Psychosocial Support Worker – Full Time
Kitchener, ON- St. Mark’s Place
Salary: $46,800-$55,700
Closing Date for Applications: August 18th, 2025
Position Description: As the Psychosocial Support Worker, you will come alongside residents who have experience with mental health and/or substance use disorders to optimize housing stability. The goal of the Psychosocial Support Worker role is to holistically support a resident within an interdisciplinary team. You will offer support services that help individuals to flourish within their community. Using a service plan, assisting residents to learn skill sets needed for independent living within community. Engaging in a collaborative assessment process of residents’ progress, helping them achieve their social inclusion and community development goals, focusing on purpose-filled planning and intervening in crisis situations. As part of an interdisciplinary team, you will also enhance community engagement, resident-led initiatives, and develop a safe environment for our residents to thrive. This position will require a high level of resilience and willingness to work in close proximity to challenging situations.
What matters to you? Being in a work culture that operates out of their core values of DIGNITY, LOVE and HOPE- embracing diversity, promoting equality and inclusion. A place that sees you as a LEADER contributing your individuality to champion the vision of creating communities that TRANSFORM lives.
About Us: Founded in 1974, our Christian charity continues to thrive and grow exponentially as we serve people impacted by poverty and homelessness through our vision of HOPE and HOMES for All. We are the fastest growing developer in Ontario creating affordable high quality efficient housing communities coupled with supportive programs to over 1200 tenants to meet their needs of health, wellness, and belonging. To learn more, go to: indwell.ca/our-model
Hours of Work: 40 hours per week. Schedule based on the support needs of individuals in the program, including evenings, weekends and public holidays. As the program operates 7 days a week, being on-call for 1 week every 4-6 weeks is required to support the tenants and each other on the team. The on-call rotation consists of carrying a work cell phone 24/7 for that one week, responding to urgent matters.
WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:
Psychosocial Support Duties
- Assist tenants in developing and practicing the skills defined in their service plans in consultation with tenant and interdisciplinary team.
- Tenant engagement and support in actualizing the ABCD model in action.
- Supporting tenants in gaining access to needed psychiatric, medical, social, residential, financial, and other services appropriate for the individual.
- Championing the importance of the tenants’ skill development. This involves coming alongside them with their goals; coaching independent living skills, maximizing abilities to promote community independence, encouraging them in maintaining good personal hygiene, self-confidence, and work with their social inclusion goals.
- Working with the staff and community to connect tenants to their chosen community resources and peer supports to promote community integration and inclusion.
- Provide education on available treatment or support models available in the community, completing referrals when needed and preparing individuals to build relationships with these external partners and supports.
- Actively engage tenants in services, this may include accompanying them to appointments, leisure activities or other areas of interest including religious, educational, or vocational opportunities to provide support and encouragement.
- Providing support with identifying early warning signs of mental health decline, developing coping, crisis, and safety plans and developing and facilitating psychoeducational, self-help groups through a biopsychosocial and psychosocial rehabilitation lens: facilitating tenants’ learning of coping skills to help handle stressful situations / environments and developing resources that reduce future stressors. Such topics can include include budgeting, recreation, cooking and addiction recovery groups.
- Responsible for the development of a monthly calendar of events.
- Strive to help reduce bias and stigma, while fostering social inclusion within program communities through program development and implementation.
- Support will also address relationships with family, friends, neighbours, and co-workers. Examples of this could include conflict resolution education and coaching around how to be a good neighbour.
- Foster tenant-led initiatives within the program to encourage inclusion and purpose for tenants and the Indwell community.
- Educate tenants on conflict resolution techniques that will develop skills for neighbour conflicts and further social inclusion within the Indwell program and larger community. Working with tenants to improve the capacity of the community so that it becomes “physically, mentally healthier and a better-prepared community.”
- Volunteer coordination
- Attend trainings on recovery; psychiatric rehabilitation, trauma, supported employment practices, substance use and cultural competency. Keep apprised of new research and developments in these areas through journals, web sites and literature to transfer knowledge to the team and tenants in the most effective manner available.
- Take responsibility for a primary case load under supervision of Program Supervisor.
- Ensure all required documentation is completed in a timely, comprehensive, and legible manner.
- Consult and collaborate with all team members on a regular basis. The goal of the Psychosocial Support Worker role is to holistically support a tenant within an interdisciplinary team. Therefore, team approaches should always be considered.
- Complete required assessment tools according to appropriate timelines.
- Coordinate, lead, and/or contribute to service planning for tenants.
- Monitor, review and update the tenants support plans on a scheduled basis and revise the plan, as necessary, ensuring flexibility to meet the tenants’ needs.
- Participate in quality improvement and data gathering as assigned. Consult on effective service plan and assessment tool development when necessary.
- Develop initiatives, programming, and support mechanisms to promote the value of safety within a community for tenants and for staff.
- Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree and Addictions focus or other education with relevant work experience with a focus on addictions
- Certification with CCACF is considered an asset
- Experience working with individuals with serious mental illness, addictions, or other special needs
- Knowledge of concurrent disorders and of various addiction treatments/theories is required
- A warm, sensitive, and caring approach, the ability to work within a team, be flexible, organized, responsible, and take initiative. Having strong problem-solving skills, being able to maintain good interpersonal relationships and a genuine interest in supporting people living with mental illness and addictions.
- A harm reduction and trauma-informed lens, seeking to uphold the health and wellness of individuals as well as the community
- Experience and ongoing learning around supporting diverse individuals and communities (i.e. cultural safety, anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice, etc.)
- Strong leadership skills, critical thinking abilities and has a passion for mentoring others
- A valid “G” class driver’s license with own vehicle
- Vacation: 3 weeks paid with 8 HEAL days (sick and personal appointments) per year
- Extensive Benefits paid: Extended health (100% medication coverage- some exceptions may apply), dental and vision care. Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability
- Employee Assistance Program- primary care and professional consulting services
- Group RRSP: Indwells contributes 5% of salary
- New Staff Orientation Days
- Professional and Personal Development- annual Leadership Conference (themed with guest speaker) + Spiritual Ranch Retreat (reflection and recharge with various outdoor activities). Cliffs Strengths Finder Assessment facilitated by People Developer for mentoring opportunities, Lunch and Learn Webinars, Indigenous Cultural Competency and 2SLGBTQ Awareness. Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI), First Aid/CPR/Naloxone, Therapeutic Relationships and Applied Suicide Intervention (ASIST)
- Social Events: Indwell’s Hope and Homes Banquet yearly to celebrate the important work we do + team gatherings
Inspired to JOIN OUR TEAM, we invite you…
To APPLY: Please forward your cover letter and resume to our website: www.indwell.ca/careers. We thank all for your interest; however, only those applicants that are being considered will be notified.