Unsheltered Support Worker

Unsheltered Support Worker

**Job Number**:2223

**Job Type**: Temporary Full-Time
**Temp Contract Length**: 18 months
**Location**: 99 Regina St S - Public Health & Community Serv
**Job Category**: Health Care and Social Assistance
**Number of Positions**:1
**Department**: Housing and Support Providers (B)
**Division**: Community Services
**Hours of Work**: 35
**Union**: CUPE 1883
**Grade**: CUPE 1883 Grade 016
**Salary Range**: $48.86 - $55.39

**About Us**

The Region of Waterloo is a thriving, diverse community committed to fostering opportunities for current and future generations. Home to over 674,000 residents and expected to grow to nearly one million by 2051. Guided by our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, “Growing with Care,” we focus on equity, inclusion, and sustainability. Our mission is to provide essential services that enhance the quality of life for all residents, while our core values emphasize caring for people and the land we share. Join us and be part of a team dedicated to making a meaningful difference in our community.

Dish with One Spoon Wampum:

- Waterloo Region is part of the Dish with One Spoon wampum, a treaty guiding our commitment to:

- Recognizing our shared humanity and land
- Taking only what we need
- Leaving some for others
- Keeping the dish clean
- This agreement underpins our vision, mission, and core values, and reinforces our dedication to meaningful reconciliation and equity.

**The Role**
- Provides client-centred, community-based crisis and system navigation services to individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness who are street-involved, sleeping rough, or urban camping in Waterloo Region, to ensure connection to services and that basic needs are met. Provides supports following psychosocial rehabilitation, trauma and violence-informed care, and harm reduction models, while also prioritizing inclusion and support for diversity to create a safe, welcoming experience for clients.- Meets with people where they are at, and builds rapport and trust with individuals experiencing homelessness within the community. Provides client assessments, direct assistance/support, supports for housing, crisis intervention and stabilization, advocacy, and appropriate community linkages to clients accessing services.

**Duties/Responsibilities**
- Maintains a client caseload. Works independently and as part of an unsheltered response team to provide welcoming, safe, and trusting care for participants. Protects and promotes the welfare, dignity, and individual rights of participants at all times, understanding trauma and violence and the impact these have on participants’ lives and behaviours.
- Works with individuals who have acute/chronic addiction and/or concurrent issues. Provides triage, mental health and/or addiction assessment and screening, and counselling on site. Completes intake and risk assessments for crisis.
- Collaborates with and works alongside community agency staff and other support providers who are involved with the client to facilitate a coordinated approach to service. Acts as a direct liaison with primary care to facilitate withdrawal and supports as required.
- Coordinates and facilitates with participants to link them to recommended services and supports in the community. Advocates for, connects, and refers clients to appropriate housing services, supports, and resources (formal and informal), based on their needs. Accompanies clients to appointments.
- Facilitates counselling and psychoeducational interventions that support clients’ progress towards identified goals and enhanced overall health and wellbeing, particularly in relation to addiction and mental health. Follows program support guidelines, and works collaboratively to develop and implement individualized client care plans to reflect client goals and help clients work towards them.
- Guides clients in the development of skills and strategies for dealing with their problems. Helps clients identify their stage of change and goals for service. Has focused interactions and sessions on harm reduction, modification of behaviours, maintenance of change, or better management of conditions.
- Engages in crisis intervention as required. Provides health teaching and information on coping techniques and strategies (e.g., grounding, breathing techniques, self-care, nutrition, sleep hygiene) to enhance overall wellbeing, and completion of crisis plans.
- Evaluates clients’ progress on a regular basis and adjusts interventions as necessary. Engages Emergency Services when additional intervention is required.
- Purchases basic needs/supplies as needed within program budget.
- Maintains timely, detailed, accurate records in electronic client management system, including the mapping and location identification of known and visited encampments.
- Assists in the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of educational and outreach materials.
- Attends and participates in staff and group meetings, and case