Harm Reduction Lead

Harm Reduction Lead

On Site

Full Time, Permanent

Level 8

Covenant House helps youth ignite their potential and reclaim their lives. As Canada’s largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk, we offer the widest range of services to hundreds of young people every day. 

More than a place to stay, we provide life-changing care with unconditional love and respect. We meet youth’s immediate needs and then we work together to achieve their future goals. We offer 24/7 crisis shelter transitional housing options on-site and, in the community, health and well-being support, training and skill development, and ongoing care once youth move into the community.        

For over 40 years, Covenant House has been dedicated to its mission of serving youth on the street and to protect and safeguard all youth with absolute respect and unconditional love. Since 1982, Covenant House has supported more than 100,000 young people.

Overview:

Reporting to the Director, Clinical and Health the Harm Reduction Lead is responsible for delivering relevant and related supports for youth and staff that is guided by CHT’s Harm Reduction framework of practice across the agency.

Responsibilities

• Supporting the implementation of our Harm Reduction framework across CHT.
• Ensuring ongoing relentless engagement and relationship building with youth, with attention to substance use and harm reduction needs.
• Providing crisis intervention and targeted individual support for youth with complex mental health and substance use needs; collaboratively review, resource, and reinforce youth’s well-being and harm reduction strategies.
• Facilitate and lead CHT’s Harm Reduction Youth Advisory Group (YAG).
• With the assistance of members from YAG, deliver harm reduction group services to 50 youth from CHT on annual basis.
• Assisting managers, supervisors, and front-line staff with debriefing, problem solving, and integration of harm reduction perspectives into individualized client support plans and overall shelter practices.
• Develop and facilitate educational opportunities and workshops opportunities for staff, towards prevention of overdose and other harms.
• Enhancing community partnerships and referral networks to support youth access to harm reduction and recovery options; assist youth in accessing community mental health, harm reduction, and addictions services.
• Contributing towards identification of current and emerging support needs and service gaps, and implementation of strategic responses.
• Ensure that CHT has effective and up-to-date harm reduction kits and related equipment and tracks the supplies.
• Ensuring all client and program documentation, data collection, and report writing are completed and maintained according to agency and professional standards.
• Participation in internal and external committees.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications/Skills:

• MSW or related post-secondary education, with professional training in mental health and addictions support
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 required.
• Strong interpersonal skills and a high degree of discretion
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• 3 years related work experience in community service settings, two years of which must be working with street involved youth
• Experience in shelter or drop-in settings an asset.
• Demonstrated expertise in harm reduction support, psychoeducation, crisis intervention, and systems navigation with youth who are experiencing complex challenges related to homelessness such as equity and access needs, mental health and substance use risks, as well as basic needs.
• Demonstrated application of adolescent development theory and specific issues related to working with youth experiencing homelessness.
• Strong commitment to integrated model of practice (client centred, AOP/AR, trauma informed, harm reduction, Housing First for Youth, strengths/resiliency)
• Demonstrated strong individual and group intervention skills; thorough knowledge of relevant community referrals and resources

Interested candidates are welcome to apply directly to this posting on or by June 6, 2025. Only those selected to move forward in our recruitment process will be contacted. No agencies or phone calls please. 

At Covenant House Toronto we believe in a workplace culture of inclusion that is welcoming, respectful and safe for all staff. It is critical to Covenant House Toronto success to eliminate barriers and promote the inclusion of equity groups. Equity groups have been, and continue to be, underrepresented and marginalized in the workforce, leadership roles, and in some specific occupations. Equity groups include but may not be limited to Indigenous persons, racialized people, gender diverse people, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities.

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Covenant House Policy on Accommodation, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the Covenant House recruitment process.

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