Companion (Settlement Worker) - Romero House

CharityVillage; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charitable organization is seeking a Settlement Worker (Companion) to support refugee families in Toronto. This role includes helping families adjust to life in Canada, offering guidance and building trusting relationships. The position involves both office work and home visits in a hybrid work setting.

Benefits

$2,000 Health Spending Account

Employee Assistance Program

$50/month cell phone reimbursement

Paid vacation

Qualifications

• Experience in a social service environment or relevant educational programs.
• Self-awareness regarding power and privilege.
• Ability to manage multiple responsibilities independently.

Responsibilities

• Support families in navigating systems like refugee claims and health care.
• Build personal relationships with families for effective assistance.
• Coordinate support with team members.

Skills

Proficiency in English

Proficiency with digital technologies

Problem Solving

Cultural Awareness

Education

Experience in a social service environment or relevant studies

Job description

Job basics:

Job title: Settlement Worker (Companion)

NOC 42201 – Social and community service workers

Reporting relationship: This position reports to the Housing Hub Manager.

Hours of work: full-time (5 days/week) generally 9am-5pm and one hour for lunch. Some evenings and weekends.

Contract duration: Permanent starting September 1, 2025 (date flexible) (subject to a three-month probationary period)

About Romero House:

Romero House is a community of welcome for newly arrived refugee claimants in Toronto. We are a charitable organisation offering transitional housing and immigration and settlement support in the spirit of good neighbours, valuing dignity, mutuality, and care. We are a diverse community where all are welcome. Romero House is unique in that we are not only a housing and settlement service provider but an intentional community (some of our staff and volunteers live in our housing) very connected to our neighbourhood and each other.

Job Purpose:

The Settlement Worker, known at Romero House as a “Companion”,is a key support person for a group of refugee claimant families living at Romero House, offering individualized guidance as they adjust to life in Canada. Each Companion builds trust and connection with their assigned families through regular check-ins and warm, respectful relationships. They help families navigate systems like refugee claims, income support, health care, and schooling, while encouraging independence and confidence over time. Rather than doing everything for families, Companions focus on doing things with them.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Visit families in their homes and other settings to build relationships and provide support

• Build personal relationships with families to get to know their background, skills and current needs

• Support residents in exploring their options and making informed decisions

• Develop plans of action while providing necessary support and assistance

• Assess and investigate eligibility for social benefits

• Refer residents to other social services or assist residents in locating and utilizing community resources including legal, medical and financial assistance, housing, employment, transportation, day care and other services

• Meet with residents to assess their progress, give support and discuss any difficulties or problems

• Assist residents with filling out forms, supporting them to do so independently wherever possible

• Keep accurate case notes and documentation for all relevant communications with residents

• Respond to families’s concerns with patience, kindness, flexibility, and cultural awareness

• Seek support from supervisor, colleagues, and partner organizations when difficult or unfamiliar situations arise

• Coordinate resident support with team members, including Housing Access Coordinators (i.e. housing workers), House Coordinators (i.e. on-site residential support), and volunteers connected with the family

• Support residents in their search for rental housing to move into after Romero House, in coordination with their Housing Access Coordinator

• Support residents in their career exploration and job search, in coordination with their Housing Access Coordinator

• Identify when a resident is struggling and coordinate support such as social service referrals, volunteer, family, neighbour or community support

• Maintain program statistics for purposes of evaluation and research

• May supervise social service worker students and volunteers (who might help with tutoring, interpretation, English conversation, housing search, or job search)

Qualifications and Qualities (Required):

• Proficiency in English

• Proficiency with digital technologies

• Experience in a social service environment as an employee, placement student, or volunteer OR experience in relevant educational programs such as social work, social service work, immigration and settlement studies, or psychology

• Ability to manage multiple responsibilities independently and as part of a team

• Takes initiative

• Experience solving complex problems or problems in high-stress situations

• Self awareness with respect to power, privilege, and prejudice and tools to promote equity and inclusion

• A sense of shared humanity and desire to contribute to a more just, caring, and sustainable world

Assets (Helpful but not required):

• Proficiency in other languages, in particular Spanish, Persian, Arabic, Amharic, Ukrainian, Russian, French, Kirundi, or Yoruba

• Experience working in diverse communities

• Experience working well as part of a team

• Ability to build relationships across diverse cultural backgrounds

• Adaptability and creativity in a dynamic, community-centered environment

• Experience living at Romero House or being part of the Romero House community

• Proficiency with Google Workspace, including Google Sheets

• Experience with digital translation tools such as Google Translate

• Experience with Salesforce or similar client records management software

• Valid Ontario driver’s licence, minimum level G2

• First Aid certification

• Experience supporting children and youth (about half our residents are children)

Working conditions

• Working indoors

• Working with vulnerable populations including recent migrants, low-income, trauma survivors, non-English speaking

• Communicating with claimants using digital translation tools, volunteer and professional interpreters

• Hybrid work (combination of office work, visiting residents’ homes, and work-from-home). Office location: 1558 Bloor Street West, Toronto. Residents’ homes are all within a 15 minute walk of the office.

• Frequent use of email and instant messaging

• Frequent face-to-face meetings and phone calls

• Frequent individual work and regular team work

• Meeting 2-3 times/week as a team for prayer (a place where faith and spirituality are welcome to be expressed and not required)

• Successful candidate must have up to date immunizations as recommended by Toronto Public Health (accommodations will be provided as required by the Ontario Human Rights Code)

• Some travel may be required

Compensation

• $50,000 gross annual salary

• $2,000 Health Spending Account

• Employee Assistance Program including short-term counselling

• $50/month cell phone reimbursement

• 3 weeks of paid vacation plus closure between December 25 and January 1

Equity:

We provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences (pardoned), marital status, family status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by local law.

We particularly encourage applications from minoritized groups, including people with experiences of migration, people of colour, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2+ community, and those with varied areas of expertise and lived experiences.

Accessibility:

We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.