Link Outreach Worker

Aunt Leah’s Place is a non-profit organization that helps prevent children in foster care from becoming homeless and mothers in need from losing custody of their children. To support youth on their journey to self-sufficiency, we provide supported housing, job training, and coaching on essential life skills.

We are seeking an experienced youth worker to join our team as a Link Outreach Worker to support the housing services within the organization and ensure they are provided with a compassionate, youth and woman-centered approach with the goal of replicating the family privilege that youth from parented homes receive. Our ideal candidate shares our passion for improving the outcomes for youth and families affected by the foster care system. From day one, you will have a hands-on impact, providing program services, with the underlying objective of enhancing the quality-of-service outcomes and participant satisfaction.

Job Summary: As part of the Link Team, the Link Outreach Worker provides housing outreach supports. Link is a unique program focused on providing a continuum of supports for youth aging out of government care and families. Link focuses on housing, preventing homelessness, and improving the quality of life for former youth in care with the goal of providing supports akin to what parented peers receive.

Reports To:  Link Program Coordinator

Qualifications:

• Post-secondary Child and Youth Care Diploma, Social Services Diploma, or equivalent
• Minimum of one to two years’ relevant experience in providing support to youth or;
• A relevant combination of education and experience combined with general suitability

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Communication (verbal and written)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Communication (verbal and written)
• Ability to follow and implement program policies and procedures
• Interpersonal and team work skills
• Cultural competency/safety
• Problem-solving skills
• Crisis management/conflict resolution skills
• Knowledge of Housing First Principles
• Flexibility/adaptability in managing multiple priorities
• Computer/technical literacy
• Planning and budgeting skills
• Report writing and documentation
• Ability to work independently

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Direct Care (Outreach):

• Provide outreach and support to participants in various environments including shelters, correctional facilities, hospitals, the streets, and market, public, and private housing dwellings, etc.
• Support, encourage, and collaborate with participants through developing a trusting relationship and using a trauma-informed approach to practice. Responsibilities include:
  • Facilitate housing readiness
    • Support with budgeting as it pertains to housing – understanding rent amounts based on the type of housing, location, etc.
    • Connect participants to tenant resources, including the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) and the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC)

• Connect participants to affordable housing
  • Support participants with housing searches, attending housing viewings, and providing advocacy with landlords
  • Connect participants to emergency housing, supportive housing, and private market housing options, as needed
  • Collaborate with Link Coordinator and Housing Case Manager to determine participants’ eligibility for Aunt Leah’s housing subsidies
  • Support participants with Aunt Leah’s housing subsidy applications, if applicable
  • Connect participants to external housing subsidies, as needed

• Provide housing advocacy and supporting housing maintenance
  • Support participants with tenancy challenges, to prevent evictions
  • Conduct housing set-up shops with eligible participants
  • Educate participants about tenants’ rights and responsibilities
  • Connect participants to RentSmart and other housing-related workshops at Aunt Leah’s
  • Conduct monthly home visits
  • Attend housing-related appointments with participants, as needed
  • Refer participants to other internal and external services, including mental health, education, and employment supports, as needed
  • Facilitate communication between participants and landlords and provide advocacy, as needed

• Prevent homelessness through moving support
  • Support participants through eviction process, including during dispute resolutions
  • Support participants during moves and re-housing process

2. Direct Care (Housing First):

• Embrace the six principles of Housing First:
  • Rapid access to housing with supports:
    • Support participants with finding and securing permanent housing as rapidly as possible
    • Assist participants with moving in or rehousing if needed
    • Understands that housing readiness is not a requirement to secure housing
  • Offering participants’ choice in housing:
    • Provide choice in terms of housing options as well as the services participants wish to access
  • Separating housing provision from other services:
    • Understand that acceptance of any services, including treatment, or sobriety, is not a requirement for accessing or maintaining housing
  • Providing tenancy rights and responsibilities:
    • Educate participants on tenancy rights and responsibilities, in accordance to the Residential Tenancy Act
    • Support participants with landlord relationships and advocacy within the public and private sectors
  • Integrating housing into the community:
    • Understand that, in order to respond participant choice, minimize stigma and encourage client social integration, more attention should be given to scattered-site housing in the public or private rental markets
  • Strength-based and promoting self-sufficiency:
    • Provide case planning to facilitate participants’ self-determined goals towards independence and self-sufficiency
    • Collaborate with internal and external life skills, education, employment, mental and physical health, and housing services

3. Direct Care (other duties):

• Inform past participants of upcoming events and activities, and participate in the planning and facilitating of events and activities as required
• Assist with weekly drop in for participants as needed
• May supervise and facilitate workshops for participants as needed
• Follow up on internal and external referrals, as requested by Aunt Leah’s Case Managers and Link Coordinator
• Create, review, and modify service agreements with participants on a regular basis
• Educate, inform, and advocate for participants regarding benefits and entitlements (government assistance, housing subsidies, etc.)
• Perform other related duties as directed

4. Financial Responsibilities:

• Responsible for requesting petty cash monthly and adhering to petty cash policies and procedures
• Responsible for providing receipts for petty cash used for Link participants
• Ensure that expenses follow budget guidelines

5. Health and Safety:

• Ensure that drop in/resource area is clean and tidy and maintained to Health and Safety Standards
• Participate in annual review of Aunt Leah’s Health and Safety Policies and Procedures
• Participate in emergency drills in the office as required

6. Professional Development:

• Participate in ongoing professional development
• Meet with Link Program Coordinator regularly to prioritize workload between in office work and outreach

7. Communication:

Internal: 

• Complete daily log, monthly outcomes tracking, case notes in Outcomes Tracking and Information System (OTIS) database, and critical incident reports
• Attend meetings, including team meetings and monthly Staff Development
• Collaborate with Aunt Leah’s life skills, education, employment, and housing departments
• Liaise and seek direction from the Link Program Coordinator in crisis situations
• Attend Aunt Leah’s events as directed by Supervisor; this may include but is not limited to youth recreational overnight trips, day trips, and workshops, etc.

External:

• Ensure participant numbers and activities are maintained to a certain level to ensure continued funding
• Liaise with community partners, professionals and other stakeholders with the goal of connecting youth to relevant services and agencies
• Position is funded by Reaching Home, BC Community Gaming Grant, and BC Housing

8. Confidentiality:

• Communication between Outreach Workers and youth is confidential
• Link Outreach Workers will follow Aunt Leah’s Society Policies and Procedures and Aunt Leah’s Code of Ethics (includes Child and Youth Care Association of BC Code of Ethics, Aunt Leah’s Privacy Policy, BC Rights of Youth in care & UN Rights of the Child)

9. On-Call:

• Participate in on call as scheduled
• While on call, is able to support and attend as required

10. Physical Demands and Work Environment:

• This position requires some lifting of heavier objects
• Hours of work will be 37.5 hours a week – 7.5 hours a day, generally Monday to Friday, with occasional evening and weekend hours, as needed
• Work can be performed in an office environment and/or in the community with the flexibility to work remotely as required
• Primarily based out of the New Westminster Office; may be required to work from the Seymour Office in Vancouver

COVID-19 Vaccination Policy: As of January 4, 2022, Aunt Leah’s Place has implemented a COVID- 19 Vaccination policy. Aunt Leah’s Place strongly encourages all employees to be fully vaccinated (2 doses) for COVID-19. Rather than a mandatory vaccine policy, we are implementing a voluntary disclosure of vaccination. Employees will fill out a “voluntary disclosure” form indicating their vaccination status. Employees that do not wish to voluntarily disclose their vaccination status will be considered unvaccinated for operational planning purposes. The voluntary disclosure form will be included in the hiring process.

We Offer: A comprehensive benefits package that includes: dental, extended health care including vision care and prescription, RRSP matching, generous vacation, and personal time package, and an employee discount at our Thrift Store.

Salary: Starting at $23.00 an hour

To Apply: Please send your resume and cover letter with salary expectation, quoting LINK OUTREACH WORKER in the subject line, to [email protected]. Short listed candidates will be contacted for interviews. Thank you for your interest in joining Aunt Leah’s Independent Life Skills Society!

We encourage qualified people of all gender expressions and identities, sexual orientations, visible minorities, Indigenous persons, and persons with disabilities to apply if you are interested in supporting our mission and mandate and like what we have to offer.