POSITION TITLE: Indigenous Cultural Liaison Support Worker
PROGRAM: The Biltmore
UNION: BCGEU
SALARY: $30.64/hour (BCGEU grid 34) + $2.50/hour as a premium for night shifts.
TYPE: Permanent – Part-Time 0.8 FTE
SCHEDULE: Saturday-Sunday 4:00pm-12:00am, Monday-Tuesday 3:30pm-11:30pm, includes 30-minute unpaid meal break.
START DATE: As soon as possible
Indigenous ancestry/identity is a bona fide occupational requirement for this position: Indigenous (First Nations, Native American, Metis, Inuit) applicants only please.
To apply please include your resume, with a cover letter describing your suitability for this position, in an email with the subject line of “job2022.306” to: William Thomas, Indigenous Services Assistant Manager, at wthomas@raincityhousing.org
ABOUT US
RainCity Housing is an organization that makes a difference in people’s lives. With a goal of providing a home for everyone, RainCity’s programs sustain relationships, strengthen communities and make change for people experiencing homelessness and mental health, trauma and substance use issues. We invite you to be a part of the change.
DIVERSITY
RainCity Housing serves a diverse group of people and we need a staff group that reflects the diversity. People of diverse backgrounds and cultures are encouraged to apply.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Indigenous Cultural Liaison Support Worker (ICL) provides the Indigenous lens and consults with Indigenous clients to provide/connect them with a range of Indigenous specific supports in the community, while advocating for access and rights as needed. These can include but are not limited to: liaising with and/or supporting cultural activities/programming; Indigenous-led and informed case planning for Indigenous clients; connecting clients with outside organizational supports/connecting to agencies that assist; and accompanying clients in navigating the health and/or court systems. In addition to these Indigenous specific supports, the ICL provides daily supports to all program participants, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, including: medication administration, building security, crisis intervention, building maintenance, and front line overdose response.
Using a culturally informed model that is rooted in harm reduction, the ICL walks alongside clients in their self-identified and self-determined goals for culture, connection/reconnection, and community integration; while advocating for access, rights, and Cultural Safety as needed.
PROGRAM SUMMARY
The Biltmore Housing Program provides 95 units of housing to people who are coping with the realities of homelessness, substance use, and complex physical and mental health concerns. The units are situated on the 3rd-7th floors of the building. All units include bathrooms. One meal will be provided daily, provider to be determined. There are common areas situated on the 7th floor, with some amenities. The building is located at Kingsway and 12th Ave in Vancouver. The program is staffed 24/7 by support workers. The main staffing area is situated in the lobby entrance; at least one support staff must be present at the entryway at all times.
QUALIFICATIONS
Many forms of education and experience are valued, including volunteering and lived experience of mental illness / addiction/ homelessness; Minimum education and experience includes:
- A Diploma in community social services
- Two years of recent, related work experience with an emphasis on mental health, addictions, homelessness and/or social services
- Or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
- Current First Aid and CPR certification; Naloxone Certification
Support Worker Key Skills and Abilities – for supporting people receiving our services
- Establish a dignifying and purposeful relationship with the client, contacting and getting to know the client as a unique individual, and clarifying the role of the PSS and client in the service planning process
- Ability to identify and work to increase client strengths, including the use of hope inducing strategies and assisting the client in self-managing their illness and other aspects of their life
- Informally teach harm reduction, life skills
- Respond to problematic behaviour using an understanding of the behaviour’s context and function
- Knowledge of the integrated concurrent disorders recovery model for working with chronically homeless individuals
- Knowledge of mental health diagnoses, medications, treatment and support resources
- Knowledge of the bio-psychosocial addictions model, including stages of change and harm reduction
- Knowledge of diagnoses, treatment and support resources in the areas of substance use, physical health, HIV and Hepatitis C
- Knowledge of the housing continuum, including supported housing systems and program models for special needs populations
- Demonstrates understanding of oppression and marginalization as related to chronically homeless individuals
- Ability to effectively and safely resolve crisis situations
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team
- Ability to establish workload priorities, adjust to new or unexpected events, problem solve, and deal effectively with conflict situations
- Physical ability to perform the duties of the position
Indigenous Cultural Liaison Key Skills and Abilities – for supporting people receiving our services
- Experience navigating paths to client-centered/client-focused Indigenous work with tenants using culturally informed strategies
- Knowledge of the holistic addictions model including stages of change and harm reduction, cultural pillars of healing and cultural forms of medicine, Indigenous-led/informed case planning
- Knowledge of legislation and regulations related to Indigenous persons, including residential schools, the 60’s scoop, child and family welfare system; knowledge of indigenous cultures, services, ways of holism and recovery
- Fostering awareness and understanding of the cultural context of trauma related addiction/MH among Indigenous community members – work to create paths to holism
- Perform other duties as assigned
Specific Job Duties
- Research/connect individual and group supports for indigenous tenants regarding indigenous ways of understanding holism and recovery, indigenous services and resources, and indigenous culture. To actively plan, arrange and seek out these relationships while on shift in coordination the program team and manager
- Walk beside indigenous tenants as they connect with community and cultural events and build supports with the tenant such as Elders. Connect with supports available through the Cultural Safety Working Group and Indigenous Cultural Liaison Manager and ICL Community Building Groups at RainCity
- Collaborate with additional ICL supports in the site around planning and running the programming
- Assist with creating an effective and supportive connection between the Indigenous/non-Indigenous service providers and community supports and tenants. Advocate for tenants as needed
- Assists to build connection to the greater community to promote healing and wellness beyond RCH building to foster connection circle of care and support
- Orientate new tenants to the role of the ICL and familiarize them with cultural services
- Perform related work as assigned