Nurse Practitioner(s) (NP) – Homeless Health Program

• Multiple Roles in Full time and Part time equivalents; permanent and 1 year contract with possibility of extension

WellFort is a non-profit, values-based organization that provides health promotion and prevention programs, primary and oral health care and works with local residents and other agencies to increase community capacity.

The Homeless Health Program is a Nurse Practitioner-led initiative that provides essential healthcare services to individuals who are homeless, precariously housed, or transitioning out of homelessness in the Peel Region. We understand the unique challenges faced by those without stable housing, and our goal is to make healthcare accessible, integrated, and responsive.

Our dedicated team includes Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses, and Personal Support Workers, all working together to ensure our patients receive the care they need, where and when they need it. We remove barriers to care for those facing housing instability and poor health.

The program manages 45 medical beds at the Dundas Street Shelter, providing 24/7 care, as well as daytime mobile primary care services at other shelters and drop-ins across the region.

By providing these services, we help hospitals make the best use of their emergency and acute care resources. Patients who no longer need to stay in the hospital but still require medical support can continue their recovery in a shelter bed with healthcare services. We also offer additional support for people in shelters who may need extra medical attention, helping to prevent unnecessary hospital visits.

Our medical services include:

• Care for chronic conditions like diabetes
• Medication management
• Support for substance withdrawal and pain management
• Wound care
• Mental health services and stabilization
• Monitoring and support after hospital stays

This program ensures that structurally vulnerable populations in our community have access to the care they deserve, improving overall health and wellbeing.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• The Nurse Practitioner (NP) will integrate their knowledge of advanced nursing practice and theory, health assessment and diagnosis, therapeutic management, health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic disease management to provide primary health care to individuals, families, groups, and communities. The NP will work both independently and collaboratively with their clients, interprofessional teams, and other healthcare providers in delivering high-quality clinical care and outreach activities.
• While the proportion of time allocated to different functions may vary according to service needs, the advanced nursing role encompasses a combination of direct care, health promotion, education, advocacy, community development, program development, and evaluation.
• Council of Ontario University Program in Nursing (COUPN) Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate required.
• Current registration with the CNO as a Registered Nurse Practitioner.
• Current membership with RNAO or NPAO and evidence of liability insurance required.
• A minimum of five years of nursing experience in a variety of primary care settings, one of which must be community health.
• Completed a “Prescribing Narcotics and Controlled Substances” course approved by CNO Council is an asset.
• Experience and/or openness to working with communities and individuals who face barriers accessing traditional health care institutions for reasons such as poverty, discrimination, mental health, substance use issues, and others.
• A capacity for critical analysis of the determinants of health and social factors, such as power dynamics that affect individual, organizational and community health.
• Excellent written communication and oral skills that meet the needs of the individual and/or community at the appropriate literacy level.
• Experience working with confidential and time sensitive documents and information.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working in a value-based non-profit or social services organization.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and interdependently in an interdisciplinary team environment in which the skills and responsibilities of each team member are recognized and respected.
• Demonstrated proficiency in the use of computers and various computer software applications, such as Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
• Ability to speak languages relevant to the residents of the organization’s community is an asset.

Location

How to apply:

Candidates who self-identify as being from a marginalized community, including people with lived/living experience of drug use and/or houselessness, Indigenous peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, newcomers, and 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, are encouraged to apply and will be prioritized. We invite these candidates to indicate their relevant identities in their cover letters.

Requests for accommodation due to disability can be made at any stage in the recruitment process.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a willingness to participate in WellFort’s commitment to becoming an inclusive, barrier-free health centre and an ability to work in an interdisciplinary team.

Hiring Salary Range: $55.98/hr - $63.91/hr (consideration of experience)

Compensation package includes health and dental benefits and HOOPP pension benefits. (Based on employment status)

No phone calls please. Successful candidates will be contacted.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENT:

As a condition of employment, new WellFort staff must be fully vaccinated unless they have received an exemption from vaccination under the Human Rights Code. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination status will be required before the first day of work or, proof of religious or medical exemption, if or where applicable.

Fully vaccinated is defined as having received the completed series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine, as recommended by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and having received the final dose at least 14 days before your employment start date.

The candidate will be asked to provide WellFort with proof of full vaccination, prior to their employment start date. Acceptable proof is a Ministry of Health Dose Administration Receipt (or such other proof of vaccination that the Province of Ontario sanctions). This can be obtained through the Provincial portal https://covid-19.ontario.ca/get-proof/.

The requirement to be fully vaccinated is subject to the Ontario Human Rights Code. If the candidate is unable to vaccinate for a reason protected by the Code, a request for accommodation can be requested and written proof satisfactory to the organization will be required.