Social Development Coordinator

**Social Development Coordinator**:
**To address significant changes in the social fabric of the community related to homelessness, addictions, and crime, the City of Cranbrook, in conjunction with Regional District of East Kootenay, has developed this exciting role.**

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Reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Cranbrook, the incumbent in this role will proactively coordinate with the Provincial and Federal governments agencies and nonprofit social service organizations operating in Cranbrook.

There are provincial programs responsible for delivering homelessness associated social support services, and other provincially or otherwise funded non-profit organizations in place in Cranbrook working to manage this growing issue. Many of these programs and non-profits are struggling to meet the growing and changing needs of the community. The City is working to coordinate and bring together all these programs and agencies to help fill service gaps, while working proactively with them to help identify emerging issues and collaboratively create plans to manage these issues, while helping reduce the impacts on our bylaw services, RCMP,
Fire & Emergency Services.

The Social Development Coordinator position is designed to coordinate with the Provincial and Federal governments in a more proactive way, coordinating with federal, provincial, and local non-profit delivered programs to identify gaps in social services, to improve the outcomes of these programs in Cranbrook. This position will also be key in creating communications to both educate the community on these social issues, but also inform residents and business owners as to the important work being done. This position will also make recommendations on policy and future programming priorities as related to issues of community well-being to City Council for advocacy support to engage senior levels of government. The immediate work will include preparing for the spring and an expected increase in homelessness and outdoor camps within the city.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**

**ONSITE MANAGEMENT**
- Manage day-to-day program delivery that includes engaging with agencies and organizations that support unsheltered homeless individuals providing support to help them stabilize their lives.
- To connect individuals with income support, including making and accompanying individuals to appointments.
- To locate people who need support services and otherwise would not seek assistance.
- Provide follow-up supports to ensure individuals have effectively transitioned to housing.
- Creating client-centered case plans alongside clients and liaising between caseworkers/managers and community partners supporting client-focused case plans.
- Connect individuals with health and social service programs and services.
- Maintain timely statistics regarding all contacts reporting case histories and program statistics and activities.

**STRATEGIC PLANNING**
- Coordinate the development of action committees to address homeless issues.
- Respond to urgent community issues as they arise using a collaborative approach.
- Facilitate the involvement of the whole community in identifying and resolving social issues.
- Communicate, share and collaborate with people in similar municipal roles in other municipalities to bring best practices and shared learning of others to Cranbrook.
- Coordinate and oversee implementation of strategic planning/problem solving for social issues.
- Identify gaps and needs for addressing social issues in the community.
- Oversee the implementation of a Homelessness Strategy, Harm Reduction and Opioid Crisis Response Strategy, and the Immigration and Settlement Strategy.
- Facilitate cooperation and coordination of efforts within the non-profit, governmental, and business sectors to address social issues.
- Facilitate the creation of low income and supportive housing by working with BC Housing, First Nations, the development community, and the City Engineering & Development Services Department.

**MEDIA**
- Facilitate communication and education campaigns in conjunction with community stakeholders, BC Housing, Interior Health, and other partners in the effort to reduce poverty and provide support and housing.
- Act as spokesperson, when appropriate, regarding community responses to emerging social issues/solutions; maintain a professional, neutral, proactive response to media inquiries; liaise with the City of Cranbrook’s Manager of Communications.
- Create community awareness of the City of Cranbrook’s Action Plan on poverty, work being done in the community on homelessness and the realities of homelessness in Cranbrook and Canada.

**ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS EDUCATION**
- Degree or Diploma in Social Work, Community Social Services, or any other relevant discipline

**LICENSES / CERTIFICATES**
- Valid Class five (5) Driver’s Licence
- Current first aid certification plus CPR-C

**EXPERIENCE**
- Minimum of five (5) years’ experience managin