Community Support Worker, Housing Support Program

Internal and External Job Posting

Community Support Worker

Housing Support Program

JOB ID: HOUS0632

Employment Type:                             Full-Time, Permanent

Work Hours:                                        35 hours per week (Evenings and weekends required)

Salary:                                                  $54,294 annually, plus comprehensive benefits

Location:                                              15 Pape Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4M 2V5

Internal Application Deadline:           Friday, January 28, 2022

External Application Deadline:          Monday, January 31, 2022

JOIN OUR TEAM

YWCA Toronto strives to uphold anti-discrimination practices and anti-oppression principles to ensure that the rights of all individuals are respected and protected. We work to promote a climate that is welcoming of all women and individuals who identify as trans, intersex, non-binary, agender, and/or Two-Spirit. We encourage applications from women and gender diverse people from all races, ethnic origins, religions, abilities and sexual orientations.

The Community Support Worker works in collaboration with tenants to develop and implement community development initiatives, with the goal of creating a dynamic and inclusive community, engagement with broader community, and effective strategies to meet the emotional, practical and social support needs of the tenant community. She will work with the Manager and the team to ensure that community development activities are integrated into the overall program delivery. She will also provide leadership in development and facilitation of initiatives to support the community to generate individual and community solutions to address their needs.

ABOUT YWCA TORONTO – Housing Support Program

YWCA Toronto Housing Support Program offers a range of housing options for women and women-led households, including permanent and supportive housing at a variety of YWCA Toronto owned and operated locations. Individual and group support assists tenants to identify and build the skills required to address the barriers they experience in their lives and to maintain their housing. Barriers tenants and their children experience include mental health and/or addictions, poverty and experiences of violence.  Supports are intended to assist women to build the skills required to participate in their community both inside and outside of the building and if they are able and ready, to move to housing without supports.

KEY RESPONSIBILTIES

• Working with the Manager, participates in the team as a specialist in the area of innovative community development and capacity building with marginalized and mixed communities;
• Develops, implements evaluates and facilitates workshops, groups and individual supports that address tenant mental health, addictions and woman abuse issues, with specialized attention to peer support needs;
• Supports the establishment of community norms and practices in addressing conflicts in the tenant community;
• Assists tenants to assume and maintain their tenancy obligations;
• Provides crisis prevention, intervention and counseling for women and children to respond to crisis in ways that support individual and community well-being;
• Maintains a working knowledge of the Residential Tenancies Act, Housing Services Act, Ontario Human Rights Code and Rent Geared to Income calculations.

QUALIFICATIONS

• General knowledge of an academic or technical discipline normally acquired through the completion of an undergraduate degree (example: Bachelor of Social Work) (Cases for Equivalency will be considered);

• 3 to 5 years’ experience working in a supportive housing setting in a direct service setting with children, youth and adults who experience impacts of poverty, homelessness/under-housing, violence/trauma, mental health/addictions or concurrent disorders;
• Demonstrated experience in cultivating leadership within groups and developing dynamic and innovative programming;
• Supportive counseling and group-work approach that is flexible, client-centered and strengths-based;
• Life Skills certificate an asset;
• Arts based and social media skills an asset;
• Working knowledge of the Residential Tenancies Act, Housing Services Act and Ontario Human Rights Code;
• Excellent crisis intervention and conflict mediation skills, with ability to remain calm in crisis;
• Proven experience working independently, developing and facilitating groups;
• Ability to deliver culturally sensitive services;
• Very good knowledge and understanding of community resources;
• Familiarity with Windows and Excel programs;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Ability to work within an anti-oppression and feminist framework;
• Valid driver’s license and access to a car is an asset;
• Knowledge of a second language or culture is an asset.

Vaccination Policy: In accordance with YWCA Toronto’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, all YWCA Toronto employees are required to be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccination series by October 30, 2021. As a condition of hire, new staff will be required to submit proof of vaccination prior to their first day of work.  The YWCA will consider written requests for accommodation under the Human Rights Code on a case by case basis and will accommodate those individuals who are legally entitled to accommodation.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your cover letter and résumé to: Mary Wolicky, Manager of Housing Support Program at housingsupportjobs@ywcatoronto.org. Please quote JOB ID number HOUS0632 and your name in the subject line.

Please note: A vulnerable sector police reference check is required by the successful candidate prior to hiring. YWCA Toronto is a unionized workplace. Staff are represented by CUPE Local 2189. This position is within the Bargaining Unit. Please indicate in the subject line and your cover letter if you are an internal candidate. For internal applicants, this position is not secondable.

YWCA Toronto promotes the principles of anti-oppression and adheres to the tenets of the Ontario Human Rights Code. We encourage applications from women and gender diverse people of all races, ethnic origins, religions, abilities and sexual orientations. 

YWCA Toronto provides accommodation during all parts of the hiring process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. If contacted, please advise us if you require any accommodation. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

YWCA Toronto is a Scent-Sensitive Workplace.