Awake Overnight Shelter Support Worker -DAV1368

Ywca; Toronto; On-site; CAD 45,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

YWCA Toronto is seeking an Awake Overnight Shelter Support Worker to join our collaborative team at Davenport Shelter. The role provides crisis counselling, case management, and workshops within a feminist framework, focusing on trauma and oppression dynamics.

You will help residents with housing options, safety planning, and tenancy support, while contributing to program development and safety of the shelter environment. Strong communication and cultural sensitivity are essential.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field (e.g. BSW) or equivalent.
• 3–5 years’ experience in counselling and group work with at-risk/homeless women.
• Completion of Toronto Hostel’s Training Certificate (T.H.T.C.) or equivalent.
• Demonstrated knowledge of harm reduction principles and trauma-informed practice.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of a second language and/or culture is an asset.
• A vulnerable sector police reference check is required prior to hiring.
• Experience delivering workshops and group facilitation.
• Knowledge of community resources supporting mental health and housing.
• Ability to work within a feminist framework and collaborative team.

Responsibilities

• Applies knowledge of trauma and dynamics of abuse to develop and implement effective support strategies.
• Completes risk assessments and safety plans.
• Models and coaches residents in conflict resolution and mediation skills.
• Provides supportive counselling regarding housing options and assesses housing needs.
• Identifies tenancy support and develops individualized housing plans.
• Engages with staff to develop quality programs and services.
• Contributes knowledge to team to create meaningful services for clients.

Skills

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Bilingual asset

Education

Undergraduate degree

TH TC certificate

Job description

Employment Type: Full-Time, Contract

Position Status: Vacant

Work Hours: 35 hours per week, Thursday to Monday 12:00 am to 8:00 am (with on-call responsibilities)

Salary: $33.78 (L7) per hour

Location: 348 Davenport Road Toronto, ON, M5R 1K6

Contract Start Date: September 8, 2026

Contract End Date: April 26, 2027

Application Deadline: Monday, August 24, 2026

Join Our Team

Join YWCA Toronto, where intersectional feminism, community voices, and social justice drive lasting change. We welcome women and gender diverse people of all identities into a workplace rooted in equity, collaboration, and inclusion

The Awake Overnight Shelter Support Worker works within a collaborative team to provide meaningful and relevant services within a theoretical feminist framework that includes a working knowledge of the dynamics and effects of trauma and oppression. They act as a resource to staff and clients and is responsible for providing a full range of services which includes crisis counselling, case management and the development, implementation and evaluation of workshops. The position shares in the responsibility of the overall health and safety of the building and will work in an open shelter/work environment without a dedicated office space.

About YWCA Toronto – YWCA Davenport

YWCA Davenport provides up to 80 emergency shelter beds to young women and gender diverse people (16 – 24 years of age) and adult women and gender diverse people (25 and older) and is staffed 24 hours a day. This pet friendly shelter is funded by the City of Toronto and adheres to Toronto Shelter Standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Applies knowledge of the issues of trauma and the dynamics of woman and gender diverse people abuse and homelessness to develop and implement effective support strategies;
• Completes risk assessments and safety plans;
• Models and coaches residents to use conflict resolution and mediation skills to support positive relations between residents;
• Provides supportive counselling to clients regarding their housing options; assesses clients’ housing needs through group sessions or in one to one interviews;
• Identifies tenancy support required and, in collaboration with the client, develops an individualized housing and tenancy support plan;
• Engages with the staff team in reflective practice, to ensure the development and implementation of quality programs and services;
• Contributes knowledge and expertise to team members to develop meaningful and relevant services for clients.

Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of an academic discipline normally acquired through completion of a supervised undergraduate degree (e.g. BSW); (Cases for Equivalency will be considered);
• An analytical framework that identifies clients' relation to social systems and the demonstrated practicalapplication of thisframework;
• Completion of workshops and courses pertaining to mental illness, trauma, harm reduction, crisis de-escalation and anti-oppressive practice;
• 3-5 years’ experience in counselling and group work focused on clients at risk and/or homeless women;
• Completion of Toronto Hostel’s Training Certificate (T.H.T.C.) or equivalent;
• Demonstrated knowledge of harm reduction principles and practice;
• Demonstrated knowledge of community resources and supports focused on mental health and group support;
• In-depth knowledge of the dynamics of woman abuses and trauma within an anti-oppression framework;
• Demonstrated experience in the development, delivery and evaluation of workshops and groups;
• Experience delivering culturally sensitive services in a multicultural environment;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Knowledge and understanding of mental health, substance use/addictions, advocacy, refugee and immigration issues and homelessness;
• Life Skills Certificate an asset;
• A certificate in trauma counselling would be an asset;
• Knowledge of a second language and/or culture would be an asset.

Please note: A vulnerable sector police reference check is required by the successful candidate prior to hiring. YWCA Toronto is a unionized workplace. Staff are represented by CUPE Local 2189. This position is not within the Bargaining Unit. Please indicate on your cover letter if you are an internal candidate. For internal applicants this position is not second able.

Posting Date: August 13, 2026

YWCA Toronto transforms lives. As the city’s largest multi-service women’s organization, we help women and gender diverse people escape violence, move out of poverty and access safe, affordable housing.

We work tenaciously to break down barriers that hold women and gender diverse people back from achieving equality.

Vaccination Policy: In accordance with YWCA Toronto’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, all YWCA Toronto employees, students and volunteers are strongly encouraged to obtain all COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses as recommended by Toronto Public Health

Please note: A vulnerable sector police reference check is required by the successful candidate before hiring.

YWCA Toronto promotes the principles of anti-oppression and adheres to the tenets of the Ontario Human Rights Code. We encourage applications from women and gender-diverse people of all races, ethnic origins, religions, abilities and sexual orientations.

YWCA Toronto provides accommodation during all parts of the hiring process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. If contacted, please advise us if you require any accommodation. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

YWCA Toronto may use AI-supported tools to assist with parts of the recruitment process; all hiring decisions are made by people and guided by our commitment to equity and fairness.

YWCA Toronto is a Scent-Sensitive Workplace.