Health Youth Support Specialist

Ignite stands with youth on their journey to a home and a future with promise. We are a leading non-profit, human services organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty for youth, ages 10-26. While Ignite has a long-standing history that dates back to 1976, we continue to create new ways to serve our community. Today, we have more than 63 full-time and part-time staff as well as over 100 volunteers who contribute to our mission.

Through housing, education, employment, career planning, financial empowerment, mental health support, and community connection, we enroll more than 800 youth per year, on the path to reaching their full potential. Following their time with Ignite, many of our youth achieve financial stability and move into their own long-term home. Ignite intends to be the last program our youth will ever need, but the family and place they can always call home. As a 2025 Chicago Innovation Award winner, Ignite is leading the way in creating new housing and service models that help youth put homelessness behind them for good. At Ignite, we envision a world where all young people have the support they need to be defined by their potential, not their circumstances.

Function: Responsible for providing stabilization support, advocacy, and guidance to young people experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Drawing on personal lived experience, the specialist builds trust, supports emotional well-being, and helps youth navigate mental health and housing-related challenges. The role emphasizes trauma-informed engagement, emotional regulation support, and connection to essential resources that promote safety, stability, and long-term housing retention. By providing consistent, relationship-based peer support, the Peer Support Specialist plays a key role in helping youth maintain engagement in services, access to mental-health care, and successfully transition into and remain stably housed. Demonstrates an understanding of and commitment to the mission and core values of Ignite. Reports directly to the Behavior Health Therapist, Supervisor.

Duties: The following duties are the essential functions of this position. The Peer Support Specialist will perform these essential functions with or without requested reasonable accommodation.

Schedule: Full-time, hours of operation may include the hours of 9am – 7pm to meet client needs. Flexibility may be required.

Key Responsibilities

• Promote engagement, stabilization, and housing retention for Aftercare participants and other youth receiving support.
• Use lived experience to build authentic, trusting relationships with youth.
• Provide peer mentoring, emotional regulation support, and trauma-informed guidance.
• Offer support in navigating mental health systems, attending appointments, and following through on treatment recommendations.
• In coordination with case management team, assist clients in obtaining identification, vital documents, and other materials needed to support stability.
• Support youth with applications for housing, benefits, and assistance programs (e.g.,SNAP, Medicaid, SSI).
• Help clients access community resources related healthcare and mental health.
• Collaborate closely with Ignite’s behavior health team, case managers, and housing/navigation staff while maintaining clear peer support boundaries.
• Assist in leading Ignite’s youth leadership initiatives and support participants in ongoing recruitment and development.
• Encourage client self-advocacy, coping skill development, and progress toward personal goals.
• Provide immediate peer support during crisis situations and coordinate with behavioral health staff on crisis protocols.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of contacts, services, and stabilization efforts.
• Participate in staff meetings, individual supervision, and all required trainings (including mental-health and crisis response training).

Youth Engagement & Relationship Building

• Create a supportive environment that empowers young adults to advocate for their needs and take active roles in their care.
• Engage youth in decision-making about referral options and service preferences.
• May be called upon to support Community Programs as necessary.
• Be knowledgeable in milieu shift requirements which may occur during morning and/afternoon hours. Provides general supervision and appropriate intervention in the community supported space.
• Participate in youth educational and personal development groups on the milieu incoordination with other staff and/or volunteers.
• Completes all required shift and activity documentation.
• Provides life skills training on the units both formally (in groups) and informally. Works with each client on basic life skills and daily issues impeding their progress toward self-sufficiency.
• Manages any crisis and/or emergency that may occur on the units with clients.
• May accompany youth on activities and presents proper activity documentation to include receipts.
• Assists youth with maintaining cleanliness, completing daily chores, and cooking.
• Writes clear and concise shift notes and maintains daily logs on all youth.

General

• Works as part of a team environment by providing support and assistance whenever needed.
• Timely prepares and submits all required forms and statistical reports.
• Maintain documents regarding participant’s cooperation, daily activities and other records incompliance with agency and external policies, procedures and applicable licensing standards.
• Follows agency policies and procedures for the obtainment of information and provision of services to clients.
• Participates in program planning and evaluation.
• Participates in and contributes to regularly scheduled supervisory and team meetings.
• May be called upon to participate in agency interviews.
• Provide on-going support and supervision for all volunteers and their tasks.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education and experience

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Lived experience with homelessness, housing instability, behavioral health challenges, trauma, or system involvement.
• Former Ignite or other youth serving agency participant, preferred
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and active listening skills.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Demonstrated empathy, reliability, and non-judgmental engagement.
• Familiarity with peer support ethics, trauma-informed care, and youth-centered practice
• Knowledge of local community resources.

Automation: Ability to use computer equipment and Microsoft office applications, e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook. Must be able to learn and understand the system that retains the electronic records on all clients, and complete timely and accurate data entry as directed.

Physical: Must be able to climb stairs and short ladders on frequent, daily basis. May be required to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.

Benefits:

• BCBS PPO and HMO insurance options
• Unum dental insurance, free short-term and long -term disability
• Ameriflex FSA, commuter/parking, and dependent care accounts
• 403b with 1% of salary matching
• EAP program

Ignite is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such, all applicants and/or employees seeking promotional opportunities will be considered without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Additionally, as dictated by the state of Illinois, employment with Ignite is at will. This means your employment is for an indefinite period of time and it is subject to termination by you or Ignite, with or without cause, with or without notice, and at any time.

• Manages any crisis and/or emergency that may occur on the units with clients.
• May accompany youth on activities and presents proper activity documentation toinclude receipts.
• Assists youth with maintaining cleanliness, completing daily chores, and cooking.
• Writes clear and concise shift notes and maintains daily logs on all youth.

General

• Works as part of a team environment by providing support and assistance wheneverneeded.
• Timely prepares and submits all required forms and statistical reports. Maintainsdocuments regarding participant’s cooperation, daily activities and other records incompliance with agency and external policies, procedures and applicable licensingstandards.
• Follows agency policies and procedures for the obtainment of information and provisionof services to clients.
• Participates in program planning and evaluation.
• Participates in and contributes to regularly scheduled supervisory and team meetings.
• May be called upon to participate in agency interviews.
• Provide on-going support and supervision for all volunteers and their tasks.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education and experience

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Lived experience with homelessness, housing instability, behavioral health challenges,trauma, or system involvement.
• Former Ignite or other youth serving agency participant, preferred
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and active listening skills.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and confidentiality.
• Demonstrated empathy, reliability, and non-judgmental engagement.
• Familiarity with peer support ethics, trauma-informed care, and youth-centeredpractice.
• Knowledge of local community resources.

Automation: Ability to use computer equipment and Microsoft office applications, e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook. Must be able to learn and understand the system that retains the electronic records on all clients, and complete timely and accurate data entry as directed.

Physical: Must be able to climb stairs and short ladders on frequent, daily basis. May be required to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs.

Benefits:

• BCBS PPO and HMO insurance options
• Unum dental insurance, free short-term and long -term disability
• Ameriflex FSA, commuter/parking, and dependent care accounts
• 403b with 1% of salary matching
• EAP program

Ignite is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such, all applicants and/or employees seeking promotional opportunities will be considered without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Additionally, as dictated by the state of Illinois, employment with Ignite is at will. This means your employment is for an indefinite period of time and it is subject to termination by you or Ignite, with or without cause, with or without notice, and at any time.