Outreach Coordinator

CMHA Kelowna is hiring a full-time Outreach Coordinator. This position is 37.5 hours a week with a typical work week of Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm. 

WHO IS AN OUTREACH COORDINATOR? 

Under the supervision of the Community Roots Manager, through a lens of Housing First and Harm Reduction, the Outreach Coordinator supports a team to work collaboratively and to build relationships with people experiencing, or at significant risk of being unhoused, provide advocacy, and assist with connection to benefits and housing. The primary goal is to identify unsheltered homelessness through direct street outreach activities and through community referrals from mental health, hospitals, local law enforcement and other social service agencies. In identifying highly vulnerable homeless neighbors, the Outreach Coordinator will administer assessment tools, facilitate placement into emergency housing, if needed, and connect to social services and permanent housing. The Outreach Coordinator will also assist participants in obtaining housing readiness documentation and accompany them through housing application process.  This role will also include duties on connecting with individuals who have been successfully discharged from our Intensive Case Management program should they require “light touch” support and short-term intervention to support a positive and stable tenancy and housing maintenance.  

Working year round within the core areas of the Kelowna community, the successful candidate will take initiative, and demonstrate excellent judgment, decision-making, and problem-solving capabilities. An ability to take action in a crisis-oriented environment, and a proven ability to develop and maintain rapport with individuals who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness, co-workers/community partners and other affected parties, is essential to success in this role.  The successful candidate will have an ability to prioritize and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment and the physical ability to perform the duties of the position. 

WHAT DOES AN OUTREACH COORDINATOR DO? 

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• Chair weekly outreach team meeting to build team and culture; connect regarding trends, gaps in service, safety concerns, etc. 
• Communicate trends, safety concerns, etc.  
• Train and orientate new outreach staff; 
• Regular communication with Community Roots Manager regarding mutual participants and service collaboration;  
• Attend, co-chair and represent CMHA Kelowna Outreach at community meetings; 
• Oversee outreach communication log and shift change; 
• Coordinate shift coverage, communicate staff shortage to Manager; 

Outreach Responsibilities: 

•  Detect and prioritize individuals and families who are new to street culture including those at urgent risk of becoming homeless as a result of harmful substance use and other underlying issues including trauma and mental health; and individuals who are chronically and or persistently unhoused; 
• Locate individuals and map their locations throughout Kelowna;  
• Engage with individuals and families to build a quality working rapport, providing information, improving access to mainstream services and facilitating the process of securing housing for individuals who want housing; 
• Alert the Manager of information that could affect the safety and well-being of street involved individuals including bad substances, high risk offenders or predators; 
• Respond through a Housing First and Harm Reduction approach; 
• Collaborate with community partners such as the Police Service, emergency medical services, hospital emergency department social workers, Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and staff from Interior Health, by-law, emergency shelters and drop ins for homeless individuals; 
• Engage with local residents and businesses to support outcome focused discussions; 
• Administer and complete provincially mandated applications and screening tools (Supportive Housing Registry & Vulnerability Assessment Tool) 
• Provide and facilitate referrals to addiction resources as appropriate; 
• Provide referrals to all appropriate social and health related services based on participant requests; 
• Offer harm reduction strategies as well as abstinence strategies based on participants intentions and stated needs; 
• Share information about health and community/social services and link participants to same; 
• Link participants to harm reduction initiatives available in the community; 
• Provide information and services to assist with stabilization. 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE: 

•  Post-secondary education in social services or related field; 
• Criminal Record Check in the Vulnerable Sector is required; 
• Valid Class V BC driver’s license; 
• Experience working in the field of addictions and mental health is preferred; 
• Experience working directly at street-level with individuals experiencing homelessness is preferred; 
• Listens with sensitivity to other people’s feelings, needs, and point of view; demonstrates tact and courtesy in expressing options or ideas, and recognizing opportunities to enhance community relations; 
• Completes tasks in a timely and efficient manner, utilizing organizational skills.  
• Able to manage multiple cases efficiently and effectively; 
• Understanding of harm reduction theory and demonstrated ability to implement harm reduction strategies; 
• Understanding of Intentional Outreach, Housing First, and Rapid Re-Housing principles; 
• Displays appropriate, professional, healthy boundaries and exercises judgment and understanding of safety concerns; 

WHO IS CMHA KELOWNA? 

At CMHA Kelowna, we are dedicated to Mental Health in our community. No matter how old or how young, we provide support for families and individuals through programs that promote positive mental health and support recovery, while championing the elimination of barriers that can prevent people from thriving. We are a dynamic, innovative and visionary organization. We are looking for someone who shares our vision of a mentally healthy Kelowna and are passionate about making a difference in our community by bringing their particular expertise to our organization. To learn more, check out our website at www.cmhakelowna.org 

CMHA KELOWNA OFFERS YOU: 

• A competitive annual salary of $47,395.17-61,613.73 
• Dental, Health & EAP Benefits 
• RRSP matching program 
• Vacation & Personal Health Days 
• A workplace culture that fosters learning, transparency, trust and team work 

As an employer, CMHA Kelowna strives to create a workplace that respects and values all individuals, minimizes bias, and promotes the equity, diversity, and inclusion of different perspectives and ideas. At CMHA Kelowna that means welcoming diversity in mental health, race, ethnicity, and culture. It also means diverse abilities, age, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, gender identities, education, marital status, language, and physical self expression. These values are embedded in the work CMHA Kelowna does every day. 

We appreciate and thank all applicants for their interest, however only short-listed candidates and those legally eligible to work in Canada will be contacted.