Emergency Shelter Worker - Relief (Days)

Calgarydropin; Calgary; Hybrid; CAD 25,000 - 33,000; Part time

Job summary

Calgarydropin seeks an Emergency Shelter Worker to support housing-focused shelters in Calgary. This casual relief role involves providing compassionate, trauma-informed care to adults experiencing homelessness, coordinating with staff and emergency responders, and upholding the centre's guidelines to ensure safe, dignified service.

You will assist with health checks, medication support, and help connect clients to essential housing resources while maintaining strong teamwork and flexibility

Qualifications

• Knowledge of community resources for homelessness, health, mental health and substance use
• Understanding of the needs of marginalized adults and homelessness issues
• Ability to work safely with exposure to bodily fluids
• Satisfactory vulnerable sector clearance check
• Genuine commitment to the mission, vision, values and work of the agency

Responsibilities

• Create meaningful connections with clients, community members, volunteers, emergency responders and staff with professionalism and respect, providing trauma-informed, client-centered support.
• Serve as a visible ambassador for the organization, engaging clients and stakeholders while promoting guidelines in a respectful manner.
• Help clients pursue housing stability through solution-focused conversations and linking them to needed resources.
• Thrive in a fast-paced setting and assist with lifts or moves up to 50 lbs, and adapt to emerging situations.
• Support daily program operations including facility upkeep, laundry, wellness checks, location monitoring, and other duties as assigned.
• Collaborate with the medical team to communicate client health needs and support medication distribution.

Job description

The Opportunity

Position Title: Emergency Shelter Worker
Reports To: Senior Coordinator, Emergency Shelter
Employment Type: Casual
Schedule: As Relief staff, you will help support staffing coverage for vacations, sick leave, and other absences. Relief shifts are assigned on an as-needed basis, offering flexibility while supporting the needs of the organization. We offer three shift options, and employees are assigned to a single shift to support consistency for both staff and the people we serve. Days shifts are: 6:15AM to 2:15PM

Location: 1 Dermot Baldwin Way SE, Calgary, Alberta

About the Department

Our Housing-Focused Emergency Shelters provide 24-hour, low-barrier shelter and essential supports for adults experiencing homelessness in Calgary. The shelters are designed to be accessible and inclusive. Individuals are not turned away due to substance use, mental health challenges, or lack of identification. This low-barrier approach helps ensure that people facing the greatest risks can access warmth, safety, and necessities when they need them most.

What You’ll Do

Every role at the DI makes a difference. In this position, you will:

• Create meaningful connections with clients, community members, volunteers, emergency responders, and DI staff by engaging with professionalism, compassion, and respect, while providing trauma-informed, client-centered support that honours each individual’s unique experiences, strengths, and goals.
• Serve as a visible and approachable ambassador for the DI, engaging with clients and stakeholders while promoting and reinforcing Centre guidelines in a respectful and supportive manner.
• Champion positive housing outcomes by engaging clients in solution-focused conversations, and connecting them with the resources needed to achieve housing stability.
• Thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment that requires the ability to lift, push, and pull up to 50 lbs, move quickly in response to emerging situations, bend, kneel, reach overhead, climb stairs or ladders, and remain seated or standing for extended periods as needed.
• Support the day-to-day success of the program by completing a variety of operational and client-focused tasks, including facility upkeep, laundry duties, wellness checks, location monitoring, and other duties outlined in procedures or assigned by the Coordinator.
• Foster positive health outcomes by partnering with the medical team to communicate client health needs and support effective medication distribution.

What You Bring

We know that great people come from all kinds of backgrounds. You don’t have to check every single box! If you’re passionate about helping others and share our values, we want to hear from you.

Must-Have’s

• Knowledge of community resources for homelessness, health, mental health and substance use
• Understanding of the needs of marginalized adults and homelessness issues
• Must be acceptable of industry risks, including coming into contact with bodily fluids
• Ability to provide a satisfactory vulnerable sector clearance check
• A genuine commitment to the mission, vision, values, and work of the agency.

Nice to Have’s

• Completion of (or working towards) a college or university program in any of the following; human services, community support, social service work, psychology, sociology, addictions or health-related discipline is considered an asset
• Previous work experience in a social service environment is a definite asset
• A combination of education/practical experience may be considered
• Experience working in distress and/or high-stress situations, which may include emergency response
• Ability to work effectively with a diverse population
• Excellent Analytical Skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills, both, written and verbal
• Excellent professional boundaries
• Strong customer service orientation would be ideal