ShelterCare Support Worker - Waterloo

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 d ...

Job description

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, doesn't 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, part-time (15 hours per week) position with personal days and vacation pay; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan. 

Schedule is overnight Saturday and Sunday, from 12:00am to 8:00am.

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 community members 

• 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 3 weeks vacation and 3 paid personal days 

• Part-time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), 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, $2,000 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 equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate's past related experience will be taken into consideration. 

Grade: 4  

Min: $22.40 

Mid: $25.65 

Max: $28.90 

Working Conditions:  

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

• Observation of safe consumption 

This role is being posted to fill a current vacancy. 

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, let's talk. 

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here: 

Link

By end of day March 2, 2026. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not being used in the screening of applications.