Housing Support Worker with Food Security

Come Build Hope and Homes with Us

Housing Support Worker (with Food Security)

Hamilton – Strathearne Suites

Compensation: $46,800-$55,700

Closing Date for Applications: October 31, 2025

Position Description: Reporting to the Program Supervisor, you will work alongside residents who have experienced mental health concerns and/or substance use to maintain housing stability. You will support individuals in developing and working through their personal service plans striving towards health, wellness and belonging. Promoting and demonstrating the vision, mission, and values of Indwell within the workplace and community. Also, working within the context of a collaborative interdisciplinary team reflecting the principles of person-centered and evidence-based care by assisting with coordinating and delivering mental health and addiction services to tenants with a specific focus on housing support and food security. This program serves individuals who have experienced long term housing instability and/or long stay hospitalizations. This position will require a high level of resilience and willingness to work in close proximity to challenging situations.

About Indwell: Founded in 1974, our Christian charity continues to thrive and grow exponentially as we serve people impacted by poverty and homelessness through our vision of HOPE and HOMES for All. We are the fastest growing developer in Ontario creating affordable high quality efficient housing communities coupled with supportive programs to over 1200 tenants to meet their needs of health, wellness, and belonging. To learn more, go to:

Hours of Work: 40 hours per week. The program operates 7 days a week. This position includes working evening and weekend hours, including some public holidays. Participation in the on-call schedule rotation is required, which consists of carrying a work cell phone 24/7 for that one week, responding to urgent needs. The Housing Support Worker with a food security focus will work with the scheduler to ensure that there is adequate staff support during the meal program, which is a dinner meal. At times, this position will also require substantial flexibility to meet program needs.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

• Building therapeutic relationships with tenants with a recovery-oriented, trauma-informed approach, promoting hope and trust
• Has the ability to contribute to and prepare culturally diverse meals or programming to meet all tenants' needs.
• Manage the kitchen facilities at Strathearne, ensuring adequate and appropriate supplies of kitchen equipment
• Support in the preparation of meals including covering sick time and vacations for Staff at Parkdale Kitchen
• Manage food supplies ensuring proper labelling and stock rotation so that food is not wasted.
• Assist residents in developing and practicing the skills defined in their service plans in consultation with resident and interdisciplinary team.
• Demonstrate understanding and ability to assess the food security and nutrition needs of program population related to cultural significance and general health.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the relationship between food and community building.
• Confident in utilizing crisis management and intervention skills.
• Reinforce residents' life skills, including spiritual, social, and coping skills.
• Develop and facilitate relevant group programming related to food and nutrition.
• Complete required documentation in a thorough and timely manner with a focus on maintaining and protecting health records.

Leadership

• Consistently show initiative and engage in creative problem solving.
• Engaging and establishing external community partnerships to meet and improve housing support needs or food security of residents.
• Reinforce a positive workplace culture and tone through your skilled verbal and written communication.
• Keep the interdisciplinary team informed of community opportunities and emerging trends related to best practices in housing support activities, food security and nutrition.
• Comfort with landlord responsibilities such as apartment checks, pest management and rent collection.

Support, Direction, and Commitment to Interdisciplinary Team

• Work as part of an interdisciplinary team to provide direct and indirect support to residents, encouraging housing stability and food security. These supports may include medication administration, apartment checks, oversight and implementation of pest management protocols, community events, meal program, and other supports as necessary.
• Support and collaborate with Volunteer Coordinator to integrate program volunteers into housing support activities and food programming. Complete volunteer logs as required.
• Assist in the orientation and support of staff, students and volunteers.
• Follow applicable regulations, policies and procedures.
• Work collaboratively with Indwell's Facilities Team, supporting and reporting maintenance needs to ensure upkeep of buildings and resident units.

Health, Welfare and Safety Practices

• Maintaining a safe and healthy working environment
• Upholding organizational policy and procedures
• Using appropriate procedures when responding to emergency situations
• Complete required safety checks and inspections as assigned.
• Attending and participating in all required training to maintain and develop new skills
• Other duties as required

WHAT YOU WILL BRING:

• Post Secondary education in related field or equivalent.
• Experience working in mental health and/or addictions sector is beneficial.
• A Safe Food Handling Certification or be willing to complete the course to become certified.
• A warm, sensitive and caring approach with a genuine interest in supporting a diverse population of people living with mental illness and/or substance use.
• Demonstrate ongoing commitment to learning and supporting diverse individuals and communities (i.e. cultural safety, anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice).
• Ability to work independently, be flexible, organized, responsible and take initiative.
• Must have physical capability to lift and maneuver heavy objects (i.e. dish racks, bulk food items and occasional appliances).
• A client centered approach, using trauma-informed strategies to support residents
• Strong communication, listening, interview and assessment skills, as well as critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Effective crisis intervention and conflict management skills
• Ability to work effectively in a high stress environment, work independently, be flexible, organized, responsible and take initiative
• Excellent written, verbal, time management and organizational skills
• A commitment to interpersonal collaborative teamwork and care and continuous professional development
• Familiarity with SPDAT/ the Ontario Common Assessment of Need is an asset
• Committed to upholding and modeling the standards set out in the organization's Mission Statement, Statement of Faith, Code of Conduct and other operating standards and policies

We want you to thrive:

• Vacation: 3 weeks (15 days) paid with 8 HEAL days (sick and personal appointments) per year
• Extensive Benefits paid: Extended health (100% medication coverage- some exceptions may apply), dental and vision care. Life Insurance and long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program- primary care and professional consulting services
• Group RRSP: Indwells contributes 5% of salary
• New Staff Orientation Days
• Professional and Personal Development- annual Leadership Conference (themed with guest speaker) + Spiritual Ranch Retreat (reflection and recharge with various outdoor activities). Clifton Strengths Finder Assessment facilitated by People Developer for mentoring opportunities, Lunch and Learn Webinars, Indigenous Cultural Competency and 2SLGBTQ Awareness. Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI), First Aid/CPR/Naloxone, Therapeutic Relationships and Applied Suicide Intervention (ASIST)
• Social Events: Indwell's Hope and Homes Banquet yearly to celebrate the important work we do + team gatherings

As Indwell works to support diverse tenant populations, we are seeking to create a diverse work culture that closely matches the diversity of our communities with qualified individuals who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, who will contribute to the diversification of ideas and perspectives. Our supports, services and employment are open to people from every creed, race, ethnicity, sex, ability, sexual orientation, and gender identity. And we especially invite applications from Black, Indigenous peoples, members of racialized communities and intersectionalities. Indwell's leadership are motivated by the example of Jesus Christ as reflected in Indwell's statement of faith.

Inspired to JOIN OUR TEAM? We invite you…

To APPLY: Please forward your cover letter and resume to our website: We thank all for your interest; however, only those applicants that are being considered will be notified.

Personal information submitted will be used only for employment opportunities within Indwell in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.

Accommodation will be provided to applicants who make their needs known in advance for the duration of the hiring process as required under Indwell's Employment policy.