Community Development Worker

Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC) is dedicated to providing accessible, equitable, and transformational health and social service choices for the well-being of Scarborough's diverse communities. We cultivate vital community services by promoting healthy lifestyles while delivering a comprehensive range of culturally competent health and social services programming. Our I2CARE values ensures that we, as a work community, treat all with, inclusivity, innovation, collaboration, accessibility respect and equity.

As an employer, we strive for excellence as a workplace and are committed to building a workforce that enhances our capacity to meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve.

We are currently looking to hire a:
**Community Development Worker**

**1 - Full Time, Contract (35 hours per week) Until March 2026**
**Various Shifts including Weekends**

The Integrated Housing Supports (IHS) program is a comprehensive and collaborative support service for residents who are vulnerable and have complex needs living within two Toronto Community Housing buildings, 4175 and 4205 Lawrence Avenue East in Scarborough.

Using a hub model of service, this position will be a part of the multi-disciplinary IHS team who will work collaboratively to ensure that skill enhancement and services are in place for residents to maintain their housing and to improve their physical as well as mental health and substance use challenges. Members of the team will also be responsible for liaising with local businesses, community partners, the onsite Community Safety Team and others to foster positive relationships between clients and their community.

**Reporting To**:Manager, Community Services

Purpose:
The Community Development Worker will be responsible for conducting outreach and engagement with residents, assisting in the delivery of new programming and peer support to address the needs of socially isolated tenants. It is expected that the Community Development Worker will work from the lens of lived and/or professional experience, supporting individuals with mental health and/or addictions challenges, living and working in a priority neighbourhood. The Community Development Worker will canvass residents and surrounding businesses for their ideas, engage them in dialogue and partner to deliver programming reflective of the community’s interests. The Community Development Worker will also engage residents with the support of a resident advisory group and team members from the Lawrence East Partnership Program (LEPP) at SCHC, to build capacity within the community and identify clients that would benefit from the integrated support of SCHC. In addition to resident engagement and program delivery, the Community Development Worker will participate in program evaluation to determine the effectiveness of new initiatives and the impact of these programs on community members.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

- Engage residents in outreach activities including focus groups, door-knocking, lobby intercepts, town halls and interviews in order to gather residents input.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of new programs and workshops in response to outreach data.
- Actively participate in stigma reduction and awareness raising of current issues in mental health and/or addiction challenges.
- Personal/lived/ knowledge and/ or experience of mental health and/or substance use challenges.
- Participates as a member of a multi-disciplinary team by sharing personal/practical experience, knowledge, and first-hand insight benefiting the team and clients.
- Collaborates with others to promote a team culture that works from a client-centered, harm reduction, trauma informed, and anti-oppressive approach to service.
- Create an inclusive environment in which all residents feel welcome to participate and contribute.
- Develop partnerships and relationships with nearby business to support work and clients.
- Promotes awareness and supports client participation in consumer self-help programs and advocacy organizations to increase recovery.
- Works with clients in one-on-one and/or group situations to promote wellness, recovery, and socialization.
- Promote relevant programs, services and community resources.
- Identify client that need supports in navigating mental health and/or addiction services and complete the relevant referrals.
- Identification of service gaps, and ability to support program planning and advocacy efforts.
- Organize and lead individual and group social/recreational activities to increase socialization and provide skill-building opportunities.
- Gather and enter statistical data into EMRs as required.
- Participate in organizational committees and appropriate community committees.
- Perform other duties as assigned that are reasonable within the scope of the job.

**Experiential Qualifications**:

- Two years of experience working with marginalized populations using a community development model incl