Community Health

**Title**:Community Health & Development Worker - Harm Reduction**

Reports to:Manager, Weller Clinic

Position Type: Full-time - Permanent (35 hours per week)

Location: 263 Weller Avenue, Kingston ON K7K 2V4

Start Date: Immediately

Salary $27.53 - $32.39 per hour

**Position Summary**

As part of a multi-disciplinary team, the Community Health & Development Worker (CDW) assists with the conceptualization, design, planning, development, promotion, and delivery of harm reduction programs, services, and activities. This new position at Weller requires the successful applicant to demonstrate a combination of skills, including but not limited to program administration, planning, and implementing health promotion, community development and client facing harm reduction. The Community Development Worker in this role must demonstrate the ability to work independently, take initiative, build a support network within the community, and navigate ambiguous situations.

The CDW will promote a nurturing and welcoming environment at KCHC’s Weller location, CDW works with complex clients facing barriers to care. Engaging in harm reduction program facilitation, outreach and promotion activities, the CDW finds solutions that assist clients with their day-to-day living, in a trauma-informed manner, and with recognition of the social determinants of health. This position is rooted in a health promotion and harm reduction framework and applies a social prescribing lens by establishing connection between the client and community resources and supports to help address unmet health needs. The primary focus is to engage hard-to-reach populations to improve their access to health and community services, particularly harm reduction supports.

Collaborating with community services, the CDW promotes health and wellness for people who use drugs through supportive conversations, education, health promotion, and system navigation. The CDW oversees a collaborative peer and volunteer model, focused on improving access to harm reduction supplies. This position will lead harm reduction efforts in the community to increase the delivery of education and training sessions, provide information and support services, and promote referrals to testing and treatment. In this role the CDW will create programming designed to build community capacity through the use of the harm reduction framework.

**Key Responsibilities & Detailed Responsibilities**

Community Development, Outreach & Facilitation
- Develops, implements, and evaluates outreach activities and programs to engage and support community members from a harm reduction perspective (including harm reduction supplies distribution).
- Coordinate and executes providing information and education sessions to community members and community stakeholders to reduce stigma.
- Develop and facilitates client engagement initiatives.
- Using a community development framework, work with KCHC’s programs and community partners to identify needs, design, and delivery though development of various health promotion initiatives, projects and programs that serves the community harm reduction needs.
- Coordinate and lead training and information sessions for staff, community members, patients/clients/families to increase the knowledge of harm reduction services.

Coordinate and direct volunteer opportunities and build capacity within the peer program. Provide mentorship, guidance, and skills-building opportunities to the peer program.

**Program Support**
- Direct the development of program structure and activities to increase capacity and develop a strong program model.
- Oversee the daily Harm Reduction Distribution Program, including inventory and ordering of supplies (stock levels), kit-assembly, data collection and reporting.
- Encourage a safe and secure environment for KCHC clients, community members, and staff while nurturing a harm reduction philosophy and practice.
- Maintain healthy and professional relationships with community partners and program stakeholders. Network with internal and community partners to ensure an optimal continuum of health & social support.
- Document client encounters in the EMR to assist with data capturing for reporting and program evaluation.
- Participate as a team member in all team functions; program planning, evaluation, QI projects, team meetings, case conferences, committees, and staff meetings.

Provide feedback into program development, enhancement, and improvements, identifying community, and systemic issues.

**Client Support and System Navigation**
- Oversee a welcoming space for all coming into KCHC’s Weller location with a specific focus on engaging those needing social supports, practical assistance, and harm reduction supplies.
- Build trusting relationships with clients through supportive conversations and the provision of harm reduction supplies, as needed.
- Facilitate connections and formal referrals to health and social services.
- Support practical