Position Summary:
The Youth Transition and Independence Advocate provides comprehensive, trauma informed support to transition age youth involved in the foster care system as they prepare for and transition into adulthood. This role combines individualized support, life skills coaching, housing stabilization, workforce readiness assistance, and mentorship to promote long term independence, stability, and personal growth.
The Advocate serves as a consistent, supportive, and accountable presence for youth navigating the complex transition to self-sufficiency, many of whom may lack stable family support systems, independent living experience, or positive adult guidance. This position requires the ability to build trust-based relationships while helping youth develop the practical skills, habits, and confidence necessary to manage the responsibilities of adulthood successfully.
This is a highly responsible, youth centered role requiring maturity, professionalism, sound judgment, adaptability, and a strong commitment to youth development. The Advocate must be comfortable providing hands-on guidance across multiple areas of daily living, including healthcare navigation, education, employment, financial literacy, household management, crisis response, and community resource coordination.
The Youth Transition & Independence Advocate works collaboratively within the Voices Independent Living (IL) team to strengthen housing stability, life skills development, and youth engagement programming while advancing Voices’ mission and promoting positive youth outcomes.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Direct Youth Support
- Provide individualized support and case management to transition-age youth (ages 18–23+) enrolled in Independent Living services.
- Conduct comprehensive needs assessments and develop individualized transition plans in partnership with each youth.
- Maintain consistent engagement through in-person meetings, phone calls, virtual check-ins, home visits, and community-based contact.
- Serve as a steady, trauma-informed advocate who balances accountability, encouragement, mentorship, and emotional support.
- Support youth in developing executive functioning, decision-making, communication, conflict resolution, and self-advocacy skills.
- Assist youth with establishing routines, maintaining personal responsibilities, and navigating daily life expectations associated with independent adulthood.
- Provide ongoing guidance and support to youth who may be learning life-management skills for the first time due to limited family or caregiver support.
- Maintain appropriate professional boundaries while fostering trust-based, supportive relationships that encourage growth and independence.
Housing Stability & Crisis Prevention
- Support youth in securing, transitioning into, and maintaining safe, stable, and appropriate housing.
- Assist youth with moving logistics, including transportation coordination, obtaining essential household items, apartment setup, and creating safe living environments.
- Support youth in establishing, transferring, and maintaining utilities, internet access, renter responsibilities, and household organization.
- Conduct regular check-ins related to housing stability, cleanliness, safety, and overall living conditions.
- Proactively intervene to prevent evictions, utility disconnections, food insecurity, housing instability, and other crises that may impact youth stability.
- Respond appropriately to urgent situations, emergencies, or crises involving youth while exercising sound professional judgment and following organizational protocols.
- Assist youth in navigating housing applications, lease requirements, public benefits, and community-based housing resources.
Education, Employment & Workforce Readiness
- Support youth in enrolling and maintaining participation in high school, GED programs, vocational training, postsecondary education, certification programs, or employment opportunities.
- Support youth in scheduling, attending, and following through with medical, dental, mental health, and other healthcare appointments as needed.
- Support the planning and facilitation of monthly life-skills workshops, youth development activities, and quarterly youth engagement events. Attend and support Voices events, community engagement initiatives, trainings, and fundraising activities as needed, including occasional evening or weekend participation. Valid Florida Driver’s License and reliable transportation required.
- Assist youth with FAFSA completion, school enrollment processes, class scheduling, educational planning, and academic accountability.
- Support youth in identifying career interests, developing employment goals, and preparing for workforce participation.
- Assist with resume development, job searches, applications, interview preparation, workplace communication, and professional etiquette.
- Encourage consistency, responsibility, and accountability related to school attendance, employment, and long term career development.
- Connect youth to mentorship opportunities, internships, leadership development programs, and experiential learning opportunities.
Healthcare Navigation & Life Skills Development
- Support youth in scheduling, attending, and following through with medical, dental, mental health, and other healthcare appointments as needed.
- Educate youth on how to navigate healthcare systems, utilize insurance benefits, refill prescriptions, and independently manage healthcare responsibilities.
- Provide instruction and coaching on practical life skills including budgeting, banking, grocery shopping, meal planning, transportation navigation, time management, household maintenance, and personal organization.
- Support youth in obtaining and maintaining important identification documents including identification cards, Social Security cards, birth certificates, banking accounts, and insurance information.
- Assist youth in understanding and managing responsibilities related to adulthood, independence, and community living.
Financial Literacy & Resource Navigation
- Provide coaching on budgeting, financial planning, responsible spending, saving, credit awareness, and banking fundamentals.
- Support youth in developing financial accountability and realistic financial goals.
- Connect youth to community resources, public benefits, workforce programs, educational supports, and financial empowerment opportunities.
- Assist youth in accessing transportation resources, healthcare services, food assistance, and other supportive services as appropriate.
Workshops, Cohorts & Youth Engagement
- Work collaboratively with the Voices IL team to strengthen Independent Living programming, youth engagement initiatives, and housing stabilization efforts.
- Foster strong, supportive relationships that increase youth participation, consistency, and program retention.
- Encourage positive peer engagement, leadership development, and community involvement among participating youth.
Documentation, Reporting & Compliance
- Maintain timely, accurate, and professional case notes, documentation, and data entry in required systems.
- Track measurable outcomes related to housing stability, education, employment, life skills development, and overall youth progress.
- Assist with internal reporting requirements, outcome measurement efforts, and program compliance standards.
- Maintain confidentiality and uphold organizational policies, ethical standards, and best practices in youth services.Organizational & Community Engagement
- Represent Voices professionally in all interactions with youth, caregivers, community partners, landlords, educational institutions, and stakeholders.
- Participate in team meetings, trainings, and cross-program collaboration efforts.
- Contribute positively to a team-oriented environment and demonstrate flexibility in a fast paced, evolving work environment.
- Perform additional duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required (Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, or related field preferred).
- 2–4+ years of experience working with youth, foster care populations, case management, independent living services, or transitional age young adults.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively support youth who may lack consistent family support systems, independent living experience, or foundational life-skills development.
- Strong interpersonal, mentorship, and relationship-building skills with adolescents and young adults from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
- Ability to serve as a consistent, trauma-informed support figure while maintaining professionalism, boundaries, accountability, and empathy.
- Experience coaching youth in practical life management skills, including healthcare navigation, educational planning, employment readiness, financial literacy, household management, and community resource utilization.
- Ability to support youth in developing healthy decision making, communication skills, self-advocacy, emotional regulation, and positive interpersonal relationships.
- Comfortable providing hands-on guidance and individualized support to youth navigating adulthood responsibilities for the first time.
- Strong understanding of the unique developmental, emotional, and practical challenges experienced by youth aging out of foster care.
- Ability to recognize, assess, and appropriately respond to crises, emergencies, housing instability, or urgent youth needs with sound professional judgment.
- Excellent verbal, written, organizational, and documentation skills.
- Highly organized with strong case management, multitasking, follow-through, and data tracking abilities.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and youth caseloads effectively in a dynamic, fast paced environment.
- Knowledge of community resources, healthcare systems, educational pathways, workforce development resources, and public benefits in Miami-Dade County preferred.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality, ethical standards, and appropriate professional boundaries in all interactions.
- Bilingual (English/Spanish or English/Creole) strongly preferred.
- Hybrid work model based in Miami, Florida (in-office/community-based with remote flexibility).
Additional Requirements
- Successful completion of a background check required.
- Ability to travel locally throughout Miami Dade County as needed.
- May require occasional evening or weekend availability to support youth needs, events, crises, or program activities.
- Ability to respond with flexibility and professionalism in high need or emergency situations.
About Voices for Children:
Voices For Children Foundation, Inc. (VFC) raises critical funds to support children and youth experiencing foster care youth in Miami-Dade County through children’s needs, advocacy, and positive experiences. VFC is expanding services to meet the diverse needs of children involved in the dependency system, helping them thrive through kinship support, independent living preparation, basic needs fulfillment, positive experiences, and permanency initiatives.
Pay: $55,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Miami, FL 33136
