Sheltercare Support Worker

At House of Friendship we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun

Sounds pretty great doesn’t it? It is

This is an amazing opportunity to be a part of something new and exciting. ShelterCare is a shelter program that is following the ShelterCare model of providing a place to stay and staff support 24/7. ShelterCare creates opportunities where individuals experiencing homelessness have access to on-site, integrated housing and health supports so they can become healthier and house - exiting the cycle of homelessness for good. Come and join us as we forge a new path and prepare for our move to our new permanent home where we will fully implement this model.

We are looking for individuals who are passionate about this work, have educational and/or relevant work/ lived experience and who are committed to using a trauma-informed and strength-based approach to supporting people experiencing homelessness. In particular we are looking for people who have an awareness and support of harm reduction approaches, who are comfortable responding to emergency situations and providing First Aid/CPR when applicable and who have strong relationship management skills and the ability to engage in meaningful conversations to develop rapport with the people we serve.

*** We are currently hiring for part-time, weekend staff (evenings, nights)**

**as well as relief staff (days, evenings, nights, any day of the week).**

**A Vulnerable Sector Police Records Check processed within the last 6 months will be required.**

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Engage participants in meaningful support relationships to achieve the goal of obtaining permanent housing, wellbeing stability and a successful stay while accessing ShelterCare
- Understand and consistently implement program policies and procedures, including and not limited to: incident reporting, harm reduction, fire prevention, privacy and confidentiality, restrictions and restorative practices, storage of personal belongings, etc.
- Work with each new person accessing the program for intake conversations and orientation to the program, including expectations and intended program outcomes of the shelter stay
- Engage in rapport building with individuals while doing on the floor tasks such as healthy living space assessments and life skill building
- Connect with a caseload of individuals accessing the shelter to develop personalized housing plans to ensure experiences of homelessness as brief as possible
- Engage participants in building life skills tied to housing retention, such as navigating community resources to enhance the circle of support and resources pertaining to financial and overall wellbeing
- High level of professional accountability and integrity in managing data (e.g. HIFIS, daylogs, support notes) and any required work involving database entry.
- Attention to detail and integrity in managing the personal belongings of the people we serve, including the signing in and out and management of medications.
- Implement work procedures to improve our service excellence and organizational culture;
- In order to ensure a clean and hygienic environment for all, cleaning up bodily fluids/waste, may, at times, be required.
- Witnessing and responding to crisis. Confidently support conflict de-escalation while addressing behavioural concerns to ensure effective mitigation of risk.
- Contribute to a culture of belonging and connection where each person is valued
- There is an inherent level of risk, and at times unpredictability involved in the work we do. We will work together to ensure we effectively mitigate risk in an effort to create an environment that is physically and psychologically safe for participants, staff and partners.
- Assist in program planning, development and improvement through special projects, committee work or ad hoc working groups
- Engage in ongoing training and development, including daily on-the-job learning within the program, required courses and learning opportunities provided at an organizational level
- Participate in scheduled team meetings, program and organizational town halls
- Contribute to the organizational strategic planning process and annual planning processes within the program

**Skills Experience**:

- Two year post-secondary education in a related field of study (i.e. social services, social work, addictions, mental health, community development etc.).
- Experience providing individualized support services
- Experience of homelessness or relating with people experiencing homelessness
- Experience of working with those who have experienced mental health challenges, addicti