Drop-in/Residential Housing Support Staff

POSITION TYPE CASUAL

Position Summary:

Drop-In Support Staff will assist participants to meet their day-to-day needs by providing access to supplies, resources, and referrals, using empowerment and harm reduction philosophies. They will support the day-to-day operations of our drop-in and outreach programs while building relationships and providing compassionate, non-judgmental support to community members.

Residential Housing Support Workers will support all tenants moving into designated permanent housing units in connecting to internal and external services, navigating systems, providing advocacy where required and working with community members to reach their goals.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Drop-in:

• Maintain a safe space at the Centre where all are welcome and respected
• Monitor participant safety and well-being (physical, emotional, mental)
• Ensure that the Drop-In space is clean, well maintained and organized
• Perform cleaning and sanitization tasks throughout the shift as needed
• Be fully aware of WCWRC activities, programming and staff in order to direct inquires and register participants appropriately
• Maintain positive and constructive working relationships with coworkers through teamwork, collaboration, and debriefing

Residential Supports:

• Make connections and build relationships with residents, getting to know their needs and goals
• Build relationships between residents through coordinating of regular meetings and community activities
• Connect residents to internal supports including housing, gender-based violence supports, cultural programs and
• volunteer opportunities
• Liaise between residents and their case worker after hours, to ensure continuity of care outside of office hours
• Coordinate skill building and informational workshops
• Support participants to prepare for meetings, as planned with their case worker, and accompany to offer support as needed
• Attend weekly case management meetings with the Residential Support Services Team

Participant Support:

• Build trusting relationships with community members
• Model safe, trauma-informed and harm reduction-based practices within the team and with the community
• Prevent and/or identify, intervene and effectively resolve overdose/drug poisoning, violence, and other emergency, crisis and conflict situations
• Provide support to vulnerable participants compassionately and non-judgmentally while maintaining strong personal boundaries
• Facilitate connecting participants with appropriate internal and external resources that will improve their standard of living

Programming- Drop-In:

• Assist with the operation of drop-in services including meals, supply distribution, laundry, shower, phone and computer usage
• Supports with the planning and execution of community programs and events
• Consistently collect and submit agency-required stats into tracking systems
• Support other programs of the Community Services Department, as needed

Administration- Residential Support Services:

• Maintain organized files and records of activity regarding work with residents
• Oversee and track programming budget

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Solid grounding in harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and empowerment-based approaches
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust and rapport with clients and community partners
• Strong crisis intervention skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with strong interpersonal skills;
• Demonstrated understanding of working with marginalized communities through an anti-oppression lens and an awareness of the social determinants of health
• Professional, responsible, and discreet when handling sensitive and confidential information
• Experience working collaboratively with a variety of community organizations and service providers
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage a dynamic caseload
• Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Outlook
• Strong ability to work collaboratively in a diverse staff team
• Open and willing to work within WCWRC’s values

Preferred

• Lived experience of overcoming housing insecurity, homelessness, poverty and/or marginalization strongly preferred
• Experience supporting victims of gender-based violence and knowledge of available resources
• Experience supporting refugee women and their families and knowledge of available resources
• Experience providing housing support services to marginalized or at-risk populations
• Experience working within the non-profit sector
• Knowledge of EIA, housing systems and the Residential Tenancy Act would be considered an asset
• Experience working collaboratively with community organizations
• Class 5 drivers license and access to a vehicle an asset

Work Conditions

• There is a risk of exposure to potentially unpredictable behaviors and situations
• Days, Evenings, Overnights, and Weekend days