Wellness Advocate

In this role, you will have the opportunity to work with a dedicated team committed to providing support and care to individuals facing homelessness. If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals and have the necessary skills and qualifications, we encourage you to apply._

The Wellness Advocate is committed to helping people who are experiencing poverty, housing instability, and other barriers to assist them in transitioning toward and maintaining sustainable and healthy lifestyles. The Wellness Advocate works as part of an interdisciplinary allied health team and connects clients with any needed external and internal resources.

**Position Type**: Full-Time
**Schedule**: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm and Tuesday 1:00pm to 9:00pm
**Reporting to**: Wellness Advocate Supervisor
**Location**: Calgary, AB

**MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Meet with community members seeking advocacy support to assess their identification, income, and housing needs, and collaboratively establish and prioritize goals to guide the support provided
- Complete the Wellness Advocate intake process
- Build and maintain positive relationships with clients and create a welcoming, respectful, inclusive, and safe environment for them
- Educate and empower clients to understand and achieve their rights and responsibilities, to facilitate their full participation in society
- Contribute to general health and wellness programming including supporting or facilitating group initiatives and programs that increase knowledge and awareness of community health
- Liaise with internal and external resources that will help clients achieve their goals if the support is beyond the scope of services provided by the Wellness Advocate. This includes maintaining existing partnerships as well as developing new partnerships
- In regard to clients who have a Caseworker, compliment the work of the Caseworkers by acting as a consultant and liaison for issues that require client access to external resources
- In regard to clients who do not have a Caseworker, refer these individuals directly to internal and external resources
- Advocate for clients as needed both to access resources within and outside the organization
- Maintain relationships with agency partners and volunteers
- Ensure clients accessed external resources by completing follow up with guests and agencies
- Contribute to community programs facilitation as needed
- Follow protocols to ensure sanitized and organized professional workspace
- Assist with training of new Wellness Advocates and Receptionists
- Participate in case management teams when required
- Provide crisis intervention, as necessary
- Provide input into program evaluation upon request
- Other duties as assigned.

**Administration**:

- Build a comprehensive library and knowledge base on community resources
- Share and disseminate community resource information
- Track assigned clients’ progress with external resources
- Communicate relevant information to Caseworker about interactions with clients and observed behavior
- Document client interactions, client referrals and client progress on documentation platforms (platforms vary with each city)
- Track statistics and prepare reports, as required
- Attend meetings and training, as assigned
- Serve on internal and external committees, as requested
- Provide input into the development of policies and procedures for designated programs
- Keep clients’ records and information confidential, updated and secure.

**MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS**
- Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Psychology, or a related field in public health or equivalent required
- Three to five years of related working experience preferred
- Competent in use of MS Office
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent administrative, time management and organizational skills
- Self-motivated and ability to work independently
- Possession of a Valid Driver’s License (Class 5) including a clean driving abstract

**WORKING CONDITIONS**
- As The Mustard Seed is a Christian ministry, we require our employees sign an agreement indicating that they will respect and not detract from our Statement of Faith
- This role includes weekly after-hours shifts, which may involve off-site meeting facilitation
- Time in excess of regular working hours may be required on occasion
- This position is primarily an office position
- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs
- Local travel to various Mustard Seed sites and external agencies will be required
- Employees are to be aware that many of our clients may experience difficulties or impairment at times, which could result in them uttering threats, discriminatory statements, and other insults at your person. This may in a raised voice, or in seeing unpredictable behaviour up to and including the possibility of them becoming aggressive
- Training on how to respond is provided, but this is to be considered typical working condition