About Covenant House New York
Join a Legacy of Hope and Empowerment at Covenant House New York!
For over 50 years, Covenant House New York (CHNY) has been at the forefront of transforming lives by providing comprehensive shelter, housing, and wrap-around support services for vulnerable homeless, runaway, and exploited youth. As the largest provider of these essential services in New York City, CHNY impacts the lives of over 1,500 young people aged 16-24 every year.
At CHNY, our doors are open to all young people in need, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. Our dedicated team offers various services, including shelter, housing, education, employment, health, mental health support, youth development, and anti-human trafficking initiatives. We operate with harm reduction and trauma-informed principles to ensure the best care for our youth.
But our mission goes beyond immediate support. We are passionate advocates for systemic change, influencing public policy, and raising awareness of the critical issues surrounding youth homelessness. Our ultimate goal is to provide a safe refuge and empower young people to build a brighter future founded on compassion, unconditional love, and absolute respect.
Join us in making a difference in the lives of countless young people. Join a team that inspires long-term transformation and hope.
About the role
The Youth Development & LGBTQ Program Specialist (“YD Specialist”) is responsible for assisting in the creation and implementation of all youth development and LGBTQ programming initiatives at Covenant House New York (CHNY), including in our crisis shelter, new transitional sites in the Bronx (Rights of Passage), and our permanent housing programs (New Covenant and Transitional House/Rapid Re-Housing programs). Reporting to the Youth Development Coordinator, the YD Specialist is an energetic, creative, and detail-oriented self-starter who is mission-focused and thrives on working and building trusting relationships with adolescents and young adults. The YD Specialist is expected to support and assist in creating and implementing an appropriate blend of social and recreational activities, and Life skills workshops, geared towards providing Covenant House youth with a variety of opportunities for growth and development. This includes managing our Restorative Justice Process, creating a monthly program calendar, providing staff coverage, and performing other related work as required. Additionally, the YD Specialist will dedicate 40% of their time to our LGBTQ initiatives, thereby fully actualizing our vision of creating an affirming, empowering, and voice-giving community for LGBTQ youth of color experiencing homelessness. Flexibility, proactivity, and a willingness to work in the evenings and on weekends occasionally are required.
What you'll do
Qualifications
No youth should ever be without a home — period. This urgent belief and over 50 years of experience have placed Covenant House at the forefront of the fight against youth homelessness. Founded in 1972, Covenant House is the largest primarily privately-funded agency in the North and Central America offering free 24/7 crisis care, housing, and supportive services for youth, young families, and survivors of human trafficking. Located in 34 cities across 5 countries (the United States, Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico) Covenant House provides shelter, food, medical and mental health care, crisis intervention, educational and vocational services, and an array of supportive services to youth facing homelessness regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. The Covenant House mission is centered and built on community, where youth, staff, volunteers, and partners love one another unconditionally, respect each other absolutely, and dedicate ourselves to a covenant of compassion and hope.
