ShelterCare Support Worker (Nights)

House of Friendship; Kitchener; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

House of Friendship is seeking a dedicated ShelterCare Support Worker to assist individuals experiencing homelessness in Kitchener. The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary team, providing support for securing permanent housing and improving overall well-being through a trauma-informed approach. This full-time position offers a competitive salary, benefits, and a commitment to professional development.

Benefits

Group health benefits

Defined contribution pension plan

Paid sick time

Three weeks vacation

Qualifications

• Experience providing individualized support services.
• Experience of homelessness or relating with people experiencing homelessness.

Responsibilities

• Engaging participants in meaningful support relationships.
• Developing personalized housing plans.
• Supporting individuals in crisis situations.

Skills

Oral and written communication skills

Crisis management

Relationship management

Education

Two year post-secondary education in a related field of study

Job description

House of Friendship Housing Services ShelterCare

At House of Friendship we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion Inclusion Justice Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great doesnt it It is!

A shelter program that is following the ShelterCare model of providing a place to stay and staff support 24 / 7. ShelterCare creates opportunities where individuals experiencing homelessness have access to on-site integrated housing and health supports so they can become healthier and house - exiting the cycle of homelessness for good. The ShelterCare Support Worker will work as a member of an interdisciplinary team to support men experiencing homelessness to secure appropriate permanent housing. The ShelterCare Support Worker will support individuals in improving their health wellness and the life skills needed to be successful in the program ShelterCare program and to successfully transition to housing. A trauma informed person-centered and housing first approach is demonstrated in one on one and team based interactions.

• This is a permanent salaried full-time (37.5 hours per week) position with paid sick time personal days vacation time; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan.

Schedule Sunday to Thursday from 12 : 00 am 8 : 00 am (awake)

Successful completion of a Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector) required pre-employment.

Key Responsibilities :

Engage participants in meaningful support relationships to achieve the goal of obtaining permanent housing wellbeing stability and a successful stay while accessing ShelterCare

Understand and consistently implement program policies and procedures including and not limited to : incident reporting harm reduction fire prevention privacy and confidentiality safe substance use onsite restrictions and restorative practices storage of personal belongings etc.

Work with each new person accessing the program for intake conversations and orientation to the program including expectations and intended program outcomes of the shelter stay

Engage in rapport building with individuals while doing on the floor tasks such as healthy living space assessments and life skill building

Connect with a caseload of individuals accessing the shelter to develop personalized housing plans to ensure experiences of homelessness as brief as possible

Engage participants in building life skills tied to housing retention such as navigating community resources to enhance the circle of support and resources pertaining to financial and overall wellbeing

High level of professional accountability and integrity in managing data (e.g. HIFIS daylogs support notes) and any required work involving database entry

Attention to detail and integrity in managing the personal belongings of the people we serve including the signing in and out and management of medications

Act as a first responder to medical emergencies / crisis to ensure participants wellbeing and navigate emergency services to respond

Implement work procedures to improve our service excellence and organizational culture

In order to ensure a clean and hygienic environment for all cleaning up bodily fluids / waste may at times be required

Witnessing and responding to crisis

Confidently support conflict de-escalation while addressing behavioural concerns to ensure effective mitigation of risk

Contribute to a culture of belonging and connection where each person is valued

There is an inherent level of risk and at times unpredictability involved in the work we do

We will work together to ensure we effectively mitigate risk in an effort to create an environment that is physically and psychologically safe for participants staff and partners

Assist in program planning development and improvement through special projects committee work or ad hoc working groups

Engage in ongoing training and development including daily on-the-job learning within the program required courses and learning opportunities provided at an organizational level

Participate in scheduled team meetings program and organizational town halls

Contribute to the organizational strategic planning process and annual planning processes within the program

Job Specific Knowledge / Skills :

Aptitude for accurate and objective note keeping and data entry

Strong oral and written communication skills

Commitment to a trauma-informed and strength-based approach to supporting people

Very good oral and written communication skills

Ability to handle crisis situations in a calm and collaborative manner

Awareness and support of harm reduction approaches and providing harm reduction supplies as needed

Comfortable responding to emergency situations and providing First Aid / CPR when applicable

Strong relationship management skills and the ability to engage in meaningful conversations to develop rapport with individuals

Education / Experience :

Two year post-secondary education in a related field of study (i.e. social services social work addictions mental health community development etc.)

Experience providing individualized support services

Experience of homelessness or relating with people experiencing homelessness

Experience of working with those who have experienced mental health challenges addictions and trauma

Experience using online communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams is an asset

Critical Skills :

Commitment to understand and uphold the mission vision and values of House of Friendship is expected

Maintain connection to your personal reasons for doing this work and how your purpose connects to the mission vision and values of the organization and program

Commitment to consistently upholding the policies and procedures for the program and organization even when circumstances make it difficult to do so

Exemplary emotional intelligence resilience communication conflict management and problem solving skills required

Ability to work professionally as a team member with staff participants and communitymembers

Experience or strong interest in working with diverse and vulnerable populations including people from various cultural backgrounds income levels and sensitivity to their needs

Experience with and willingness to continue learning to use an anti-racism anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach to support work program design evaluations of processes and service delivery

Must be dependable professional adaptable a team player and have an ability to extend hope

Respectful supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and / or cognitive disabilities addictions trauma mental illness and other life challenges

Excellent organizational and time management skills attention to detail including skills in logistics planning and objective note keeping

Liaison with local emergency and mental health services (ie. CMHA police services EMS Here 24 / 7)

Observation of safe consumption and distribution of harm reduction supplies

Compensation :

At House of Friendship we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair market competitive and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive succeed and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network . We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits :

Time off includes three (3) weeks of vacation 5 personal days and sick credits totaling approximately 12 days per year

Full-time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC) Dental Group Life Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Long Term Disability (LTD) Flexible Spending Account and Employee & Family Assistance Program

We believe strongly in supporting the mental health of our team members including providing access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program $2000 for counselling services and our workplace Wellness and Psychological Health and Safety programs

We help you save for the future by providing a retirement plan that includes a matched Group Pension Plan as well as a Group RRSP and a Group Tax Free Savings Account

Rate of Pay :

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of grades and we base our payment structure on internal determining rate of pay a candidates past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade : 4

Min : $22.40

Mid : $25.65

Max : $28.90

Working Conditions : 37.5 hours per week

Environment where individuals accessing this program are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs and / or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

Observation of safe consumption

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice equity diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team and therefore our community can truly belong and thrive.

We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and / or current barriers to accessing employment including but not limited to Indigenous Peoples members of racialized groups persons with disabilities women and members of the 2SLGBTQIA community.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process including applying for this position please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community lets talk.

To apply please submit your resume and cover letter

By end of day June 2 2025.

Required Experience :

Junior IC

Key Skills

Nursing Home Experience,Developmental Disabilities Experience,Direct Support,Computer Operation,Caregiving,Case Management,Special Needs,Training & Development,Child Protective Services,Experience with Children,Word Processing,Addiction Counseling

Employment Type : Full-Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1

Create a job alert for this search