Triage - Peer Support Community Worker (Sat-Sun Days)

RainCity Housing operates on the stolen, unceded, ancestral, traditional homelands of the Xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ Nations in so-called Vancouver, the q̓íc̓əy̓, qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm, qiqéyt, SEMYOME, Stó꞉lō, and sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ Nations in so-called Lower Mainland, and the shíshálh in so-called Sunshine Coast.

About Us – A home for every person
RainCity Housing is an organization that makes a difference in people’s lives. Our mission is to advance social equity by building upon the strengths of our community and of each individual. With a goal of providing a home for everyone, RainCity’s programs sustain relationships, strengthen communities, and make change for people experiencing homelessness, mental health, trauma, and substance use issues.

RainCity Housing has been developing emerging and promising practices for over 40 years in social services and healthcare, providing Housing First, harm reduction and supports for community members who access our services. To learn more, check out our innovations page. You can visit our Indeed page and click on the “Follow” button to be notified of new job openings: ca.indeed.com/cmp/Raincity-Housing-and-Support-Society/about. 

You can also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Benefits: 

• 5 days of paid leave for Indigenous Employees for Ceremonial, Cultural, and Spiritual events per year 
• 8 weeks of paid leave for gender affirming care for medical procedures for transgender and gender diverse employees, cumulative total 
• Employee and Family Assistance Program available to ALL employees, including 24-hour helpline, Personal counselling, Life Coaching, Financial Coaching, Legal Referral and Advisory Services, and Health Coaching: https://www.fseap.ca/
• Municipal Pension Plan with guaranteed lifetime monthly pension when you retire: https://mpp.pensionsbc.ca/
  
• Employer-paid benefits for regular Part-time and Full-time employees:
• Unlimited Physiotherapy and $1,000/year coverage for Massage
• Vision Care, Dental Care, Prescription Drugs, Naturopath, Acupuncture, Chiropract, Group Life Benefit $50,000, Long Term Disability, and Unlimited Out-of-Province and Out-of-Country Emergencies

Position Summary
The Peer Support Community Worker provides a range of support services to mental health consumers and /or substance users faced with homelessness and in need of temporary emergency housing. The Peer Support Community Worker shares their own consumer knowledge and lived experience of mental illness / substance use to assist Shelter clients to successfully access Shelter services. The PSCW collaborates with the client and the Shelter team to determine appropriate care to meet individual needs and situational requirements. Provides clients with education, support and advocacy from a lived experience perspective. Working closely with members of the shelter team, the PSCW assesses incoming referrals to the shelter and provides case management services. These services include: appropriate referrals to ongoing community supports, advocating on the client’s behalf in an effort to gain access to appropriate assistance, and generally educating and supporting residents who are dealing with complex bio-psycho-social issues. The PSCW role includes medication administration to clients and assistance with basic First Aid as necessary.

Job Competition #job2024.475
Closing Date: Midnight, March 19, 2025
Job: Peer Support Community Worker, Triage Emergency Shelter, Casual Ongoing,0.4 FTE. 
Salary Range: $31.56-$33.28 (BCGEU, Grid 34)
Hours: 30 bi-weekly
Schedule: Saturday – Sunday, 08:00AM - 04:00PM, includes a 30-minute unpaid meal break
Work Site:  Triage Centre, 707 Powell St.
Start Date: ASAP

A clear British Columbia Vulnerable Sector Criminal Record Check for working with vulnerable adults and/or children is a condition of employment with RainCity Housing. Applicants must be willing and able to receive a clearance under the Criminal Record Review Act.  

Peer designation is required to be qualified for this position.

Diversity: RainCity Housing serves a diverse group of people and we need a staff group that reflects the diversity. People of diverse backgrounds and cultures are encouraged to apply.

Program Summary
The Triage Centre provides emergency housing and care for people living with mental health, substance use and other challenges. There are 28 shelter rooms. Clients are able to stay longer than at most shelters, which gives shelter staff time to help them access appropriate support services based on their individual needs and circumstances. Referrals are accepted from individuals themselves, hospitals, community service providers, health-care practitioners, employment assistance workers and other local shelters.

Qualifications
Many forms of education and experience are valued, including volunteering and lived experience of mental illness / addiction/ homelessness; Minimum education and experience includes:

• Completion of a diploma in community social services
• Two years of recent, related work experience with an emphasis on mental health, addictions, homelessness and/or social services
• Experience in a peer support training program or peer support role
• Or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• Current First Aid and CPR certification

Key Skills and Abilities 

• Ability to be a role model to people recovering from a mental illness by sharing common life and rehabilitation experiences and practical information
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with tenants
• Ability to identify and work to increase tenant strengths
• Ability to work with tenants using hope-inducing strategies
• Ability to implement tenant-centred service plans
• Ability to respond to problematic behaviour using an understanding of the behaviour's context and function
• Ability to informally teach life-skills
• Ability to analyse problems and develop effective solutions
• Ability to effectively and safely resolve crisis situations
• Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision
• Ability to collaborate with staff team and external services
• Ability to constructively resolve conflict with co-workers, management and external services
• Ability to communicate effectively both in writing and verbally
• Ability to organise and prioritise duties
• Ability to operate office equipment including computers
• Physically able to carry out the duties of the position
• Knowledge of the integrated concurrent disorders recovery model for working with chronically homeless individuals.
• Basic sound knowledge of mental health diagnoses, medications, treatment and support resources 
• Knowledge of the bio-psychosocial addictions model, including stages of change and harm reduction.
• Basic sound knowledge of diagnoses, treatment and support resources in the areas of substance use, physical health, including HIV and Hepatitis C.
• Knowledge of the housing continuum, including market, subsidized and supported housing systems, including program models for special needs populations
• Demonstrates understanding of oppression and marginalization, specifically as related to chronically homeless individuals

Please submit both a cover letter and resume to apply, describing your suitability for this position. We thank all applicants in advance for their interest. As part of the application process, you may be asked a short set of questions to provide further information about your experience and availability. Please note, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

Diversity
RainCity Housing serves a diverse group of people, and we need a staff group that reflects this diversity. People of diverse backgrounds and cultures are encouraged to apply.

As we work towards building a diverse staff team, we are particularly seeking applicants who identify as being Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, applicants with personal lived expertise, and 2SLGBTQ+ identified people.

Inclusion and creating a safer space
We are committed to making our organization a safer place for our staff, with steps taken to create space for learning and unlearning. RainCity’s department of Indigenous Cultural Services was created with the purpose to acknowledge the unique history and service needs of our Indigenous staff and tenants in respect to accessing culturally relevant and culturally sensitive care and support. RainCity’s Black Affinity Group was formed to provide support for Black staff by creating a safe space to support each other, network, debrief, and to heal from the impact of harm endured. Candidates are welcome to self-identifying in their cover letters as Black, First nations, Métis, or Inuit.

All of our employees are expected to develop and exhibit skills to contribute to safety in the workplace, including demonstrating anti-racism knowledge and skills to support racialized communities, including knowledge of Canada’s historical and on-going colonialism and its impact on Indigenous peoples, and commitment to learn and uphold the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Employees are also expected to demonstrate anti-discrimination knowledge and skills to support equity seeking groups, including the 2SLGBTQA+ community, people who use drugs and alcohol, people living with mental health issues and sex workers.

Inclusivity and support for people with differing abilities
In our efforts to provide a barrier-free workplace, we invite you to let us know of any adjustments or accommodations that might be needed for you to participate in the interview or selection process by sending an email to hr.inbox@raincityhousing.org.

If you're having any difficulty creating an account or submitting your resume: Please email dfrecruitingsupport@raincityhousing.org for assistance.

Do you want to improve your chances of joining RainCity? Be sure to include a cover letter letting us know why the work that we do is important to you, and how your experiences make you a good fit for this role.

Do you need additional support with your application? Connect with our partners for assistance:

• ACCESS Futures provides free employment support for Indigenous people and can assist with career advising, resume and cover letter writing, and funding for training: https://www.accessfutures.com/employment-services
  
• PRISM Employment Support Service (ESS) provides free strengths-based, trauma-informed employment support program for 2SLGBTQIA+ people, including coaching sessions, workshops, personal counselling sessions, and financial assistance for transit, occupational training, clothing, and childcare: https://qmunity.ca/employment/
  
• WorkBC provides free employment services to all job seekers, providing with support in resume and cover letter writing, training, and financial support for childcare and transportation costs: https://www.workbc.ca/discover-employment-services/workbc-centres/employment-services
  
• MOSAIC provides free employment support for refugees, immigrants, and racialized women, with services in career readiness training, mentoring, and peer groups: https://mosaicbc.org/our-services/employment-services/

We are a Union

RainCity Housing is a unionized workplace. Along with the union, we support the principles of the Human Rights Code of BC. We promote a workplace that treats both staff and the people accessing services with dignity and respect.