Child & Youth Advocate - Site Based

Who We Are

Solid Ground (SG) is an award-winning nonprofit organization whose proven, holistic approach helps families build the strong foundations they need to emerge from homelessness into a brighter future. Through safe, affordable housing and innovative supportive programming, Solid Ground helps families transition to a higher-level of self-sufficiency and break the cycle of homelessness and poverty for the next generation.

Why You'll Love Working Here

At the heart of Solid Ground is the belief that housing stability is fundamental to the healthy development of children and to a family's ability to be contributing members of the community. Solid Ground currently runs eight programs in suburban Ramsey and Washington Counties and housing over 660 individuals annually. Our mission is to prevent and end homelessness for families with children in the communities we serve through housing, resources, and opportunity.

Wages and Benefits

$23.00 - $25.00 per hour; Paid vacation time, sick time, plus ten paid holidays and two floating holidays; competitive health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings account (HSA), and options for flexible spending accounts (FSA). There is employer paid basic life insurance with the option for additional coverage paid by the employee. The employer pays for Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) and short and long-term disability insurance. SG sponsors a retirement plan with automatic enrollment at 3% and a 3% employer match after one year of service, plus immediate vesting.

SCHEDULE

This position will work fully on-site Mondays-Thursdays 10:00am-6:30pm and Fridays 8:00am-4:30pm.

A Typical Day in the Life...

A typical day as Solid Ground's Site-Based Child and Youth Advocate provides an opportunity to assist children and their parents in achieving stability and self-reliance through education, community resources and supportive services. Responsibilities will include the following:

• Meeting regularly with parents, children, and youth to assist them in developing and achieving goals related to education, health and wellness, positive child and youth development, and parenting.
• Providing mentorship and advocacy to children and youth.
• Assisting with enrolling children in the local school system and attending school meetings, parent-teacher conferences, Child Protection meetings, and court hearings related to Child Protective Services.
• Monitoring attendance and academic achievement of all school-age children and helping them improve their academic success.
• Assisting families in obtaining and maintaining supplemental benefits including WIC, Childcare Assistance, and early learning scholarships.
• Assisting families in completing the Early Childhood Screening for all children ages 3-5.
• Assisting families in obtaining birth certificates and other legal documents for all children.
• Assisting families in registering for summer school, community education, and other extracurricular activities.
• Completing Age Stage Questionnaires for all birth-to-five-year-old children and making appropriate referrals when needed.
• Assisting families in locating a medical home for their children and following up on well-child checks, medical needs, and mental health services.
• Assisting older youth with exploring higher education options and employment skill building, including finding jobs and maintaining employment.
• Assisting with distribution of items during community giving events.
• Providing short-term, respite childcare to families.
• Planning and facilitating tutoring, after-school groups, and camps for children and youth.
• Collaborating with school social workers, teachers, and liaisons to support students socially and academically.
• Providing community resources and referrals as well as coordinating services with various community partners to provide a well-rounded approach to support youth and families.
• Partnering with child and youth volunteers and interns to provide childcare and group programming.
• Documenting and reporting all work done on behalf of participants to maintain accurate progress and recordkeeping for participants, agency, and funders.

Who You Are

• You hold a bachelor's degree in child development, social work, or a related field, plus one year of experience in a social service position; or you bring a combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge.
• You have knowledge of the human services nonprofit sector; previous experience working in a nonprofit setting is preferred.
• You use age-appropriate techniques to de-escalate situations effectively.
• You demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing equity and inclusion.
• You understand the education system and the stages of child development.
• You are knowledgeable about pluralism and diversity issues with the ability to effectively communicate and work with a diverse population.
• You understand the impact of poverty, chemical and mental health issues, domestic violence, and other factors affecting program participants, ensuring services are designed to meet their needs.
• You are able to travel to various scattered site locations as needed.
• You are able to transport children and/or families as required.
• You communicate effectively and persuasively in both oral and written forms, in interpersonal and group settings.
• You know community resources or demonstrate the ability to learn about local area resources.
• You work well both independently and as part of a team, with minimal supervision.
• You have the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively to ensure timely completion of work.
• You have a valid driver's license, have access to reliable transportation, and meet Solid Ground's driving record requirements. If your license was issued outside of Minnesota, you apply for a Minnesota driver's license within 60 days of becoming a resident (not applicable for new hires living out of state).

Diversity and open expression are fundamental to the work of Solid Ground. We are passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working environment where everyone can belong. Every member of our team enriches our work by exposing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and to discover, design, and deliver solutions. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in our sector: individuals who identify as BIPOC, Indigenous or people of culture, LGBTQI+ and gender fluid or gender nonconforming, individuals with disabilities (both seen and unseen), veterans, people of any age or family status. We value the contributions of a diverse workforce, and we welcome and encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We encourage you to apply even if you feel like you don't fit 100% of the technical requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, disability, marital status, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, genetic information or a protected veteran's status.

Our organization has a partnership with Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (MACC) to provide administrative services including management of the hiring process. If you apply for this position, you may see references to MACC in some online materials.

Solid Ground participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. See E-Verify's official poster at https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf. See E-Verify's Right to Work poster at https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf.