Housing Support Worker

Habitat Services; Toronto; On-site; CAD 47,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Habitat Services is hiring a Housing Support Worker to assist tenants in private boarding homes and non-profit housing in Toronto. The role includes providing individual and group support, information and referrals, informal counseling, advocacy, and practical assistance.

You’ll coordinate group activities, outings, and tenant meetings while documenting visits in a database. The position requires experience in community mental health or housing, strong interpersonal skills, and culturally

Qualifications

• Minimum two years’ experience in community mental health and/or housing.
• Ability to build rapport with individuals who are socially isolated.
• Understanding of recovery approaches to mental health, community development and harm reduction.
• Familiarity with community resources and crisis services.
• Experience in crisis intervention, mediation and advocacy.
• Experience with groups and group activities.
• Collaborative approach to teamwork.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational and time management skills.
• Cultural competency working with diverse populations including BIPOC, LGBTQ2S communities.
• Second language is an asset (Cantonese and/or Vietnamese).

Responsibilities

• Provide individual support, information and referrals; informal counseling; advocacy; accompaniment and practical assistance.
• Facilitate group activities, coordinate outings and tenant meetings.
• Build rapport with tenants and support diverse backgrounds.
• Support housing-related needs and connect tenants to community resources.
• Maintain visit notes using a database and ensure accurate documentation.

Skills

rapport building

recovery approaches

crisis intervention

group facilitation

advocacy

collaboration

interpersonal skills

time management

organizational skills

cultural competency

Education

related post-secondary education or equivalent experience

Tools

database skills

Job description

We are hiring a Housing Support Worker!

The Housing Support Worker will work with tenants with mental health and addictionsissues living in private sector boarding homes and non-profit housing monitored by HabitatServices. Housing support work is conducted both on and off-site in homes, and in variouslocations in the city of Toronto.

The Housing Support Worker will work as a member of the Habitat Services HousingSupport team, providing individual and group support to tenants from diversebackgrounds. Support to groups include implementation of group activities of interest totenants, coordination of outings and excursions, and facilitation of tenantmeetings. Individual support is tenant-centered and includes: providing information andreferrals; informal counseling; advocacy; accompaniment and practical assistance.

Habitat Services seeks a candidate who has:

• an ability to build rapport with individuals who are socially isolated
• an understanding of recovery approaches to mental health, community development and harm reduction
• familiarity with community resources and crisis services
• experience in crisis intervention, mediation, and advocacy
• experience with groups
• a collaborative approach to teamwork
• strong interpersonal skills
• experience with housing settings for people living with mental health issues
• experience in offering practical assistance and informal counseling
• strong organizational and time management skills
• flexibility and the ability to respond to client needs and preferences
• computer and documentation skills, including using a database to create visit notes
• cultural competency working with diverse populations including Black, Indigenous,People of Colour, LGBTQ2S communities
• related post-secondary education or equivalent experience
• minimum two years’ experience in community mental health, and/or housing

Additional assets include:

• Lived (i.e. personal) experience of the mental health system and/or homelessness,and a willingness to use the knowledge and skills acquired
• Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and related health concerns
• A second language (Cantonese and/or Vietnamese)

Habitat Services is committed to protecting employees' health and safety by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) appropriate to the task. This job requires face-to-facecontact with home operators and residents.

Candidates must be willing to follow Habitat Infection, Prevention, and Control (IPAC)protocols & guidelines, including wearing a mask where required, as well as otherPPE when needed. Habitat Services will follow the Human Rights guidance in supportingindividuals who are legally entitled to accommodation.

The work requires travel to different sites in the city of Toronto, and moderate physicalactivity such as climbing stairs.

Habitat Services is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from allequity-deserving groups. Accommodation during the hiring process is available uponrequest for individuals with disabilities who are selected for an interview.

This position is a newly unionized position and will be covered under the terms of theUnited Steelworkers (USW) Collective Agreement (once established). Internal applicants from the bargaining unit will be considered first.

Salary: $ 55,635. The position also includes a comprehensive benefits package uponcompletion of probation. Internal Applicants: Your current salary and benefits package willremain unchanged.