POSITION: Peer Youth Leadership Coordinator

JOB CLASSIFICATION: Part-Time 15 hours per week, Temporary

SALARY RANGE: $17-19/hour

LOCATION: Tulsa, OK hybrid position with mix of in-person and remote work

OVERVIEW

Housing Solutions is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to building systems that make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As the lead agency in the HUD-funded Tulsa County Continuum of Care, Housing Solutions coordinates and manages over $3 million annually in federal, state, county, and city funds for programs providing shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

As an employer, Housing Solutions offers a 401k plan, PTO, and 12 paid company holidays per year, including: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples Day, Veteran’s Day, etc. with the added option to “float” your holiday to an alternate day that you personally celebrate. We want to empower our employees to prioritize their health and wellbeing, which is why we give our employees a weekly paid wellness hour during the workweek to participate in the wellness activity of their choosing.

Join our team of motivated individuals utilizing their skills and talents to make a difference.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The purpose of this role is to embed a peer with lived experience and expertise in Tulsa’s homelessness response system and to support an evolving governance and planning structure within the local HUD Continuum of Care. This includes centering voices of lived experience to inform system changes, achieve best practice, and imbue real-world expertise throughout all CoC efforts, in particular the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP). You would be part of a collective impact team made up of individuals from several organizations.

The Youth Leadership Coordinator will support the integration of youth and young adults with lived experience perspective in the A Way Home for Tulsa collaborative. You will assist in coordinating the efforts of the Youth Action Board (YAB) and the AWH4T Youth Homelessness Task Group throughout the planning and implementation processes of Tulsa’s YHDP initiatives; the Coordinator will engage youth and young adults (YYA) with lived experience of homelessness to ensure participants are supported and empowered to drive the community’s efforts to end youth homelessness.

The Youth Leadership Coordinator reports to the Special Projects Manager. This is a grant-funded peer position currently funded for 1 year, with the possibility of renewal as a permanent full-time position, subject to funding availability.

We are committed to ensuring the insights of those with lived experience of homelessness are embedded in our work and this peer engagement role has been specifically created to help deliver on that commitment.

Key responsibilities will be to:

• Assess opportunities for inclusion of YYA perspectives across all areas of the work and identify barriers to full and empowered participation, making recommendations for the inclusion of youth voice, as needed.
• Assist youth leaders in reviewing policies and procedures and make recommendations for improvements, ensuring systems and processes support YYA inclusion.
• Support the participation of YYA with lived experience of homelessness by:
  • coordinating attendance of/providing transportation to relevant meetings
  • providing advocacy and support in the face of barriers to participation
  • offering informal mediation between YYA representatives when disagreements or conflicts arise
• Maintain organized meeting notes, youth member compensation records, and other documentation in order to ensure sustainability of the Youth Action Board (YAB)
• Attend YAB, YHDP, and AWH4T meetings.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS

• Education: HS Diploma or equivalent
• Currently between the ages of 21 and 24
• Lived experience of homelessness as a youth or young adult (i.e. when 24 years old or younger)
• Eagerness to learn, understand, and share the tools for authentic youth engagement and Housing First for Youth principles.
• Demonstrated experience supporting vulnerable people (this could include those with LE of homelessness, criminal justice involvement, poverty, or adversity) to share their opinions and inform specific projects.
• Proven capability to provide insights that drive systems change, ideally with experience in individual advocacy in the homelessness/housing insecurity space.
• Knowledge of the homeless sector and demonstrated ability to network and liaise with partner organizations.
• Strong communication skills and the capacity to convey complex ideas simply and distill experiences to inform policy.

• Experience in meeting planning/facilitation and event planning
• Ability to work flexibly, independently, and as part of a small, driven team
• Self-awareness, ability to manage stress and established processes for self-care
• A valid driver's license & insurance

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The working environment will be a hybrid of work in the field, at other agency facilities, and at the Housing Solutions office/home. Will require some flexible hours for night and weekend events; in the event of night/weekend work, significant notice will be given.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Housing Solutions is an inclusive employer. We celebrate diversity and strive to reflect the community in which we work in order to better serve our clients. We welcome and encourage applications from women, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with disabilities, sexually and gender diverse people, people with lived experience of adversity, and people of all ages.