Support Worker

Are you a personable and professional support worker with experience working in a place based supportive housing environment? Have you worked with residents experiencing mental health barriers, homelessness, and poverty in the past? Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment? If so, this role may be for you!

The Alex is a beacon of hope for Calgary’s most vulnerable citizens, offering wrap-around health care, housing, social, and wellness programs. With a patient and client-centered approach, we envision a community where every individual is valued and empowered to thrive. Our mission is to improve quality of life through accessible and integrated health, housing, and social services. With five decades of experience, we have earned a reputation for tackling tough health and social issues, guiding individuals on their journey from crisis to wellness, and from challenge to change.

Reporting to the Program Manager, the Relief Support Worker will be responsible for establishing support in a place-based Housing model through The Alex. This will involve engaging current residents who have had difficulty maintaining housing stability and developing ways to provide encouragement and support for them as they establish permanent housing. Our ideal candidate would be available to work all shifts including overnight, weekends, and statutory holidays.

This is a casual position.

What You Will Do

Resident Support

• Work within a harm reduction and housing first scope
• Advocate for residents when required
• Engage and support residents on an ongoing basis
• Provide basic life skills guidance, including assisting with basic cooking and cleaning in common areas such as the dining room, as well as within resident suites
• Assist with ADL supports as needed such as hygiene prompts, assisting with laundry etc.
• Assist residents in maintaining the cleanliness of their suites as needed, including assisting in preparing for room inspections required by property management for housing sustainability
• Provide opportunities for meaningful engagement with residents including facilitating recreation groups, including cooking groups, going for a walk, playing a card game etc.
• Understand and provide medications to residents, utilizing the medication assistance program as needed
• Understand and follow protocols for individual Managed Alcohol Programs as needed
• Be familiar with and uphold all resident wellness contracts, safety planning and individualized support plans
• Support with meal programming at Abbeydale Place including distributing meals to residents, basic kitchen cleaning and meal prep as needed, and ordering/picking up groceries as needed
• Provide crisis intervention and de-escalation supports as needed

Administrative

• Write clear and concise notes
• Communicate effectively, both written and orally, among all team members ex. email correspondence, shift change, completion of incident reports etc.
• Monitor for safety issues in the building, including hourly rounds of the building
• Assist with data collection and daily data entry
• Scan, upload and file required paperwork as needed
• Collaborate with community partners (such as PACT, CPS, Home Care etc.) when required
• Maintain client confidentiality and clear boundaries, both inside and outside Abbeydale Place and The Prelude
• Represent the program and the agency in the community in a professional manner
• Work collaboratively with all team members to achieve excellent service and outcomes for clients
• Adhere to the code of ethics

Cleaning

• Complete cleaning tasks required for basic maintenance of the building as needed ex. sweeping, mopping, emptying garbage’s, etc. as needed
• Assist with setting up empty suites for new resident move-ins, expectations include but are not limited to; assisting with identifying and purchasing new items required for the suite, as per the suite inventory list, cleaning and organizing the suites, assisting in setting up suites with new items
• Assist with room turn over for suites, including removing previous belongings as per personal belongings protocol and assisting with basic cleaning
• Complete all required shift duties, including admin and cleaning duties such as increased sanitization measures
• Expectations include, but are not limited to; household cleaning, cooking and upkeep of the program
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

What You Bring

• Completion of a degree or diploma in a related field; or within a year of completion
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the principles of Housing First and harm reduction
• Experience working with clients at risk and/or vulnerable populations
• Superior communication skills and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team
• Self-motivated and ability to work with minimal supervision
• Superior documentation skills
• Excellent de-escalation/crisis intervention skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to multi-task in fast-paced environment
• Confidence in dealing with conflict and at risk situations
• Comfortable working independently
• Non-violent crisis intervention and Suicide Intervention training are preferred
• First Aid (either Standard/Intermediate or Emergency/Basic) - Level C CPR within 30 days of hire date, certification must be valid for a minimum of 6 months upon hire
• A satisfactory vulnerable sector criminal record clearance is required
• Demonstrated knowledge, understanding and commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action.

Work Environment and Hours:

• Abbeydale Place and The Prelude are 24/7 residential programs; the majority of this role is on-site with the exception of occasional mandatory and/or voluntary training that may occur offsite
• This is a casual position; shifts can vary depending on coverage needs.
• Continuous extended periods of sitting, with some standing or walking.
• Frequent climbing and carrying objects up or down stairwells
• Occasional physical activity requiring the ability to climb, bend/crouch, reach above shoulder height, kneel, and carry objects (more than 20Ibs) throughout the shift. This may include lifting and transferring clients who require assistance moving.

Working Conditions:

This position requires frontline staff, in some cases, to be exposed to emotionally disturbing events, such as medical distress, threatened/actual serious injury, violence, abuse, and death. There may also be exposure to situations where clients may be experiencing fear, terror, hopelessness, rage, self-harm and conflict. It is understood and accepted that this position will be working in distress/high-stress situations, which may include emergency response where resiliency, stress tolerance, and the ability to maintain composure is imperative. This position may also be exposed to bodily fluids. The health and safety - both physical and psychological- of our employees is a priority. The Alex is focused on providing a safe, supportive and healthy work environment.