Culturally Aligned Integrated Support (CAIS) Program Cultural Mentor

Are you a person who is passionate about working with Indigenous Peoples experiencing homelessness and is interested in providing culturally supportive and safe models of care? The Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society (ACEHS) is seeking an Outreach Worker Team Member to be part of the CAIS team and provide one-on-one support to Indigenous individuals who are transitioning into independent housing.  

Who We Are: 
We are a non-profit and registered charitable organization whose sole focus is to support Indigenous peoples experiencing homelessness with a vision to lead long-term systemic change to better meet the needs of our people living away from home and experiencing homelessness. 
Established in 2016, the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness is an Indigenous-led non-profit organization whose mission is to end Indigenous homelessness across Vancouver Island by lovingly providing culturally supportive housing and services. Our work is grounded in Indigenous knowledge and centers on the voices of the Indigenous Street Community who share their immediate needs, lived experiences, and thoughts on solutions. Together, these perspectives guide our path toward collective healing, health, and housing stability. Being the sole organization focused on ending Indigenous homelessness on Vancouver Island, the work of the ACEHS is critical. 

Job Details: 
Position Type: Full-time, 30 hours per week (Termed position for 3 months with potential opportunity to continue).   
Salary / Wage: $30.00 - $35.00 per hour 
Start Date: Immediately

Deliverables: 

• Provide one-on-one emotional and cultural support to Family Members accessing the Broughton Street location.  

• Alongside the team, provide move-in support to Family Members transitioning into private and subsidized housing. This may include requested cultural preparations, including smudging of rooms, brushing off, and prayers. 

• Provide support to Family Members living independently to maintain tenancy. This may include connecting them to community resources and working together regularly to develop life skills and meet personal goals. 

• Teach Family Members about local protocols and practicing Aboriginal rights (I.e., wood harvesting). 

• Organize and lead food preparation and preservation workshops.  

• Organize and lead land-based learning, including cedar harvesting, weaving, regalia-making etc.  

• Lead workshops on boundaries and relationships for Family Members.  

• Bring Family Members to destination sites for cultural work in the community and lead small events; sharing knowledge about regulations and teaching self-determination in practice.  

• Ensure availability to support day-to-day cultural arts activities at the office.  

• Transmission of cultural knowledge and skills to Family members and peers. 

• Provide support for the CAIS program. This may include supporting intake meetings with Family Members, preparing gifts in welcome home kits, leading cultural activities, organizing monthly cooking workshops, holding healing circles, and teaching traditional crafts.  

• To help demonstrate to funders the importance of cultural support for Indigenous peoples with experience of homelessness and substance use, you record the support you offer using the tracking form provided by the CAIS Program Manager. 

• During CAIS program development sessions, provide input into the model’s 7 support areas: housing, personal care and living, Indigenous cultural, social, emotional, and community; restorative justice; food security, and wellness/healing from substance use.  

• Where possible, attend land-based healing events to support ongoing activities, meals, and ceremonies.

• Attend and support monthly Building Community events led by the Outreach team. 

Conditions of Employment:

• Required to consent to and satisfy the requirements through the Ministry of Justice Criminal Record Check for Working with Children and/or Vulnerable Adults. 

• Current First Aid and CPR certification

• Required to hold a valid Class 5 Driver's License required and a reliable car.

Skills and Abilities 

• Progressive understanding of persistent mental illness, addictions, and other challenges and how these impact people’s overall health, well-being, and quality of life. 

• Ability to work holistically, professionally, and non-judgmentally as you work with a broad range of personalities, needs, cultures, lived experiences, and abilities. 

• Ability to communicate effectively and concisely, both orally and in writing, in a cross-cultural environment. 

• Interpersonal and relationship-building skills. 

• Ability to work independently and as a member of a team. 

• Self-starter with demonstrated organizational skills. 

• Ability to work frequently under pressure while managing multiple projects and deadlines.  

• Demonstrated teamwork, leadership, and supervisory skills.  

• Effective written, electronic, and verbal communication skills to facilitate interprofessional collaborative practice, healthy and culturally safe environments, and a respectful workplace for community members, staff, guests, and volunteers. 

• Understanding of the intergenerational trauma that occurs because of colonization, Residential Schools, Sixties Scoop, and other oppressive systems as well as the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Preference will be given to qualified candidates with Indigenous ancestry. 
The ACEH values strength in diversity. As an inclusive employer that celebrates the gifts of all its staff and encourages members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community to apply. 
Interested candidates are asked to submit a resume that highlights how your knowledge, skills and abilities will culturally support and contribute to the ACEH and our community.