Casual Participant Support Worker

Be part of our inspiring mission-driven team at Squamish Helping Hands Society.

We are a registered charity operating in the Sea to Sky region, based in Squamish. We believe in being part of a community where everyone matters, and where housing and access to food are human rights.

Ultimately, we want to create “a safe and healthy community for all”. We feel we can only do that by meeting people where they are and helping them to create capacity building plans for themselves leading them to where they want to go. We are a community where we believe that everyone has something to contribute, and that consequences help inform our choices.

Squamish Helping Hands Society is an equal opportunity employer, committed to recruiting an inclusive workforce that reflects the community we serve. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, including Indigenous applicants, all genders, nationalities, and persons with disabilities.

This position requires membership in the Union.

**JOB INFO**:
Participant Support Workers at Squamish Helping Hands Society form the core team that provides support, information, crisis intervention, and ensures the safety of program participants. Participant Support Workers employ best practices to reduce harm associated with substance use and engage with individuals to inform, refer, and support participants. Workers use a non-judgmental trauma-informed approach to enhance the knowledge, skills, resources, and supports for individuals to be safer and healthier.

The Participant Support Worker reports to the Housing Manager or designate, and works in accordance with the mission, values, philosophy, and policies of Squamish Helping Hands Society.

**TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES**:

- Participates as a team member, follows employee guidelines, policies and procedures and communicates effectively with clients, volunteers, and staff.
- Attends meetings and required training.
- Performs a variety of cleaning and disinfection duties such as sweeping and mopping floors, cleaning washrooms, dusting, wiping, garbage removal, recycling, doing laundry, and various other tasks.
- Performs a variety of duties related to donations of food, clothing and other materials including accepting, organizing, cleaning, distributing and record keeping.
- Performs intake interviews with clients, delivers guidelines and policies to clients, records daily statistics and updates shelter stay lists.
- Observes clients, volunteers, staff and guests to ensure a safe environment by performing duties such as reporting unsafe conditions, incidents and/or behaviours; site monitoring (including regular perimeter walks); dealing with emergencies.
- Supports clients with referrals, donated goods, community information, and shelter services.
- Maintains confidentiality of clients, volunteers, and staff.
- Follows specific shift “To Do” list.
- Records shift summary in Communication Book - highlighting “need to know” information, events, and incidents.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.

**SKILLS AND ABILITIES**:

- Demonstrated ability to work independently and within a team environment.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
- Demonstrated ability to work and communicate using a computer.
- Demonstrated physical and mental ability to perform the duties of the job.
- Demonstrated ability to operate related equipment.
- Demonstrated experience working with disadvantaged adults who are experiencing homelessness, addiction, mental health or other barriers to independence.
- Demonstrated ability to be open-minded and non-judgmental.
- Demonstrated ability to organize work.
- Demonstrated ability to take direction from others.
- Demonstrated ability to understand and maintain client-worker boundaries.
- Demonstrated ability to work with others effectively.

**EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE**:

- Diploma in a related human / social service field.
- 1+ year recent related experience.
- Level 1 First Aid Certificate.
- Driver’s License.
- An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered.
- Additional preferred Assets - training in: Crisis Intervention Skills; Conflict Resolution; Harm Reduction; Trauma informed Practice; Hostile interactions/De-escalation skills.

**WORKING WITH US YOU CAN ENJOY**:

- An amazing, friendly, and emotionally intelligent team.
- A great community - Squamish is for the adventurous.
- Free meals on site.
- Casual dress policy.

**Job Type**: Casual

Pay: From $25.95 per hour

**Benefits**:

- Casual dress
- Company events
- Discounted or free food

**Experience**:

- working with homeless and at-risk individuals: 2 years (preferred)

Work Location: In person