Choices for Youth Inc. (CFY) is a professional service, youth-focused, non-profit, charitable organization that creates spaces and conversations and operates programs and social enterprises to help vulnerable youth secure stable housing, employment, and education while improving health and family stability. With a focus on prevention, intervention, and support, we help youth and young families break cycles of poverty and homelessness and transition to healthy, stable, and independent lives. Our RallyForward Program is seeking to hire 1 full-time permanent Housing Stability Worker.
Young people arrive at Choices for Youth (CFY) from all over the province and approximately 50% of the homeless population in St. John’s have arrived in the city within the past 5 years. For youth who are new to the city, arriving alone and without support elevates pre-existing risks while also introducing new ones. Youth who come to St. John’s in seek of services and are in need of specific types of support that they cannot receive in their home communities. Unfortunately, without an adequately resourced and coordinated response from service providers, the first few days of their arrival represent a series of crises as these young people often have nowhere to sleep, no money, no food, and no local networks of support. There is a significant opportunity to embed coordination of rural, remote, and urban services to ensure smoother transitions for the young people we serve.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Housing Stability Worker (HSW) will work in collaboration with the Program Coordinator and the RallyForward Team to provide direct individualized support to deliver meaningful and relevant services to housing young people. The HSW will work in partnership with CFY staff, community-based organizations, and stakeholders to assist in delivering in-home support. The HSW will work in the home and develop individualized support plans with young people to assist in meeting their needs. They will be responsible for ensuring that participants with complex needs are receiving the necessary support to secure and maintain safe, affordable, and appropriate housing.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Actively works to identify barriers young people face and to support young people to build the skills required to successfully obtain and/or maintain housing.
In conjunction with team members, provide in-home support and develop individualized support plans with young people to maintain long-term housing stability.
Obtain appropriate consent, information, and documentation in order to assess housing needs.
Advocate on behalf of young people with other service providers, maintaining collaborative working relationships.
Communicate goals and plans to other team members in order to ensure appropriate support.
Assists young people to complete referrals and access relevant community support.
Use communication skills to support young people through sensitive issues such as life skills, mental health, tenancy success, addictions, and legal matters.
Conduct home visits to ensure the health and safety of tenants.
Establish a collaborative relationship with young people to provide support through coaching, mentoring, negotiating, and the utilization of conflict resolution and mediation techniques.
Interpret and apply the Residential Tenancies Act, policies, and procedures to ensure successful tenancies.
Develop and maintain records, reports, and statistics necessary for program functions, evaluations, and funding.
Promote harm reduction and foster harm reduction strategies with young people.
Advocate on behalf of the young person in navigating the services and systems.
Participate in program meetings, and staff education and act as a resource for other staff.
Other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
University degree in social services or equivalent experience and post-secondary education
Registration with a professional college, if applicable
Minimum of three years of work experience in a social service field
Two-three years of experience working in a supportive housing direct delivery service setting with young people experiencing the impacts of poverty, homelessness, violence, trauma, mental health, addictions, or concurrent disorders.
Extensive knowledge of the non-profit sector and youth homelessness issues
Comfortability working one to one in the home of young people which includes experience with pest control issues as well as animals that may be living in the home.
Current Standard First Aid/CPR and ASIST training
Satisfactory Criminal Record Check & Vulnerable Sector Check
·Active Drivers Licence and access to a vehicle
WORK HOURS
The position will work 37.5 hours per week and flexibility in work hours will be required to accommodate youth and program needs and to accommodate higher work volumes and organizational requirements.
COMPENSATION
The salary for this position is $45,669.00 – 50,368.50 annually. Choices for Youth offers a competitive compensation package, including a health and dental program, employer-matched RRSP, and four weeks’ vacation to qualifying employees.
Reference ID: RFHSW-03-2023
Deadline to Apply: March 24, 2023
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit your cover letter and resume explaining how you meet the criteria and using the reference ID in the subject line.
Email:
Recruitment Lead Recruitment@choicesforyouth.ca
Rachel Laracy, Program Coordinator
Equity in employment is essential to a just society. Choices for Youth enthusiastically welcomes applications from all qualified people, including racialized people, people of all gender identities, people who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Indigenous peoples, those with disabilities, mental illness, and from all social strata. Should you require accommodation in relation to a disability, please tell us at the beginning of the selection process. This information will be kept confidential.
To view all current job postings, please visit http://www.choicesforyouth.ca/join-cfy.