Overnight Youth Shelter Worker

JOB OPPORTUNITY:
**Overnight Youth Shelter Worker **Competition #43-23

About this Role

Directions Youth Services is a division of Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV), which for more than 90 years has provided a variety of essential resources for children, families and individuals in the Greater Vancouver community. We believe in the resiliency of Vancouver’s youth who are unhoused and street-involved. We assist youth under the age of 25 to get counselling for trauma, mental health or substance use. Our teams strive to create spaces and build connections with youth who are facing challenges of street life, substance use, mental health concerns, and disconnection from their communities. Directions inclusive programs of shelter and drop-in, safe houses and other unique programs are committed to being a community leader in harm reduction work and fostering low-barrier spaces where all youth are welcome.

These part-time salaried positions will serve homeless youth aged 19 to 24 in accessing a temporary 12 bed shelter offered within Directions Youth Service Centre. These
**overnight** positions works to promote safer, healthier alternatives, and where possible, to assist in the transition of youth from the street to residences and providing referral information where possible to clients. These positions will consist of working with a variety of unhoused youth struggling with substance use, including those who are neurodiverse and/or face emotional/social challenges. These positions reports to the Program Manager.

About our Opportunity:
**Our Valued Benefits**:

- Starting at three weeks’ vacation for full time staff
- Three (3) paid household leave days a year
- Two paid Wellness Days a year
- Paid sick days
- Two and a half paid Agency days for full time staff
- Five paid days for education leave/year
- One paid Moving Day/year
- Subsidized professional association annual dues (if applicable)
- A work culture that values transparency, teamwork, learning, fairness and integrity

**Health and Wellness Resources**:

- Generous health/dental benefits after 3 months.
- Three flex benefit options to meet your individualized needs
- Option of psychological/counselling services (up to $1500/year)
- Employee Assistance Plan
- Long Term Disability Plan
- Insurance, Travel insurance, ++

**Pension**: Pension plan enrollment

**Salary**: GS7, Step 1 - $23.39 per hour
_with a $2.00 per hour shift premium added to wages for overnight hours worked_)

**Work Hours**: 2
**overnight** positions available:

- **32-hour salary per week** (8 hours plus 1-hour unpaid break)
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 12am-9am (starting Sunday night at 11:59pm)
- **32-hour salary per week** (8 hours plus 1-hour unpaid break)
- Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 8:30pm-5:30am

**Location***: 1138 Burrard St Vancouver BC (overnight shift)

**Posting End Date**:Posting will remain open until filled

What you bring:

- Initiate contact with all youth referred to shelter and build trusting, supportive, therapeutic relationships and assess youth eligibility to access the shelter.
- Identify individual needs for youth accessing the program through intake process and provide support, encouragement, collaboration and education to clients in matters related to crisis intervention, harm reduction, conflict resolution, community resources, alcohol and drug information, and advocacy to clients and referral calls utilizing youth social work best practice.
- Monitors youth in shelter, ensuring the safety and comfort of clients, by observing client behavior, document and informing supervisor and co-workers as required.
- Monitors the overall safety of the Centre/ shelter through enforcing Centre guidelines by observation to detect inappropriate behavior, drug use, and contraband.
- Participates in the management of emergency situations by initiating first aid, calling emergency medical services, and /or police and defusing situations.

**Education, Training, Experience**
- Two years’ post-secondary course/diploma in social work or youth care/certificate in related field
- Food Safe Certification and Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training an asset
- Minimum 2 years’ experience working with youth, preferably in support of homeless/marginalized youth
- A combination of education and experience may be considered

**Knowledge, Skills, Abilities**
- Knowledge of the systemic issues that affect low income and marginalized youth
- Knowledge of substance misuse, adolescent development and the problems encountered by chemically dependent individuals; basic understanding of behavioral management
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries with clients
- Ability to communicate proficiently both verbally and in writing, and basic computer literacy
- Ability to work independently and a part of a team

**Additional Requirements**
- Successful completion of criminal record check
- **Proof of Covid-19 vaccination status will be required**

How