Housing Support Worker

Job title: Housing Support Worker

Company: Houselink & Mainstay

Job description: Housing Support Worker works alongside tenants and participants and is responsible for providing services to improve tenant mental health, housing stability, unit conditions and for facilitating activities that will build a more harmonious community. Housing Support Worker delivers flexible, innovative and tenant-centered programs and services using mental health recovery principles and applying the harm reduction approach.

• An undergraduate degree in Social Work, Social Services, or related fields.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in serving people living in poverty who have experienced homelessness and/or are precariously housed and have mental health and/or addiction issues.
• Excellent communication (listening, verbal, and written), interpersonal, problem solving, life skills coaching, budgeting, conflict resolution, and crisis prevention/intervention skills.
• Knowledge of Mental Health Recovery Approach, Harm Reduction principles, Residential Tenancies Act, Mental Health Act, Ontario Human Rights Code, Personal Health Information Protection Act, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
• Knowledge and experience working with individuals facing multiple barriers and with diverse communities.
• Strong cultural competency and socially inclusive practices.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Knowledge of community resources and ability to make appropriate referrals.
• As a condition of employment, a successful police record check is required.

OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIESIndividual Support

• Assess tenants’ needs and provide coaching and practical support or refer to services to fulfil unmet needs.
• Provide informal counseling on mental health and/or addiction, interpersonal relationships, life skills, food security, and meaningful activities using non-judgmental, recovery, and harm reduction approaches.
• Provide warm referrals to other community services and/or health services and collaborate with these service providers.
• Provide advocacy services to tenants for their service or benefits rights.
• Support families or refer to services regarding interpersonal relationships, childcare, education, Children’s Aid Society involvement, and family court issues.
• Prevent and de-escalate crises.
• Contact tenants regularly and promote their wellness and safety including wellness checks.
• Collaborate with partner service providers and coordinate care and system navigation for housing stability.
• Work in coordination and collaboration with other departments (Property Services and Finance).
• Provide after-hours support services to tenants on a rotational basis.
• Encourage independent self-reliance of tenants through referral to services and resources in the community.

Tenancy Support.

• Facilitate rollover of housing units and prepare basic furniture.
• Facilitate unit viewing and/or interviews.
• Orient and welcome new tenants to their unit, building community, and services. Advise/educate tenants of their rights and responsibilities.
• Using mental health recovery principles, collaboratively develop with tenants’ individualized action plan.
• Collect income verification documentation and assist tenants to complete their income verification forms.
• Remind tenants to report changes in their household composition or family income.
• Encourage tenants to participate in committees and the larger community.
• Provide eviction prevention informal counseling, coaching, and/or practical support to address rent arrears, behaviour, fire safety, illegal behaviours, and unit condition issues including hoarding and pest infestation.
• Inspect housing units and safety equipment annually or more frequently if there are unit condition issues.
• Issue warning letters to address tenancy issues that may lead to eviction.
• Act as agent of the landlord, make and implement rent or behavioural agreements with tenants and monitor them.
• Appear as a representative of the landlord and a witness at Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board hearings.
• Provide shelter or alternative housing information to tenants being evicted.
• Educate tenants on the move out process and inspect units prior to tenants’ moving out.
• Liaise with external landlords on advocacy, maintenance, and support around tenancy issues. Community Development.
• Organize and facilitate group activities and community events, such as building meetings, life skills programs, meal programs, social recreation programs, and organizational events.
• Encourage tenants to improve overall building environments such as cleanliness, prevention of trespassers, personal safety concerns, noise reduction, fire safety, and physical appearance.
• Inform tenants and encourage their participation in organizational and community activities.
• Identify and encourage tenants to pursue leadership opportunities.
• Encourage tenants to become members of the organization.

Administration

• Write notes and incident reports for tenants into Information Software Databases (Treat & Yardi)
• Maintain necessary documentation for tenancy management and workplace inspections.
• Facilitate and document monthly tenant meetings.
• Maintain confidentiality and obtain consents when sharing information except in emergency situations.
• Maintain accurate records of cash advances.

ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Model the organizational values, policies, and professional ethics and demonstrate commitment to the strategic direction.
• Demonstrate active support for organizational direction and priorities in own actions.
• Proactively engage in program and organizational change activities.
• Model and promote a culture where everyone is accountable for making sure decisions and goals are met and projects/tasks are completed.
• Identify and remove barriers to service excellence.
• Demonstrate personal commitment and culture to wellness.
• Participate in a work culture of positive thinking, initiative and creativity.
• Commitment to improve professional knowledge to recognize trends and issues and deal with them effectively.
• Develop and maintain collaborative working relationships with allied community agencies and professionals and participate in community committees and internal HLMS committees as required.
• Comply with the policies of HLMS including those pertaining to the confidentiality of client information.
• Represent the agency in a positive manner with clients, colleagues and the community at large.
• Attend regular supervision meetings with the Support Manager for the purpose of reviewing work expectations and performance evaluation.

Work Conditions

• Exposure to household pests, bodily fluids, cleaning chemicals and some smoking environments.
• Working hours are 35 hours per week. On occasion, must be able to work outside of regular office hours.
• Requirement to travel to and work from other HLMS locations as required.

Please apply online with a cover letter and resume by September 30th, 2024 by 5:00 p.m.Pay: $54,963.27 per year

Expected salary: $54963 per year

Location: Toronto, ON

Job date: Wed, 18 Sep 2024 22:26:58 GMT

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