Housing Support Manager

About the Role:

In alignment with Neighbours' vision, mission, values, and strategic direction, the Housing Support Manager position assumes a pivotal role in overseeing supportive services and programs to enhance the quality of life of residents at assigned housing locations. The position entails operational leadership to enhance service delivery, supervision of Housing Support Workers, and fostering collaboration with both internal and external community partners to ensure the provision of services in alignment with Neighbours' Support Services model.

The Housing Support Manager is accountable to ensure compliance with the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), ensure safe environments for tenants and staff, and support interventions in alignment with Mental Health Recovery principles. The Manager works in consultation with the Director of Support Services (DSS) to ensure operations are within budget and is responsible for evaluating and improving the tenant services.

Reporting to the Director of Support Services, the position supervises up to a team of 12 employees that may include Housing Support Workers, Pest Control and Hoarding Specialists, and Harm Reduction Workers

Job Responsibilities:

OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Support Services

• Directly manage, supervise, and guide support services team, facilitating growth, accountability, service excellence, and individual and team goals in alignment with Neighbours' strategic objectives and Support Services model.
• Ensure excellence in the delivery of support services that includes informal counseling on mental health and/or addiction, interpersonal relationships, life skills, food security, legal issues, and meaningful activities using non-judgmental, recovery, and harm reduction approaches. If the team cannot provide these supports internally, ensure that the team refers tenants to external resources and provides advocacy services to tenants for their service or benefits rights.
• Foster a positive workplace culture that promotes the wellbeing of all staff and tenants/participants. Support workplace performance culture, where staff share a strong sense of purpose, feel aligned with HLMS core values, are accountable to their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), are productive, and are motivated to meet and exceed goals.
• Facilitate integration across functions, disciplines, and professions throughout Neighbours to ensure smooth operations and timely and relevant information sharing to uphold service excellence and health and safety of tenants/participants and staff.
• Ensure timely assessment of tenants’ needs and timely data entry into Yardi and Treat.
• Analyze support needs data from OCAN and assign workload to workers according to portfolio and program need of tenants.
• Lead crisis interventions (when necessary) and provide first point of contact safety checks and debriefing with staff following serious incidents.
• Ensure tenant safety including fire safety, threats, and public health hazards.
• Provide after-hours management support to on-call employees on a rotational basis.
• Lead the eviction processes for tenants that breach the Residential Tenancies Act. Appear as a representative of the landlord and a witness at Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board hearings.
• Stay abreast of changes to funder, legislative, and regulatory frameworks, and provide feedback to adapting strategies to maximize opportunities and mitigate risks.

Leadership and Change Management

• Actively engage as an integral member of the support services leadership team based on principles of service excellence, change management, inclusion, openness, and integrity.
• Model the way for employees through purpose and personal commitment to action, results, and client service excellence.
• Develop and sustain a team culture that embodies open and two-way communication, client-centered focus, learning and innovation, accountability for achievement, teamwork, a focus on continuous improvement and respect.
• Support direct reports by providing consistent communication, coaching and motivation.

Partner Engagement

• Represent the organization at system planning and coordination initiatives and at external committees and forums with tact and diplomacy.
• Develop and maintain relationships with organizations including police, libraries, community centers, local businesses, and service agencies within the portfolio geography to increase tenant access to relevant local services and promote civic participation.

Human Resources Management and Health and Safety

• Provide frontline human resource management and ensure health and safety compliance as per the collective agreement, legislation and organizational policy.
• Instill in and inspire employees through personal example and a dedication to Neighbours' core values of self- determination, equity, stewardship, and accountability at all times.
• Hire competent and job ready employees that align with organizational values.
• Supervise, coach, performance manage, and attendance manage employees including making recommendations of progressive discipline of employees following Neighbours' policies and the Collective Agreement.
• Manage employees’ workload assignment and attendance.
• Represent management, in consultation with Human Resources Department, to manage grievances and informal employees’ complaints.

Finance Management

• Provide input to team and support services program budgets.
• Follow funding guidelines and relevant legislations to purchase program supplies, track inventory, approve team expenses, and review expense statements to manage the assigned budget.
• Minimize rent arrears amount by reviewing tenant ledgers and following up with outstanding balances.
• Recommend write-off of non-collectable small rent and/or damage amount.

Property Services Coordination

• Collaborate with Property Services Department and Tenancy Services Team in ensuring smooth rollover of housing units, lease signing, orientation of new tenants, income verification, approval of housing applications (special cases), internal transfers, maintenance of units, and early terminations of tenancy.
• Ensure good communication between the support team and tenants of the portfolio on maintenance work orders, unit and building conditions, building securities, and incidents.
• Participate in annual inspections and ensure support provided to tenants for pests, clutter, and other unit condition issues. Identify tenants that present increased fire or health risk and ensure assertive response.
• Model and instill in staff a sense of “ownership” for assigned buildings and encourage working collaboratively with Property Services staff.
• Oversee staff to provide ongoing training to tenants in key topics covered in tenant handbook including, but not limited to, fire safety, life safety devices (smoke and CO detectors), maintaining building security, pest management, and responsible use of electrical, plumbing and drain systems.
• Oversee staff to assist tenants in using the Property Services maintenance telephone line or Yardi Tenant Portal (Rent Café) to report maintenance issues.
• Liaise with Managers from other departments on a regular basis and actively participate in departmental and interdepartmental meetings and partake in meeting chairing and minute taking rotations as required.

Information Analysis and Administration

• Audit program records, tenant notes, assessments, and incident reports to ensure they are properly completed. Evaluate services and programs for continuous quality improvement.
• Run reports from Client Information Management Software (Treat) and Ontario Common Assessment of Need (OCAN) to analyze trends, unmet needs, and ensure excellent support service quality.
• Receive and resolve tenant complaints.
• Run reports from Tenant Information Management Software (Yardi) to manage tenancy services within the portfolio.
• Develop new funding proposals when appropriate.
• Prepare internal reports or for funders on program activities and coordinate with finance department on the expense report. Make presentations when required.
• Coordinate visits and inspections from Funders and the Board
• Initiate improvement or corrective measures as necessary or as mandated or recommended by funders, senior management, or the Board.
• Fill in for other managers during their absences within the Support Services Department.
• Attend regular supervision meetings with the Director of Support Services for the purpose of reviewing work expectations and performance evaluation. Keep the Senior Management informed of relevant issues.

Risk, Health and Safety Management

• Participate in health and safety processes and procedures on a regular and consistent basis.
• Ensure a safe workplace environment by cultivating a positive safety culture and encouraging best practices to promote both staff and tenant/participant safety and well-being.
• Participate in all health and safety training initiatives on a regular basis.
• Take proactive action against tenant/participant incidents within your scope of practice and ensure staff safety.
• Protect the wellbeing of staff by ensuring a safe and healthy working environment.
• Promote a culture of safety by encouraging blame-free reporting.
• Investigate adverse events by performing a root cause analysis and gathering all relevant information as it pertains to the event in a timely manner.
• Ensure incident reports are provided to the appropriate parties in a timely manner.

ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Model the organizational values, policies, and professional ethics and demonstrate commitment to the strategic direction.
• Abide by the Neighbours' Code of Conduct.
• 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 on time.
• Identify and remove barriers to service excellence.
• Demonstrate personal commitment and culture to wellness.
• Embrace and demonstrate Neighbours' values in your actions.
• 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 the 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.
• Ensure anti-racism objectives and community development policies of the organization are achieved.

Working Conditions

• Exposure to the elements, strong odours, sharp objects, bodily fluids, people in distress, household pests and smoking environments
• Regular hours of employment are 35 hours a week, Monday to Friday with work required outside regular work hours.
• The position is based at a Site Office or the Administration Office and is required to travel to other Neighbours' locations.

Job Requirements:

• An undergraduate degree in Social Work, Social Services, or related fields.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in serving people who have experienced homelessness and/or precariously housed, mental health and/or addiction issues, and poverty.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in supervising employees, preferably in a unionized environment.
• Knowledgeable about the Collective Agreement and management rights.
• Excellent communication (listening, verbal, written, and presentation), interpersonal, problem solving, conflict resolution, crisis prevention/intervention, and analytical skills.
• Competent in leadership and managing people, including mentoring, coaching, performance management, team building, and training.
• Competent in project management, budgeting, expense control, understanding service data, and reporting.
• Competent in using client/tenant information management software including Treat and Yardi and client assessment tools including Ontario Common Assessment of Need (OCAN).
• Competent in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the organization's services to residents, make changes when necessary.
• Knowledgeable in community mental health, community development, social work, homelessness, addiction, poverty, diversity, and housing.
• Knowledge in Mental Health Recovery Approach, Harm Reduction principles, Residential Tenancies Act, Mental Health Act, Ontario Human Rights Code, Personal Health Information Protection Act, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
• Knowledgeable in the Housing Services Act, the Ontario Fire and Building Codes, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and life safety systems in buildings are assets.
• Ability to travel to housing sites and community service providers facilities.
• Proficient with Microsoft Outlook, Word, & PowerPoint, virtual meeting platforms, and online information searches.
• Knowledge in Rent-Geared-to-Income Rent Administration, Child and Family Services Act, Housing Services Act, Fire and Building Codes, Occupational Health and Safety Act, and supportive housing are assets.
• Be available to work in the evenings and weekends.
• Ability to response to after-hours calls to support and manage on-call Supportive Housing Workers on a rotational schedule.

Special Requirements:

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

Please apply with a cover letter and resume in one document at Careers@Neighbours on or by September 10, 2025.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $75,000.00-$82,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person