Housing Support Worker

Employment Type: Casual
Schedule: Casual, called as needed
Reporting to: Housing Supervisor
City: Saskatoon
Number of Positions to Fill: 2
RFR #: 2355

The Mustard Seed is committed to helping individuals experiencing homelessness transition toward and maintain sustainable and healthy lifestyles. The Housing Support Worker provides a safe and supportive environment to all residents. Reporting to the Housing Manager, the Housing Support Worker is responsible for ensuring the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being of the residents in our Housing Support Worker program. The position works collaboratively with support systems to encourage resident independence, community engagement and housing stability. The role will work both off-site and on site at the residence which functions within a recovery-oriented care model principle.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide support with finding secure housing for residents
• Assist with the day-to-day operations, including food provision, assisting with laundry and cleaning of rooms to provide a safe, supportive living environment for our clients
• Connect with a specified group of residents living in supportive housing on an on-going basis to assist in building the skills of daily living including room checks
• Accompany residents to appointments if necessary
• Assess clients’ level of intoxication, risk factors, immediate needs, vulnerabilities and inform supervisor of any concerns
• Support the working relationship between the resident and their support network
• Provide medication assistance to residents who use the medication assistance program and coordinate with pharmacies as needed
• Provide information about community supports
• Refer residents to their Case Managers whenever possible/necessary and ensure there are clear lines of communication with outside organizations who serve the residents
• Engage in intentional interaction with residents to build rapport and foster community
• Document resident interactions, resident referrals, progress and any change in behaviour
• Communicate with staff and managers regarding the general progress of the client
• Implement de-escalation techniques and conflict resolution strategies as needed
• Complete incident reports and daily logs in a timely manner
• Welcome and support volunteers when necessary
• Host community events
• Cover Front Desk for patrols and breaks
• Complete required training including but not limited to FOIP, First aid and CPR, Naloxone, NVCI and De-escalation certification and attend meetings
• Maintain professionalism and adhere to all policies and procedures including but not limited to Health & Safety and HR policies and procedures
• Other duties may be assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• Diploma or an undergraduate degree in Human Services related fields such as Addictions, Nursing, Social Work, EMT, EMR, Psychology, along with professional registration where required or equivalent combination of experience and training
• Minimum of 1 year of experience working with marginalized individuals
• Passionate about ending homelessness in Saskatchewan
• Demonstrated compassion and empathy towards clients with addictions, mental illness, physical disabilities, behavioural issues, and/or medical issues
• Strong commitment to Trauma Informed Care and Recovery oriented care model principles
• A broad knowledge of and experience working with Indigenous communities is an asset
• Cultural sensitivity and respect for client individuality and self determination
• Knowledge/understanding of poverty, homelessness, oppression, addiction and mental illness
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Strong communication skills and ability to work within a cross-functional team
• Strong organizational, administrative and computer skills
• Ability to interact with a variety of individuals
• Conflict resolution skills and ability to manage residents in crisis situations and de-escalate situations while remaining calm and professional
• Willingness to complete required training (e.g. First Aid, SafeTALK, Non-violent) to be fully equipped to work with guests
• Must be able to drive and meet all TMS requirements to do so

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Work week is usually 40 hours, may work evenings and weekends if needed
• Moderate to considerable mental effort required to successfully accomplish the essential job functions such as providing information, resolving discrepancies, responding to highly intense situations
• Moderate to considerable physical effort required as part of the role: lifting up to 50 pounds, standing, walking
• May be exposed to infectious waste, diseases and conditions
• Employees are to be aware that many of our clients may experience difficulties or impairment at times, which could result in them uttering threats, discriminatory statements, and other insults at your person. This may be a raised voice, or seeing unpredictable behaviour up to and including the possibility of them becoming aggressive
• Training on how to respond is provided, but this is to be considered typical working conditions. Many of our clients are unaware of the impact of these comments.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• An Employment Background Check is required for all positions at The Mustard Seed
• As The Mustard Seed is a Christian ministry, we require our employees to agree to respect and not detract from The Mustard Seed’s Employment Values during their employment at The Mustard Seed.
• Must have legal authorization to work in Canada on a full-time basis for anyone other than current employer

NOTE

• Your privacy is important to us. The information we collect is used solely for consideration for employment.
• We thank all candidates for their interest, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. The Mustard Seed reserves the right to amend job advertisements. No phone calls please.

Please visit our careers page to see more job opportunities.