About Us

Star House exists to lift young people out of homelessness and into a community of hope. Founded in 2006, Star House operates our nation’s only drop-in center for teens and young adults experiencing homelessness that offers immediate access to safety and hosts continuous best practice research for effective service. Along with the Finance Fund and Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, Star House operates the only housing village of its kind in Central Ohio for young people who are exiting homelessness. The organization met the unique needs of 1,418 individual young people in 2025, successfully connecting them with housing, jobs, education, health care, therapy and a range of community resources.

Star House’s mission is to do whatever it takes to support young people as they exit homelessness and thrive in a community of hope. Our vision is to replicate our evidence-based model of service for youth nationally and globally, based on the demand for our services in other communities.

We are seeking an Engagement & Retention Coordinator who believes in our mission; embodies our values of unconditional care, doing whatever it takes as long as it takes and creating innovative solutions; and who can help us achieve our vision with expertise.

Job Description

Title: Engagement & Retention Coordinator

Work Location: 1567 W. Broad Street

Reports To: Housing & Engagement Manager

☒Full-Time
☒Non-Exempt, Hourly

Position Summary:

Working with intrinsic passion for the Star House mission, the Engagement & Retention Coordinator is the anchor for young people transitioning out of homelessness, helping them not just find housing, but keep it. This role owns the resident engagement experience, from managing move-in orientation to leading community events focused on life skill development and eviction prevention. The Engagement & Retention Coordinator will actively collaborate with case management and property staff, serving as the trusted, trauma-informed liaison who mediates resident issues and connects residents to essential onsite and offsite resources. Key responsibilities include facilitating the Resident Advisory Council and conducting community needs assessments to ensure Star House’s supportive housing practices truly reflect evidence-based approaches. Ultimately, this role is critical in helping our residents build a supportive, stable community, ensuring that residents are genuinely prepared to thrive in their next steps.

Responsibilities and Essential Functions:
The following duties are representative of performance expectations; however, the list below is not ranked in order of importance.

● Manages the complete resident experience, from initial move-in through successful exit

● Develops and launches community programming focused on eviction prevention and critical life skills development

● Responds to urgent matters and effectively provides direct crisis intervention for residents

● Partners with property management and case management on new move-ins, resident grievances and eviction prevention efforts

● Conducts comprehensive onboarding and orientation sessions for all incoming residents

● Generates and submits all required program and performance reports accurately and on schedule

● Mediates conflicts and complex issues that arise among residents in partnership with the case management team

● Supports and tracks youth transitioning out of housing services to ensure preparation for stable, long-term independence

● Monitors and ensures the optimal function and accessibility of all onsite resource facilities

● Acts as the primary liaison connecting residents to both internal and external stabilizing resources

● Administers and analyzes results from Resident Community Needs Assessments to inform programming

● Implements evidence-based engagement approaches while maintaining full compliance with supportive housing standards and funding requirements

● Facilitates productive, mandatory monthly meetings for the Resident Advisory Council

● Maintains accurate client contact records and rigorously tracks data for all Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

● Performs other specific job-related duties as assigned by the Housing & Engagement Manager or their designee

“Job performance is evaluated according to the policy provisions of Star House and the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio-Council of Governments.”

Minimum Qualifications:

● Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Public Administration or another related field preferred
(Associate degree or equivalent experience in human services, youth services or residential support accepted)

● 1–3 years of experience working with youth or individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability

● Experience in human services, residential support, youth programming or related field

● Knowledge of trauma-informed care and positive youth development

● Preferred experience with housing retention, eviction prevention or housing stabilization work

● Experience with documentation, data entry or program reporting

● Exposure to crisis response, de-escalation or conflict resolution in a professional or supervised setting

● Experience supporting, assisting with or facilitating programming, workshops or group activities

● Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace, including Word, Excel, Outlook, Docs and Sheets for documentation, communication and reporting

● Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage with residents, team members and external

Note: This assignment may require a valid driver’s license and access/availability of a reliable vehicle.

Star House is committed to equal opportunity employment, regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socio economic status, national origin, veteran or disability status. In order to further Star House’s mission, achieve our vision and live out our values, drawing from the collective wisdom of a diverse group of individuals is essential. With diverse minds influencing our work and decisions, we can go further for the young people we serve, ensuring that our continued programming and the solutions developed along the way are influenced by the best minds.