Community Prevention Worker

OAHAS; London; On-site; CAD 54,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

An Indigenous-led organization in London, Ontario, seeks a full-time Community Prevention Worker to provide harm reduction education and support services. Responsibilities include promoting safer sex practices, facilitating cultural workshops, and providing essential services for community members. Applicants should possess a valid Ontario G driver’s licence and understand Indigenous cultural practices. This role offers a salary of $54,411-$57,750 annually plus benefits.

Benefits

Benefits including professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Valid Ontario G driver’s licence is required.
• Respect for a diversity of cultural practices and teachings.
• Ability to speak openly about substance use and sexuality.

Responsibilities

• Promote safer sex practices through education and harm reduction supply distribution.
• Provide testing services and culturally grounded pre and post-test counselling support.
• Engage peers and volunteers in creating harm reduction kits.

Skills

Understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing

Excellent personal and professional boundaries

Strong planning and organizational skills

Ability to build healthy relationships

Communication skills

Education

Diploma or degree in a relevant field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Position:Community Prevention Worker

Location: London

Reports to: Team Supervisor

Position type:Full-time, Permanent

Salary range: $54,411- $57,750 annual+ benefits

OrganizationalSummary

The Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy (Oahas) is an Indigenous-led organization committed to promoting and supportinghealthy, thriving Indigenous communities throughproviding culturally grounded education and access to harm reduction to reduce the transmission of HIV and other STBBIs in our communities.Oahas operates based on the principles of Greater Involvement of People living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA), Meaningful Engagement of People living with HIV/AIDS (MEPA),“nothing about us without us”,Indigenous harm reduction, and respect for our cultural knowledges and teachings.These foundational principles guide all aspects of our relationships and work.

Organizational Values&AccountabilityBehaviours

Oahas’ organizational values areAutonomy and self-determination, Accessibility, Innovation, Justice, Connection, Accountability, Hope and Advocacy.Based on our organizationalvalues, we have developedagency-wideaccountabilitybehavioursthatare shared with all Oahas staff and used as partof our performance evaluation tools.These include engaging in the work usingdirect communication, kindness, generosity of spirit and respect.

Position Summary

CommunityPrevention WorkersprovideculturallygroundedSTBBI& harm reductioneducation, one-to-one service navigation supports, access toharm reduction supplies,linkages toSTBBItestingand treatment,run drop-in programming,andfacilitatecultural workshops and educational groups for community.

We are currently hiring one full-time permanent Community Prevention Worker position in London, ON.

Community Prevention Workersreport to theTeamSupervisorof the Program Sitewith the followingareas of responsibilities:Harm Reduction, Community,andEducationPrograms andServices;Testing,Treatment & Linkage to Care;Administration– with particular emphasis on one-on-oneand groupprogram reporting and case file administration.

Key Responsibilities

Harm Reduction, Community,andEducationPrograms andServices

• Promote safer sex practices through a variety of methods,includingeducational activitiesandharm reductionsupply distribution through outreach anddrop-in services.

• Participate in community events and gatherings and set-up displays and information booths.

• Facilitate groups related to education, life skills,cultureand wellness forcommunitymemberswith particular attention to Indigenous people living with, or at risk of acquiring, HIV,HCVand STBBIs. This includes engaging withIndigenous people who use drugs, engage in sex work, those who have been incarcerated and/or those who are experiencing houselessness.

• Advocateforquality of care, non-judgmental and non-stigmatizing servicesfor Indigenouspeopleaccessinghealth services related to the prevention, testing and treatment of STBBIs.

• Provide education to service providers onaddressing anti-Indigenous racism in health care, HIV & HCV basics as it relates toprevention, testing and treatment, and Indigenous harm reduction.

• Collaborate locally and regionally and create partnerships to improve services and access to care for Indigenous peoples.

• Engage peers and volunteers with livedand livingexperience toassistin creating harm reduction kits, provide training to peers,and work together to distribute harm reduction supplies to community members.

• Work closely with other Oahasstaff and community partners to provide services for community members affected by and/or at risk ofacquiringHIV/AIDS, HCV and STBBIsthroughsex and/or substance use. Make sure to attend on-going training and information sessions so staffremaincurrent on the research and wise practices related to Indigenous people and STBBIs.

• Support community memberswhenaccessing Oahas Drop-in services, includingmaintaining a safe and welcoming space,relationship building and active engagement with individuals, providing practical supports as available,providing harm reduction gear, preparing and serving food as available,delivering programmingas determined by the team,cleaning and sanitizing the space,engaging inconflict resolution and crisis intervention as needed,and connecting people to external services and supports asrequested.

Testing,Treatment & Linkage to Care

• Provide testing services (and referrals) for community members affected by and/or at risk ofacquiringHIV/AIDS, HCV and STBBIsthroughsex and/or substance use.

• Provide supportive,culturally groundedpre and post-test counsellingsupport.

• Support people who might be in crisis to navigate medical servicesas it relates to testingand/or accessing PEP.

• Provide support toIndigenous People Living with HIV/AIDS (IPHA)communitymembersthroughcoordinating and/orfacilitatingsupport groups and various program activitiesthat support improved quality of life.

• Develop andmaintainstrategic partnerships to ensure a continuum of careas it relates to HIV or HCVtreatment and wrap aroundsupport.

• Supportcommunity members in meeting theirneeds in the areas of harm reduction, health care, housing, income, social support, legal, substance-use supports,through advocacy,systems navigationand providingappropriatewarmreferralsand linkages to care.

• Whenrequested by IPHAs, provide supportwithtreatmentadherence.

Administration

• CompleteOCASE/Treat,OCHARTand NEOdatabaseentrieson a weekly basis.

• Ongoing program reporting, data collection,file maintenance and records management.

• Ongoing compliance with Oahaspolicies and procedures is a requirement for this job.

• Engage inprogram planning through the development of a workplan.

• Be responsible forsubmittingfinance requests and reconciliations ina timelyway.

• May berequiredto support ordering harm reduction equipment.

Additional Expectations

• Flexibility with schedule and ability to work evenings and weekends on occasion.

• May berequiredtoassistwith projects and other agency initiatives.

• Share in the responsibility and care for Oahastraditional medicines and bundle items as per protocol.

RequiredQualifications& Experience

• ValidOntario G driver’slicenceisrequiredfor this position.

• Agood understanding of Indigenousways of knowing, being and doing and/or understanding ofcultural practices,teachingsand history.

• Respect for a diversity of cultural practices and teachings.

• Travel throughout the region and occasionally to other areas of the province will be required, which may include flexibility to work some evenings and weekends and to work away from home for up to a week (i.e. weeklong annual Oahas All Staff Gathering).

• Available to work the 35h/ weekrequiredfor the position.

• Ability to work outside regular working hours asrequired.

• Ability to speak openly and freely about substance use and sexuality in a sex-positive, non-judgmental, stigma-free manner with service users andoutreach support workers(peers).

• Excellent personal and professional boundaries.
• Ability and willingness to walk up to 15km and tolift upto 10kg in a variety of weather conditions for up to three consecutive hours.

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Experiencewiththe delivery of prevention, harm reduction, outreach, education, community-based, social services,healthor cultural services.

• Passion for nurturingculturallyappropriateprogramsand services, communityengagement,and modelling effective leadership within Indigenous communities.

• Prefer a diploma or degree in a relevant field and/or a combination of related experience.

• Lived/living experiencewithsubstanceuseand/or living with HIV or have receivedaHCV diagnosis.

• Ability to buildhealthy relationships, strengthen communication,andestablishpartnerships within communities.

• Ability to exercise tact, diplomacy and respect when communicating with Indigenouspeoples,communities, stakeholders, otheragenciesand external contacts.

• Strong planning, organizational,and teamworkskills.

• Ability to work in Microsoft Office Suite.

• Ability to speak an Indigenous language is an asset.
  

Oahas is committed to equitable representation and access. We strive to build an inclusive workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the communities in which we live. To this end, we strongly encourage applications from Indigenous people, and people with living/lived experience with drug use, sex work, homelessness, street involvement; those living/diagnosed with HIV or HCV; members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, and persons with (dis)abilities.