Manager, Community Access & Crisis Response (Full-Time)

The 519; Toronto; On-site; CAD 74,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits from day one

Dental benefits from day one

OMERS pension enrollment

Paid vacation

Job summary

The 519 in Toronto is seeking a Manager, Community Access & Crisis Response to provide leadership across the building, oversee crisis response, and ensure accessible programs and services for diverse community members. The role emphasizes anti-oppressive, trauma-informed practices and coordination with multiple teams.

As the Manager on Duty, you will guide staff, volunteers, and community stakeholders, balancing safety, inclusion, and responsive service delivery within a busy community hub.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in social work, community development, public health, crisis intervention or related discipline.
• Minimum three (3) years experience in community-based services or crisis response.
• Experience with trauma-informed, anti-oppressive and harm-reduction approaches.
• Experience supervising staff, volunteers, or community leaders.
• Strong written communication and incident reporting skills.
• Ability to work weekends and a regular weekday shift.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the designated Manager on Duty during assigned shifts.
• Maintain a highly visible and approachable presence throughout the building.
• Respond to community concerns, coordinate responses to incidents and crises.
• Support staff and volunteers and ensure access to programs and services.
• Lead crisis response and de-escalation during behavioral incidents.
• Collaborate with Operations, Programs, Facilities and Community Well-being teams.
• Foster an inclusive environment reflecting dignity and accessibility.

Skills

Crisis intervention

De-escalation

Staff supervision

Community engagement

Trauma-informed approach

Education

Post-secondary education in social work or related field

Job description

Manager, Community Access & Crisis Response (Full-Time)

Anyone eligible is invited to apply for this position.

PRIMARYFUNCTION

Reporting to the Director, Community Well-Being, the Manager, Community Access and Crisis Response is responsible for maintaining a welcoming, accessible, responsive, and well-functioning environment throughout The 519.

As the primary operational lead during assigned hours, the Manager provides visible leadership across the building, responds to community concerns, supports staff and volunteers, coordinates responses to incidents and crises, and ensures community members are able to access The 519’s spaces, programs, and services in a manner that reflects the organization’s values of dignity, inclusion, harm reduction, and community care.

The Manager serves as the designated Manager on Duty and is responsible for real-time operational decision‑making related to community concerns, building access, crisis response, de‑escalation, service disruptions, and community wellbeing.

The role works closely with Operations, Programs, Facilities, and Community Well-being teams to create an environment that is welcoming, responsive, and supportive while balancing the realities of a busy community hub serving diverse populations with complex needs.

The Manager approaches all work through anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, accessibility-focused, and harm reduction frameworks.

KEYACCOUNTABILITIES

Building Leadership & Community Presence

• Serve as the designated Manager on Duty during assigned shifts.
• Maintain a highly visible and approachable presence throughout the building.
• Monitor community dynamics, public spaces, and operational conditions.
• Provide real-time leadership and decision-making regarding building operations and community concerns.
• Support the smooth functioning of programs, services, events, and community activities.
• Respond to emerging issues and coordinate appropriate responses.
• Act as the primary escalation point for staff, volunteers, and community members regarding operational and community concerns.
• Support a welcoming and inclusive environment that promotes dignity, belonging, and accessibility.

Crisis Response & De-escalation

• Lead responses to behavioral incidents, conflicts, disruptive situations, and urgent community concerns.
• Provide advanced de-escalation and conflict resolution support.
• Support staff responding to challenging situations involving mental health crises, substance use, interpersonal conflict, or disruptive behavior.
• Coordinate appropriate responses to emergencies and critical incidents.
• Facilitate communication and coordination during incidents.
• Complete and review incident documentation and follow-up actions; including leadership and coordination at internal review and decision-making committees.
• Identify patterns and emerging concerns and recommend preventative strategies.
• Support restorative and community-based approaches to conflict whenever possible.

Community Access & Inclusion

• Ensure community members are able to access programs, services, facilities, and supports effectively.
• Support equitable and accessible use of public and shared spaces.
• Address barriers to access and respond to community concerns regarding inclusion and participation.
• Support navigation and wayfinding throughout the building.
• Ensure operational practices align with accessibility, anti-oppression, and inclusion commitments.
• Support positive relationships between diverse groups using the building.
• Provide day-to-day leadership to lobby-based volunteers.
• Ensure volunteers are equipped to support access, navigation, information sharing, and community connection.
• Foster a culture of hospitality, inclusion, and community care.
• Support community engagement and relationship-building initiatives.

Operational Coordination

• Work closely with Operations, Programs, Facilities, and Community Well-being teams.
• Coordinate responses to operational issues that impact community members, programs, or services.
• Maintain real-time understanding of building and staff-team support needs, programming, activities, events, community member needs, and complaints management.
• Support implementation of operational policies and procedures.
• Communicate emerging concerns, trends, and recommendations to leadership.
• Participate in operational planning, preparedness, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support implementation of community access and response strategies across the organization.

Leadership & Organizational Contribution

• Model The 519’s values and commitments in all interactions.
• Contribute to organizational learning related to community response, harm reduction, accessibility, and community wellbeing.
• Participate in staff training, policy development, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support the development of a community-centred alternative to traditional security approaches.
• Contribute to a culture of collaboration, accountability, and care.
• Providing supervisory guidance to community-facing staff, with the associated responsibilities under the ESA
• Demonstrates sound judgement, risk management, effective debriefing, and leadership regarding health and safety standards and obligations.
• Contribute to neighborhood, cross-divisional, and partner-based initiatives, tables, and committees that advance community wellbeing and safety.

REQUIREDKNOWLEDGEANDEXPERIENCE

Education

• Post-secondary education in social work, community development, public health, crisis intervention, conflict resolution, community safety, hospitality, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Minimum three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in community-based services, harm reduction, supportive housing, community health, outreach, crisis response, or related settings.
• Experience responding to complex situations involving mental health, substance use, trauma, conflict, and behavioural concerns.
• Experience working in highly diverse public-facing environments.
• Experience providing day-to-day leadership or supervision to staff, volunteers, peer workers, or community leaders.
• Experience coordinating responses across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Experience applying trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, accessibility-focused, and harm reduction approaches.

Knowledge & Skills

• Advanced de-escalation, conflict resolution, and crisis intervention skills.
• Strong knowledge of harm reduction philosophy and practice.
• Strong understanding of anti-oppression, equity, accessibility, and inclusion principles.
• Knowledge of community-based and non-carceral approaches to community response.
• Excellent judgement and decision-making under pressure.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to remain calm and effective in complex and rapidly changing situations.
• Strong written communication, documentation, and reporting skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust with diverse communities and stakeholders.
• Ability to work primarily weekends, with a regular weekday shift to support continuity of operations, and occasional flexibility as operational needs require.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

Position Status Full-Time, Permanent

Union Status Non-Union – Management

Salary Range $74,230 – $97,533 (wage grade 5)

Benefits Enrolled in health, dental, life and disability benefits from day one; Mandatory OMERS pension enrollment from day one.

Hours of Work 35 hours per week (Sunday 9:00am – 5:00pm; Monday-Thursday 11:00am – 7:00pm). Standard hours of work may change based on operational requirements.

Vacation 3 weeks per year, to be used after first year of employment

Location Due to the nature of the work, this job works primarily onsite at The 519, and has a presence in the Church-Wellesley village and in Toronto’s Downtown East neighborhoods (The 519’s catchment area) more generally.

Applicantsarerequiredtodemonstrateintheirresumethattheirqualifications match those specified in the job posting.

The519activelyencouragesapplicantsfromallequityseekinggroups.The519embracesdiversityandiscommittedtocreatinganinclusiveworkplace.Ourgoalistoattract,develop,

andretainhighlytalentedemployeesfromdiversebackgroundsallowingustobenefitfromawidevarietyofexperiencesandperspectives.Wethankallapplicants.Noagenciesplease.

Accommodation: The519iscommittedtocreatinganaccessibleandinclusiveorganization.Wearecommittedtoprovidingbarrier-freeandaccessibleemploymentpracticesincompliancewiththeAccessibilityforOntarianswithDisabilitiesAct(AODA).ShouldyourequireCode-protectedaccommodationthroughanystageoftherecruitmentprocess,pleasemakethemknownwhencontactedandwewillworkwithyoutomeetyourneeds.Disability-relatedaccommodationduringtheapplicationprocessisavailableuponrequest.

The 519
519 Church St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2C9

A City of Toronto Agency

Registered charity (119310761-RR0001)