Community Support Worker

_____________________ Career Opportunity

Position Title: Community Support Worker

Classification: Counsellor

Job type: erm 1.0 FTE (35hs/week) until June 30th 2026

Department: Primary Health Care and Regional Programs, ONHC

Location: ONHC

Reporting to: Manager, Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre

Compensation: $29.15 /hr to $35.16/hr plus 14hs paid personal leave and

_____________________ optional participation in the HOOPP pension plan

Deadline to apply: September 9th, 2025, by 5:00pm

Apply to: https://swchc.bamboohr.com/careers/722

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About us

We are Somerset West Community Health Centre (SWCHC), a non-profit, community-governed organization that serves over 18,000 clients annually. Established in 1978, SWCHC provides a wide range of health care services such as primary health care, health promotion, community development, mental health, and harm reduction. We are deeply connected to the communities we serve and committed to removing barriers to accessing services for people who experience vulnerabilities because of their age, income, ability, sexual orientation or gender identity, and language or culture.

SWCHC strives to ensure that our team reflects the communities we serve. We work within an anti-racist, anti-oppressive framework that acknowledges the existence and impacts of systemic racism and seeks to ensure that systems are fair and equitable for everyone.

What the ONHC Entails

The Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre (ONHC) is a proud program of the Somerset West Community Health Centre that provide healthcare, offers timely, coordinated and culturally appropriate health and social services to newcomers. Our approach to care is through a health equity lens with a focus on addressing the social determinants of health to improve the lives and wellbeing of our clients.

What You’ll Do

Reporting to the Manager of Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre, the Community Support Worker (CSW) provides a broad range of supports to clients experiencing challenges. These include crisis intervention, information and referral, practical assistance, advocacy, short-term emotional support, outreach, and case coordination. CSWs deliver these services as part of the Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre team through walk-ins, phone support, in-person meetings, and community settings. In addition, CSWs are responsible for assisting with counselling intake assessments for clients who have been referred for counselling services, whether by ONHC staff, other community agencies, or self-referral.

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What We’re Looking For

❖ Life and Work Experience

• 2–3 years’ experience in community-based work with emphasis on crisis intervention, case management, assertive engagement, mental health, and substance use.
• Experience with diverse and marginalized populations (newcomers, refugees, LGBT2SQ+, older adults, etc.).
• Experience in interdisciplinary teamwork, outreach, advocacy, and group facilitation.

• Experience supporting individuals facing trauma and systemic barriers

❖ Your Education Path

• Post-secondary degree in social sciences, health care, or related field, or an equivalent combination of formal training, professional, and lived experience.

❖ Required Language

• Bilingual (French/English) required.
• Other languages are considered a strong asset

What You Bring to the Table

• Suicide prevention, non-violent crisis intervention, and CPR/First Aid certification.
• Strong communication, de-escalation, motivational interviewing, and relational care skills.
• In-depth knowledge of social determinants of health, systems navigation, and acute mental health/substance use issues.
• Ability to assess safety risks, develop safety plans, and exercise sound judgment in high-pressure situations.
• Proficiency with electronic client record systems and basic computer applications.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to work collaboratively, and commitment to trauma-informed, harm reduction, and strength-based approaches.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends.

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Your Day-to-Day at a Glance

Crisis Intervention & Support

• Conduct risk assessments and provide immediate crisis intervention (virtual, in-person, or in the community).
• Provide emotional and practical support, service navigation, referrals, and advocacy.
• Assist clients with life skills, goal-setting, and accessing financial, legal, and social supports.

Case Coordination & Advocacy

• Support clients in obtaining needed resources and services.
• Collaborate with community partners and service providers to stabilize client situations.
• Act as a strong advocate on individual and systemic issues.

Outreach & Community Engagement

• Provide outreach and group facilitation in community-based settings.
• Support recruitment, planning, and delivery of psycho-social and life-skills groups.
• Promote programs and connect clients to mainstream and community resources.

Support Services

• Conduct intake assessments for counselling services.
• Use evidence-informed tools to assess readiness and service matching.
• Support client engagement between referral and first counselling appointment.
• Provide check-ins to maintain continuity of care.

Administrative & Organizational Duties

• Maintain accurate and confidential client records.
• Prepare reports, documentation, and contribute to evaluation activities.
• Supervise students and volunteers, and support orientation of new staff.
• Actively participate in team meetings, case conferences, and organizational initiatives.
• Uphold occupational health and safety standards and participate in required training.

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Ready to Apply?

Take your career to the next level! Submit a cover letter and your resume by
September 7th, 2025 by 5:00pm to: https://swchc.bamboohr.com/careers/722

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Somerset West Community Health Centre is an equal opportunity employer who values the diversity of individuals in our programs and services.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of Indigenous, Black and racialized communities, Two-Spirit, nonbinary, LGBTQ+ people; people with disabilities; and members of other equity seeking groups. Applicants are encouraged to share accessibility needs in the application process, and every attempt will be made to accommodate them.

We sincerely appreciate your interest in working with us. Due to high volume of applicants, we can neither confirm receipt of nor respond to inquiries regarding your application. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.