Organization Description

Founded in 1988, the Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center (LYRIC) provides support and services to over 500 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning (LGBTQQ) and allied youth per year. LYRIC’s mission is to build community and inspire positive social change through education enhancement, career training, health promotion, and leadership development with LGBTQQ youth, their families, and allies of all races, classes, genders, and abilities. The organization has a budget of over $4 million, a staff of 30 staff, and nearly 100 youth in paid internships. In alignment with LYRIC’s Strategic Plan, the organization envisions: (1) schools that are transformed into safe, inclusive environments where LGBTQQ students can thrive and (2) a comprehensive network of community support to ensure successful progression into adulthood for Transitional Age LGBTQQ Youth. The organization works toward this vision by (1) uniting best practice with innovation to realize the organizational excellence needed to advance the field of LGBTQQ youth development and (2) growing community support that reflects a high level of partner investment in our mission, vision, and organizational sustainability.

• Learning: We bring curiosity, creativity, and fun to our work.
• Sustainable Impact: We commit to the long-term transformation of lives and institutions.
• Leadership: We foster leadership to support a progressive movement that spans generations.
• Allyship: We believe that everyone has a role in creating safe and thriving communities. 
• Social Justice: We build upon a proud history of community self-determination by challenging institutionalized invisibility & inequity.

Position Summary

Housing Navigators are highly skilled youth development practitioners that play a critical role at LYRIC in areas of program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Housing Navigators facilitate the leadership development of youth, guiding program participants through a set of challenging and interesting skill-building opportunities in community-based settings. Housing Navigators conduct outreach, meet with youth 1:1, support youth with accessing housing, and navigate different city housing systems. Housing Navigators strive to imbue program participants with self-awareness and empowerment to take forward into their communities and their future. 

Focus Areas

LYRIC is looking for a program staff member to join our Housing Team. The Program Coordinator in this role will be responsible for supporting LGBTQ Youth (18-27) who are facing housing insecurity and homelessness in the San Francisco/Bay Area. Because of the unique nature of each youth’s experience of homelessness, this position requires creative problem-solving skills and resourcefulness. This position also plays an active role in advocating on behalf of youth to shape the program to fit their physical, emotional, and social wellness needs. 

Responsibilities

1. Conduct program orientations, intakes, and assessments utilizing multiple data systems
2. Provide accurate documentation for housing navigation services offered and provided
3. Develop strength-based, social justice-centered individualized service plans in collaboration with youth and staff
4. Utilize culturally adaptive techniques for understanding and addressing youth’s unique experiences of homelessness
5. Ensure successful transition of youth exiting housing navigation services to existing community resources
6. Foster regular communication with supervisor and other program staff to ensure up-to-date information sharing regarding individual participants and issues impacting our youth in the community
7. Build and maintain relationships with community-based service providers, city agencies, youth-serving organizations, and additional community resources
8. Support the planning and implementation of housing navigation programs
9. Develop outreach strategies, including street-based opportunities
10. Attend staff meetings as well as other organizational retreats and gatherings
11. Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge

1. Understanding of positive youth development framework, youth-adult partnership frameworks and knowledge of LGBTQQ youth issues
2. Understanding of social justice, restorative justice, and systems change
3. Knowledge of San Francisco and Bay Area resources, especially for LGBTQQ youth, youth of color and their families
4. Broad and deep knowledge of LGBTQQ community and issues impacting LGBTQQ youth
5. Fluency in Cantonese, Mandarin, or Spanish, highly desirable

Experience

1. Preferably two years of experience providing case management, counseling, housing services, advocacy to youth
2. Experience with diverse models of working with youth (i.e. understanding of principles of youth development, youth-adult partnership, harm reduction, positive sexuality, HIV/STI prevention)
3. Experience working with transgender youth, young women, youth of color, youth with disabilities, young men who have sex with men (YMSM), youth living with HIV, system-engaged youth, immigrant communities, youth engaged in sex work, youth who are homeless / marginally-housed, and other historically marginalized groups
4. Experience working with families of LGBTQQ youth
5. Competent in working in a multiracial, multicultural, multi-gendered, and intergenerational environment
6. Experience with data collection and reporting
7. Experience developing effective collaborations with other agencies and communities

Qualities/Attributes

1. Self-motivated and able to take initiative, manage, and complete multiple projects within deadlines and within budget
2. Strong youth-centered support framework for survivors of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse
3. Excellent written/verbal communication and facilitation skills
4. Action-oriented with excellent problem-solving skills
5. Ability to seek out, encourage, and exchange appreciative as well as developmental feedback with youth, colleagues, and supervisors
6. Ability to address challenges directly by de-escalating conflict and fostering mutual understanding
7. Commitment to ongoing one’s self-improvement/professional development and LYRIC’s long-term sustainability
8. Ability to work evenings and weekends as required

Compensation:

This position is full-time and non-exempt. The starting salary is $29.35 Hourly. LYRIC uses an equity-based model of compensation; we offer a fixed pay rate for staff according to position and tenure with an annual pay increase per the union contract and pending board budget approval. 

Benefits include:

• This is a union position w/ OPEIU Local 29
• Full coverage of medical, dental, vision, and acupuncture/chiropractic insurance for employee;
• $800 annual health & wellness cash supplement;
• Annual raises;
• 403b retirement plan; and
• Generous holiday, vacation, and sick (Annually, we provide 19 vacation days (accrued at 6.33 hours twice a month), 18 sick days (accrued at 6 hours twice a month), 19 Holidays, 1 personal day, 3 days of critical incident leave, and 5 days of bereavement leave.

Equal Opportunity Employer

LYRIC is an equal opportunity employer. Applications are strongly encouraged from women, people of color, immigrants, young people, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender and genderqueer people, people living with HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities, and bilingual and bicultural people. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

LYRIC partners with SFDPH to serve vulnerable youth populations. Verified Covid 19 vaccination is required