Community Engagement Worker - Toronto, Canada - YWCA Toronto

YWCA Toronto

Verified Company

Toronto, Canada

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Sophia Lee

beBee Recruiter

Description

Employment Type:
Full-Time, Contract

Work Hours:35 hours per week including evening and weekend hours; shares on-call duties

Salary:
$55,939 annually (L7), plus comprehensive benefits

Location:150 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0B1

Contract Period:
June 3, 2024 to May 30, 2025

Internal Application Deadline:
Friday, May 24, 2024

External Application Deadline:
Monday, May 27, 2024

JOIN OUR TEAM

The Community Engagement Worker - Mental Health and Addictions is responsible for leading the design and implementation of programming that promotes mental health and wellness and effective harm reduction strategies to support safer use or abstinence goals of tenants.

The goals of the position are to create an inclusive community, encourage participation in the broader community, work one-on-one and through group programming to identify and develop effective strategies that meet the emotional, practical and social needs of tenants and the community as a whole.

The position will work within the Community Engagement Program team and alongside the Jean Tweed case management team to ensure that community engagement activities support a positive and dynamic environment with a focus on health outcomes.

ABOUT YWCA TORONTO - YWCA ELM CENTRE

YWCA Elm Centre includes 300 units of permanent housing for three different resident groups: 165 units of affordable rental units for women and gender diverse people, 50 units for women and gender diverse people, women-led families and gender diverse-led families of Indigenous descent (including 10 women-led and gender diverse-led families fleeing violence) and 85 units for women and gender diverse people who are experiencing significant mental health challenges or concurrent mental health/addictions disorders.

The program will provide services to the entire residential community, with a dual focus on community building and individualized supports.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Acts as a specialist consultant to YWCA Manager, YWCA Elm support team, Jean Tweed Centre case managers and tenants in the area of innovative community engagement and capacity building with marginalized and mixed communities;
Provides leadership in developing and delivering services that promote inclusion, participation, creativity and empowerment to build a vibrant community where safety and wellbeing are shared values;
Develops, implements and evaluates evidencebased workshops, groups and other programming that incorporate health promotion and harm reduction strategies to empower individuals as they address issues related to substance use, mental health, health and wellness and housing;
Works with staff and participants to help tenants build and expand their strengths, skills and leadership by developing and participating in community activities and tenantled initiatives;
Creates programming specifically designed to build staff and community capacity through activities that promote awareness of mental health and addictions as a key component of overall health and wellbeing;
Communicates and advocates effectively with health care providers and relevant circles of support to ensure tenants are receiving appropriate care;
Uses traumainformed practice to identify and support individual and community needs;
Uses harm reduction principles in facilitating and supporting tenantled and tenantcentered activities, like tenant committees related to areas of importance for residents;
Assists the Intake Coordinator with intakes and movein orientation process;
Supports tenants in addressing and resolving legal notices related to lease infractions such as arrears, Rent Geared to Income (RGI) documentation and/or behavior issues;
Attends and, when necessary, acts as a witness at the Landlord Tenant Board hearings as required;
Participates in the development of program policies and procedures and ongoing program evaluation;
Compiles program statistics and prepares reports as required and assists in the preparation of the Annual Program Report.

QUALIFICATIONS

General knowledge of an academic or technical discipline normally acquired through the completion of an undergraduate degree in a social services or health field (examples: BSW/Social Work, Occupational Therapy, etc.)

(Cases for Equivalency will be considered);:

years of demonstrated experience working in diverse, direct and complex service settings with adults and families who experience the impacts of poverty, homelessness/under-housing, violence/trauma, mental health and or substance use challenges, and other sources of marginalization or oppressions;

Minimum of 3 years of demonstrated clinical skills in client engagement, holistic assessment, supportive counseling and group programming that is flexible, feminist, traumainformed, harm reductioninformed and strengthsbased;
Demonstrated knowledge and use of evidencebased modalities including biopsychosocial model, strengths