Housing Support Worker

About the Role:

The 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.

Job Responsibilities:

OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Individual 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 Neighbours' committees as required.
• Comply with the policies of Neighbours 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.

Working 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 Neighbours locations as required.

Job Requirements:

• 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.
• Ability to travel to housing sites and community service providers’ facilities.
• Have an eye for cleanliness and ability to perform light housekeeping duties.
• Ability to lift, move and store objects up to 20lbs.
• Competent with Microsoft Outlook, Work and PowerPoint, virtual meeting platforms, and online information searches.
• Knowledge in Rent-Geared-to-Income Rent Administration, Ontario Common Assessment of Need (OCAN) are assets.
• Be available to work in the evenings and weekends. Ability to work flexible hours including some evening or occasional weekends.

Special Requirements:

• As a condition of employment, a successful police record check is required.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $31.11 per hour

Work Location: In person