Supportive Housing Worker

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WORKER

North York-Mental Health and Justice Housing (NY-MH&JH)

Two (2) Bargaining Unit, Permanent Full-Time & 1 Year Contract Full-Time Positions

Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm

Existing Vacancies

Compensation: $29.40/hour- $34.11/hour

About Cota

Cota is an accredited not-for-profit organization that has been providing community-based support to people living with mental health and cognitive challenges for over 50 years. At present, our wide array of services delivers much needed support to over 4,000 people/year who live with mental health challenges, psychogeriatric mental health conditions, acquired brain injuries, developmental disabilities, dual diagnoses and/or the experience of homelessness. These services include, but are not limited to, case management, supportive housing and adult day program services. A full listing of our services can be viewed on our website at https://cotainspires.ca/

Cota is presently seeking a dynamic and innovative individual to join our amazing team in the capacity of the role outlined within this posting. Followed by our mission to support individuals with mental health and cognitive challenges to live well within their communities, we strive toward a vision of a supportive, inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. If you feel you have the skills and qualifications to perform the duties of this role while consistently exemplifying Cota’s values Hope, Respect, Dedication, Equity, Accountability, Collaboration and Innovation, we would love to hear from you.

Role Overview

The Supportive Housing Worker's will be embedded in this team and provide housing coordination to an assigned group of service users within the North York area and work in partnership with those service users to secure and maintain their housing stability. To be successful the Supportive Housing Worker's will use a client centred approach, and work with service user to develop independent living skills to maintain housing stability and achieve mental health stability by pursuing their personal recovery.

About the Team

The NY-Mental Health & Justice Supportive Housing Program provides rent -subsidized housing and supports to people with mental health issues who are homeless and are involved, or are at significant risk of involvement with the justice system. Tenants of this program occupy individual apartment units located in the various buildings in North York area.

We are presently recruiting Two (2) experienced, dynamic and motivated Supportive Housing Worker to join our team.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain positive working relationships with new and existing landlords.
• Work collaboratively with landlords to address any tenant related issues or disputes.
• Record client status/progress using the appropriate documentation system.
• Interact with and support service team to secure new units and maintain units for service users that acquire housing.
• Assist with the search for and acquisition of appropriate housing units as may be required within the program.
• Support service team to secure new units, manage subsidies and maintain units for service users that acquire housing.
• Work in partnership with the service user the develop Housing/Recovery Plans.

Qualifications:

Education:

• A minimum of a Community College Diploma in a field relevant to the target population. Higher level post-secondary education will be considered an asset.

Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years direct or transferable experience suitable to working effectively with the relevant target population
• Experience, alignment and commitment to harm reduction.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Knowledge and appreciation of housing issues as applicable to the target population.
• Knowledge of community resources relevant to the target population being served and/or demonstrated ability to search for applicable resources/information.
• Knowledge of legislation and regulations including Residential Tenancies Act.
• Knowledge of eviction prevention strategies.
• Knowledge of a housing first philosophy.
• Good crisis management and dispute resolution skills.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written).
• Basic computer literacy (Word, E-mail, Internet).
• Proven ability to develop and implement integrated treatment/housing plans related to relapse prevention and harm reduction in collaboration with other involved service providers.
• Basic understanding of different psychiatric conditions.
• Sensitive to challenges experienced by marginalized population groups such as poverty, access issues, mental health and addictions.
• Ability to work effectively within a team setting.

Other Requirements:

• Have access to a vehicle (Please note that access to a vehicle means owning, borrowing, or renting/hiring a vehicle at no cost to Cota)
• Conduct visits in the clients' homes, hostels, hospitals and other community settings working in sometimes difficult conditions, including hoarding and pest infestations
• Comfortable working with a broad range of client groups
• May be required to work rotating day, evening and weekend shifts based on program needs

Benefits:

Upon successful completion of a three-month period of employment, permanent full-time and permanent part-time staff working more than 20 hours per week as well as temporary full-time (with a contract for at least 1 year) and temporary part-time staff (with a contract for at least 1 year and working more than 20 hours per week) will be eligible for employer-paid group insurance benefits. These employer-paid benefits will include:

• Extended health care
  
• Life insurance
  
• Accidental death and dismemberment insurance
  
• Dental care
  
• Travel assistance
  
• Vision care

Permanent full-time and permanent part-time staff working more than 20 hours per week are also required to enroll in employee-paid long-term disability coverage.

Application Details:

Please complete the application below before September 4th, 2025 at 4:00pm.

Cota is deeply committed to promoting diversity, advancing equity and fostering a culture of inclusion. We are respectful of each individual's dignity, unique experience, potential and protected rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code. As an equal opportunity employer, we are dedicated to ensuring our workforce reflects the diversity of the communities that we serve.

Additional Information:

Interview Process: Cota may choose to conduct parts/all of the hiring process virtually. Please note that as part of maintaining an agile workforce, all Cota staff may be required to be reasonably reassigned to support the operational needs of our essential services.

Screening Process: Please note that Cota uses AI to screen potential applicants for all roles.

We would like to thank all those that apply; however, due to high volumes of interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Thank you, Cota's HR Department.

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Hope, respect, dedication, equity, accountability, teamwork, and innovation are key values of Cota. We are dedicated to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace, upholding dignity, and acknowledging each person's individual contributions and potential as an equal-opportunity employer. We uphold the Ontario Human Right Code and strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ people, and others who provide various viewpoints. Cota ensures an accessible hiring process in line with the AODA principles, providing accommodations for applicants with disabilities. For any accommodation requests, please contact hr_recruitment@cotainspires.ca