Community Housing Support Worker

**Position Title**:Community Housing Support Worker**

**Competition**:24-77

**Reports to**: Assistant Manager of Community Services

**Union**:BCGEU

**Compensation**: $27.39-$29.69/hour

**Schedule**:8:30am-4:00pm, Monday-Friday (70 hours bi-weekly)

**Posting Closing Date**:November 12. 2024, 2024 at 4pm

**Organizational Focus**:
Pacifica Housing has been providing safe and affordable homes for almost 35 years. We are a rapidly growing organization dedicated to meeting the housing and support needs of our community. As such, we are committed to building our fast-growing team with a culture that supports our people and reinforces our core values of authenticity, leadership, respect, and social justice.

Pacifica is proud to be a Certified Living Wage Employer by The Living Wage for Families Campaign.

**Position’s Primary Objectives**:
This position provides housing related case management services for outreach clients who require ongoing support by:

- developing and managing client case plans to promote long-term housing stability;
- in an integrated team approach, collaborating with partner agencies and a variety of other community organizations to support the clients’ long-term housing stability;
- responding quickly and effectively to address issues, such as damages to a unit, conflict with a landlord or other issues that might potentially impact a tenant’s housing status;
- maintaining successful relationships with landlords including coordinating move-outs, storage, clean-up, damage repairs.

**Key Responsibilities**

**1. Using a strength-based client centered approach, provide comprehensive ongoing case development and management services to promote long-term housing stability, including**:

- initiating a therapeutic relationship with new clients and assisting them in securing permanent private market housing;
- identifying participant strengths and barriers to stability and assisting participants in setting goals;
- working with participants to become familiar with each client’s situation and developing an individualized case/service plan including advocating for medical, financial and employment benefits, as needed;
- facilitating weekly support meetings with clients and providing ongoing support based on need;
- providing or facilitating the provision of training and education for Activities of Daily Living (ADL), life skills, financial literacy etc.;
- transporting and assisting clients to and from appointments, shopping and leisure activities, as needed;
- providing on-going updates in both oral and written form to the Manager on client case management issues.

**2. In an integrated and coordinated team approach, engage with partner agencies and a variety of other community organizations to advocate for clients, share information, access resources, provide emergency referrals, and collaborate in joint initiatives, including**:

- participating in Community Intake Meetings to assess new referrals from the CAA, collaborate on initiatives, and share information;
- providing referrals to appropriate community resources, agencies or government ministries as dictated by needs assessment;
- developing viable options for accommodation;
- providing emergency referrals to appropriate services (e.g. detox, EMHS, Hospital, police) and following up on referrals made on behalf of clients;
- liaising with private landlords to promote and secure housing for individuals living with mental health and/or addictions etc.;
- independently leading team initiatives, in collaboration with partner agencies, to case coordinate and problem solve.

**3. Establish and manage successful relationships with Landlords to advocate on behalf of clients’ and support long-term housing stability, including**:

- assessing clients’ stability in housing placements through regular and on-going contact with landlords;
- mediating complex issues between the landlords, other community service providers, stakeholders and clients;
- responding quickly and effectively to tenancy issues such as damages to the unit, problems with hygiene, bed bugs, hoarding etc.;
- coordinating and participating in client move out activities; and
- coordinating repairs and remediation of units with landlords within guidelines and approved budgets.

**4. Maintain case files and perform a variety of other functions to support the successful delivery of the Outreach team, including**:

- collecting and maintaining complete records and program statistics as required by partners, funders, and intensive case management best practices;
- maintaining concise and accurate client files including current case notes and information about each client’s progress with their respective case plans;
- assisting in problem solving and case co-ordination in collaboration with operations staff;
- representing Pacifica Housing in meetings and professional settings;
- attending and participating in case conferences, staff meetings, training sessions and workshop