Program Lead

**Program Lead**

**Mobile Crisis Response Team**

**12 Month Contract | Full Time**

**What we do and why we do it**:
The Alex Community Health Centre is a not-for-profit organization that is changing how we look at health care in Calgary. Our health, housing and food programs support our most vulnerable neighbours, tackling tough health and social issues head-on. Using a multi-disciplinary team approach, we focus care on assessment, intervention, and promotion of all aspects of health. We embrace a model of health care that is accessible, responsive, and participatory. In addition to the Community Health Centre, we run a Seniors Health Centre, a Youth Centre, three Mobile Community Health Buses, one Dental Health Bus, four Housing First Programs, and a Community Food Centre.

This Mobile Crisis Response Team has been developed in response to provide and improve support for Calgarians experiencing crises related to mental health and addiction concerns. The Program Lead is a member of the Addiction, Mental Health and Outreach Programs and provides program development and implementation, training, hiring, supervision, and strategic direction to the Mobile Crisis Response Team. The Program Lead provides direction utilizing the fundamentals of crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and harm-reduction principles, has solid knowledge of these principles and understands evidence-based practices. The Program Lead ensures that the team is sufficiently flexible and dynamic to meet the needs of individuals in crisis who may experience a variety of barriers to accessing services. The Program Lead is guided by client-centered decision-making and ensures that follow-up care is supported by the appropriate services and best practices. This is a 12-month, full-time contract that will report to the Director of Addictions & Outreach.

**What you will do**:

- Provide timely program development and implementation
- Reduce the need for emergency services where a mental health approach is the most appropriate way of addressing a crisis
- Ensure adequate staffing and scheduling
- Hire crisis response staff
- Supervise CMCR Team Lead
- Plan, organize and ensure delivery of high-quality training
- Engage and form strong relationships with relevant community partners and stakeholders, including; CPS, City of Calgary, AHS, 211 and 911.
- Develop and oversee required documentation, including data collection and entry as required
- Complete monthly data reporting and prepare outcome reports
- Manage urgent situations that arise with timely communication to all parties involved
- Collaborate with internal Alex programs to ensure continuity of care
- Monitor and adhere to budget
- Represent The Alex in social sector including public speaking engagements
- Attend community meetings, operational committees, and working/focus groups as required
- Provide crisis outreach services to individuals with significant mental health and addiction concerns as needed
- Offer culturally sensitive services where directed
- Offer an integrated, client-centered, trauma-informed, value-based crisis service
- Address barriers to accessing Calgary’s current crisis response system
- Address the lack of situational support and effective coping mechanisms of community members
- Provide persons in crisis with a response rooted in community

**What you bring**:

- Post-secondary degree in Psychology, Nursing, Social Work, Community Rehabilitation,
- Eligibility for registration with their professional discipline in Alberta preferred
- Demonstrated project management experience
- Proven leadership, interpersonal communication and writing skills.
- Confidence in supervising professionals outside of own discipline
- Experience working with vulnerable populations with significant mental health and substance use issues
- Comfortable with supporting individuals in crisis
- Demonstrated success in building a highly functioning team.
- Strong commitment to collaborative work with internal and external partners
- A class 5 non-GDL driver’s license, clean driver’s abstract, and a personal vehicle that can be used for work purposes with $2 million in liability coverage are required
- Standard First Aid - Level C CPR & AED 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 and a child welfare intervention check are required
- Enhanced Security Clearance as indicated by CPS
- Knowledge of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRC) 94 Calls to Action is an asset
- Willingness to work within anti-racist and anti-oppressive frameworks and actively engage in ongoing learning about these frameworks.

**Working Environment**:

- Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm (may shift to Wednesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm), some flexibility in schedule required.
- This is a 12-month contract wi