, Continuum of Care meetings, YAB (Youth Action Board) meetings, etc.
  • Compile and maintain complete and accurate client files (both paper and electronic) and data.
  • Coordinate internal and external referrals and maintain quality intra- and inter-agency relationships on behalf of DevNW and DevNW clients.
  • Provide language and culturally appropriate services in Spanish as needed (Bilingual Navigators only).

Community Outreach:

  • Coordinate and conduct outreach to affordable housing and social service organizations, industry partners, local schools, employers, and other potential partners to increase awareness of, interest in, and support for YHDP programming.

In-House Expertise:

  • Facilitate client connections to other DevNW programs that augment youth asset building services, including but not limited to IDAs, credit builder loans, and other programs.
  • Assist the Youth Housing and Health Coordinator, Assistant Director for Clackamas County and Director of Financial Wellbeing in the development and implementation of new programs and services that meet the specific needs of youth and young adults.
  • Maintain a high (and constantly improving) level of expertise about issues facing youth and young adults in general, including: service delivery best practices, trauma-informed services, culture of poverty issues, culturally-specific services for LGBTQ youth, and other areas of knowledge necessary to ensure the highest level of counseling excellence; share expertise with other DevNW staff.
  • Identify issues and trends effecting youth clients and communicate your observations (as well as potential program updates/changes) to the Assistant Director for Clackamas County and Director of Financial Wellbeing for strategic planning purposes.

Additional Duties:

  • Other specific projects as assigned or developed

Training: Professional development training as opportunities and funding are available (including Positive Youth Development, Adultism, strengths-based case management; asset building for young adults; foster care, education, and workforce systems; trauma-informed care; housing resident services, etc.)

Requirements (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities):

  • Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred; relevant and/or life experience can be substituted for a degree. Preference given to individuals with lived experience in systems or history of working with youth in care.
  • Commitment to and experience working with historically marginalized youth and young adults required; to include but not limited to LGBTQ+ youth, youth of color, adolescents, pregnant or parenting youth, justice involved youth, youth involved in behavioral health system, foster care involved youth, survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation, etc.
  • Willingness to strive for an ever-increasing level of knowledge and expertise about best practices to help young adults achieve stability and build assets.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including ability to speak in public before groups of people.
  • Previous experience working with individuals in one-on-one counseling setting required.
  • Previous experience working with vulnerable populations and/or families living in poverty strongly preferred; ability to work effectively with individuals facing a wide range of difficult situations required.
  • Experience navigating education, social service, workforce, and/or other complex systems; ability to identify and recommend changes to systemic barriers or misalignments.
  • Experience bringing together multiple stakeholder agencies/systems and working collectively toward a common goal.
  • Previous experience in teaching and group presentations preferred.
  • Ability to work under pressure, maintain a sense of humor in a high stress environment, manage a busy workload efficiently, and balance competing deadlines and priorities.
  • Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.
  • Willingness and ability to adapt quickly as program needs evolve; commitment advocating for innovation and systemic improvement to reach better results for clients.
  • Ability to maintain equal levels of professionalism, compassion, encouragement, and boundaries while helping vulnerable clients.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office suite applications including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
  • Ability to travel in Clackamas County using own transportation.
  • Availability to travel statewide and nationally including occasional overnights and weekends.
  • Ability to work independently within a flexible work structure and to contribute as a valuable member of an integrated team.
  • Ability to work a flexible schedule including weekends and evenings as program delivery dictates.
  • Ability to learn and understand DevNW’s mission, and your role in furthering that mission.
  • Applicants for Bilingual positions must be fluent in English and Spanish as demonstrated by excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.

DevNW is committed to creating a diverse workforce to strengthen our organization and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. The individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent that our employees invest in their work helps shape the culture here at DevNW.

We strive to hire a workforce representative of the communities we serve. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every one of the qualifications listed. In recruiting for our team, we are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job and welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

If you meet key qualifications for the job, and believe you would be the best fit, we would encourage you to apply; please use your cover letter or introduction email to explain how you will accomplish parts of the job for which you have less experience. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, please feel free to contact us.

TO APPLY, please submit a resume and cover letter to with subject line ‘Youth Housing and Health Navigator’. Position open until filled, with preference given for materials received by October 12th, 2020.