Housing First Outreach Worker

Non-Union

Vacancy Status: Regular

Hours of Work: 28-35 hours per week

Work Location: #201-35 2nd Ave S, WL

Shift: Day

Hourly Wage Range: $27.54 – $31.61 per hour

Job Summary
The Community Bridge to Housing First project utilizes a housing-first approach to provide services to homeless individuals in Williams Lake. We work in partnership with a variety of other community organizations and service providers to connect participants to housing, support their transition to a home of their own, and provide ongoing support toward healthy living and recovery, based on participant choice. This includes targeted support for residents of Jubilee Place, the transitional housing program, to assist them in successfully transitioning into the program upon admission and preparing for their eventual move to market housing if ready for discharge. The program partners with various community organizations to support participants’ stability, healthy living, and recovery, based on participant choice. The program follows the principles and approaches of the housing first model:

• Immediate access to permanent housing with no housing readiness requirements
• Consumer choice and self-determination
• Recovery orientation
• Individualized and participant-driven supports
• Social and community integration

Position’s Primary Objectives
This position provides comprehensive case management and intensive support services for participants of the Community Bridge to Housing First project by:

• Assisting participants to find, secure, and maintain appropriate housing.
• Encourage and support individuals to live as healthy and independent as possible within the local community, providing information, emotional support, organizational and practical support and life skills (budgeting, cooking etc.) as appropriate.
• Developing and managing participant case plans to promote long-term housing stability.
• Using an integrated team approach, collaborating with partner agencies and a variety of other community organizations to support the participants’ long-term housing stability.
  Establishing and maintaining successful relationships with CBHF participating landlords.

Education:

• Diploma in social work or psychology, OR Counselling, Mental Health or
  Addictions Worker qualifications or other related social services field from
  college or university
• Conflict resolution/crisis prevention training and experience required

Experience:

• Minimum of two (2) years recent related experience with homelessness,
  addictions, mental health outreach

Note: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered

Skills & Abilities: 

• Demonstrated knowledge of the impacts of addiction, mental health,
  homelessness and poverty
• Demonstrated ability to work with individuals who have multiple barriers to
  stable housing
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and be part of an integrated
  community team
• Knowledge of local community resources
• Awareness of harm reduction and ‘Housing First’ theory and practice
• Awareness/familiarity with trauma informed practice
• Familiarity with issues related to historical and residential school trauma
  impacts for Aboriginal people
• Demonstrated conflict management/crisis prevention skills
• Skills in mediating conflict between various interests
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with clients,
  staff and community professionals
• Mental Health First Aid, Trauma Informed Practice and Motivational
  Interviewing Training an asset.
• Proficient in MS Office programs including Word, Outlook and Excel

Application email: sarah.landry@cmhacariboo.org