Foster Parent - Hope House
About this role
What if your next job could provide more than a paycheck? What if it gave you the opportunity to help a young person feel safe, supported, and hopeful about their future—while providing you with a fully furnished home and covered household expenses?
At One Hope United’s Hope House, you can turn that opportunity into a career.
We are seeking mission-driven Hybrid Live-In Foster Parents (House Parents) to provide a stable, family-style home for up to four youth, ages 13–17, with high-acuity needs. You’ll be more than a caregiver. You’ll be a consistent adult who helps teens build trust, develop life skills, navigate challenges, and prepare for a safe and successful future.
We provide the home. You help make it a home.
- Housing Provided: Live in a beautiful, fully furnished home provided by One Hope United, with food, household items, and approved youth activities covered.
- Meaningful Impact: Help teens experience consistency, encouragement, structure, and genuine connection.
- Training & Support: Receive extensive training in our trauma-informed Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) approach, along with ongoing clinical consultation and team support.
- You’re Never Doing It Alone: Work alongside therapists, social workers, youth care workers, relief caregivers, licensing staff, teachers, mentors, and leadership.
- Room to Grow: Help youth work toward educational, behavioral, emotional, and independent-living goals.
- Built-In Support: Benefit from structured respite time and a team committed to supporting you in this unique role.
As a Hybrid Live-In Foster Parent, you’ll create a safe, structured, and nurturing family-style environment where youth can learn, heal, and grow.
You will:
- Provide consistent care, supervision, structure, and encouragement for up to four youth ages 13–17.
- Serve as a positive and dependable adult role model.
- Maintain a therapeutic home environment using strengths-based, trauma-informed practices. We’ll train you.
- Help youth develop daily living skills, maintain routines, attend school, and participate in healthy recreational activities.
- Build positive relationships with youth, biological parents, social workers, counselors, psychologists, teachers, mentors, and other members of the treatment team.
- Help youth establish and work toward goals related to education, behavior, emotional well-being, and independence.
- Transport youth to school, appointments, activities, and approved outings using an agency vehicle.
- Create opportunities for fun and positive experiences, including approved trips to sporting events, amusement parks, museums, festivals, and other activities.
- Maintain accurate documentation and communicate important information to the treatment team.
- Collaborate with the treatment team to provide high-quality care and achieve positive outcomes for youth.
Who Thrives in This Role?
This role is a great fit for someone who can bring patience, consistency, compassion, and confidence to challenging situations.
You’ll need:
- 3+ years of experience working with at-risk youth.
- High school diploma or GED.
- A calm, confident presence, particularly during stressful or emotionally challenging situations.
- Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
- The ability to build respectful, positive relationships with youth and adults from diverse backgrounds.
- A willingness to learn and use trauma-informed approaches to care.
- Valid driver’s license and good driving record.
- Ability to pass a required background check.
- Willingness to comply with all applicable state licensing requirements and consent to being listed on the home license.
- A genuine commitment to creating a safe and supportive home for young people.
- Tuition assistance up to $2500 per fiscal year
- Up to 4 weeks paid Vacation Days, up to 6 paid Personal Days, 1 paid Mental Health Day, and up to 5 paid Sick days annually
- Medical, dental, vision, 403 (b) retirement, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, dependent care, commuter and transit
- Agency-paid Life ADD insurance up to $50K based on salary and short-term disability
- Agency-paid long-term after 1 year of employment
- Voluntary Supplemental Life & ADD, Critical Illness, Accident and Hospital for Employee, Spouse, and Child(ren)
- Voluntary Legal Plans
- Voluntary Pet Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program with 6 free counseling sessions
- Career ladders, professional development, and promotion opportunities
- Free LCSW and LCPC Supervision hours available in some locations
- 800+ talented professionals strong, serving 10,000 children and families in Illinois and Florida
- Fiscally stable, $70 Million agency-- strong since 1895
- Energetic leadership and a rich community of support
Company at a glance
One Hope United (OHU) is a nonprofit providing early childhood education, child and family services, clinical services, and residential programs for 130 years. We’re proud to serve over 10,000 children and families each year across Illinois and Florida. Through our evidence-based and trauma-informed practices, we empower children and families to see and create a future where, regardless of their past, they can reach their full potential.
Our Mission
One Hope United serves and advocates for the thriving of children, youth, and families through quality early childhood education, residential care, child welfare, and mental health services.
Our Vision
One Hope United seeks to advance child and family services through effective evidence-based practices, policy that focuses on nurturing healthy families, and partnerships that extend its reach.
Top Benefits
- Housing Provided
- All Expenses Paid Home
- Food Provided
- Household Items Provided
- Activity Expenses Covered
- Extensive Training
- Ongoing Support
- Respite Time
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