Housing & Settlement Counsellor

**ROLE**

This job has 2 components. One is settlement and the other one is housing.

**Settlement**:
Work with landed immigrants, convention refugees to help them settle in their communities through access to good quality housing, development of social networks, referrals to community resources and case-management where necessary.

**Housing**:
Housing Counselor has a dual role in recruiting landlords as well as working with clients to help them find housing. This position requires providing information, advocacy and mediation, conflict management, follow up with landlords and networking with community agencies relating to the needs of the client.

**QUALIFICATIONS**:

- A Diploma or degree in Social Work, Social Service Work, or Community Service Work
- Minimum 1-3 years of experience working in social services field, preferably in newcomers settlement and housing field
- Must be able to speak one language commonly spoken in Region of York e.g. Farsi, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, Ukrainian...
- Must have a valid driver’s licence and access to reliable vehicle
- Must be willing to travel within York Region and North York as necessary
- Ability to understand the settlement process of newcomers
- Knowledge about community Resources, Mediation, Conflict Management, Partnership Development
- Thorough knowledge of settlement issues facing refugees and new immigrants
- Sensitive to the needs of newcomers and aware of the social and economic trends of immigrants.
- Thorough knowledge of housing issues facing low income and homeless population
- Understanding of the Residential Tenancies Act as it relates to Tenants and Landlords,
- Mentoring and Networking with Community Agencies as they relate to Client Needs
- Experience in working with tenants and landlords and have an understanding of landlord and tenant act
- A thorough understanding of suburban housing and homelessness issues within York Region
- Networking with Community Agencies as they relate to client needs
- Able to facilitate workshops and information sessions on settlement and housing related topics
- Experience or familiarity with resources and services available within York Region and Toronto
- Oppression Framework to all of our clients and Landlord-Tenant Interaction
- Experience working with newcomers
- Familiar with Conflict Management, ability to deal effectively with job related stress and crisis situations
- Ability to multi-task and prioritize workload
- Excellent English communication skills, both verbal and written
- Knowledge of working with i-CARE data base
- Standard First Aid/CPR Training is considered an asset
- Occasionally working outside regular business hours; evenings or weekends

**Settlement and Housing components**

Determine clients’ settlement & Housing needs, identified during Intake Assessment to address any of the following issues:

- Offer settlement and Housing information and referral services in a drop-in setting e.g. OHIP cards, Community Health Centres, SIN cards etc.
- Discuss settlement processes and help clients develop a realistic understanding of what to expect with an emphasis on securing housing
- Training clients to respond to questions expected from landlords
- Schedule client appointments with landlords
- Support and address clients’ settlement and housing needs, including furniture, food, clothing needs
- Work with clients who have housing-related issues such as: behaviour, personal habits, social isolation, mental health, addictions, hygiene, socio-economical, violence and/or legal difficulties, through encouraging problem-solving and access to community supports
- Liaise with landlords and mediate landlord-tenant relations where necessary
- Conduct workshops for landlords and advise them on a one-on-one basis about how newcomers can be mentored and oriented towards community resources
- Conduct Settlement and Housing workshops for the clients
- Assist newcomers in accessing resources specific to family settlement e.g. schools and parent-teacher meetings, Ontario Works
- Identify topics pertinent to client needs and arrange information sessions
- Create and maintain accurate and timely documentation for each new housing client
- Provide individual support and follow-up to clients addressing their housing needs and provide advocacy relating to housing and the needs identified during the Intake Assessment
- Provide information on rental choices based on the clients’ income, family circumstances and other preferences
- Discuss and set up expectations about interaction with the landlord
- rights and responsibilities, pertinent questions and discussions of any special issues or requirements the client may have
- Maintain and update client files for a minimum of 3 months, working to stabilize the client’s housing situation
- Recruit landlords and register them into database
- Follow up with tenants and landlords and mediate to stabilize their tenancy
- Provide assistance with eviction prevention sho