Shelter Advocate

The Shelter Advocate is committed to helping people staying within a Shelter environment who are experiencing poverty, housing instability, and other barriers to assist them in transitioning toward and maintaining sustainable and healthy lifestyles, including transitioning into sustainable housing. The purpose of the Health and Wellness area is to support clients by addressing the social determinants of health through system navigation and advocacy. The Shelter Advocate works as part of an interdisciplinary allied health team and connects clients with any needed external and internal resources. 

Employment Type: Full-time
Schedule: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Reporting to: Health and Wellness Manager
City: Kamloops
Budgeted Salary: $52,000.00
Number of Positions to Fill: 1
RFR #: 2191

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Meet with shelter guests and vulnerable community members requesting advocacy support to determine their ID, Income, and housing goals with them to prioritize the support they require to achieve their goals 


• Complete the Wellness Advocate intake process  


• Build and maintain positive relationships with clients and create a welcoming, respectful, inclusive, and safe environment for them   


• Educate and empower clients to understand and achieve their rights and responsibilities, to facilitate their full participation in society  


• Contribute to general health and wellness programming including supporting or facilitating group initiatives and programs that increase knowledge and awareness of community health 


• Liaise with internal and external resources that will help clients achieve their goals if the support is beyond the scope of services provided by the Wellness Advocate. This includes maintaining existing partnerships as well as developing new partnerships 


• In regard to clients who have a Caseworker, compliment the work of the Caseworkers by acting as a consultant and liaison for issues that require client access to external resources 


• In regard to clients who do not have a Caseworker, refer these individuals directly to internal and external resources  


• Advocate for clients as needed both to access resources within and outside the organization  


• Maintain relationships with agency partners and volunteers 


• Ensure clients accessed external resources by completing follow up with guests and agencies 


• Contribute to community programs facilitation as needed  


• Follow protocols to ensure sanitized and organized professional workspace 


• Provide backup to Reception to ensure front desk is covered 


• Assist with training of new Advocates and Wellness Receptionists 


• Participate in case management teams when required 


• Provide crisis intervention, as necessary   


• Provide input into program evaluation upon request 

   Administration  

• Build a comprehensive library and knowledge base on community resources 


• Share and disseminate community resource information


• Track assigned clients’ progress with external resources 


• Communicate relevant information to Caseworker about interactions with clients and observed behavior


• Document client interactions, client referrals and client progress on documentation platforms (platforms vary with each city) 


• Track statistics and prepare reports, as required 


• Attend meetings and training, as assigned


• Serve on internal and external committees, as requested


• Provide input into the development of policies and procedures for designated programs 


• Keep clients’ records and information confidential, updated and secure. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• A minimum of an undergraduate degree in healthcare administration, public health, social worker, psychology, nursing, or a related field is preferred – preference for bachelor's degree in Social Work, Psychology or related field in public health.  


• Three to five years of related working experience preferred  


• Experience with HIFIS, CASH, and VAT assessments preferred.  


• Competent in use of MS Office  


• Excellent interpersonal skills  


• Excellent administrative, time management and organizational skills  


• Self-motivated and ability to work independently 


• Valid Driver’s License (Class 5) preferred

WORKING CONDITIONS

• As The Mustard Seed is a Christian ministry, we require our employees sign an agreement indicating that they will respect and not detract from our Statement of Faith 


• Employees are to be aware that many of our clients may experience difficulties or impairment at times, which could result in them uttering threats, discriminatory statements, and other insults at your person. This may in a raised voice, or in seeing unpredictable behaviour up to and including the possibility of them becoming aggressive 


• Training on how to respond is provided, but this is to be considered typical working conditions. Many of our clients are unaware of the impact of these comments 


• Time more than regular working hours may be required on occasion 


• Travel to other local Mustard Seed sites and external agencies required. 


• This position is primarily an office position and may require moderate amounts of walking, standing, sitting, and daily interactions with colleagues and guests 


• Lifting up to 50 lbs may be required on occasion  


• Fast-paced and demanding work environment 


• Moderate to extreme mental effort required to respond to highly intense situations  

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• An Employment Background Check is required for all positions at The Mustard Seed


• As The Mustard Seed is a Christian ministry, we require our employees to agree to respect and not detract from The Mustard Seed’s Employment Values during their employment at The Mustard Seed.


• Must have legal authorization to work in Canada on a full-time basis for anyone other than current employer


• This position requires the use of a company vehicle. Candidate must have and maintain valid driver’s licence and will need to consent to a driver’s abstract request.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• The Mustard Seed offers a competitive compensation package including 100% employer-paid extended health and dental benefits for staff and dependents, matching RRSP after one year of service, and wellness days.


• All The Mustard Seed employees have access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, which provides support for maintaining a healthy work-life balance, addressing mental health concerns, and focusing on personal development in various areas.

NOTE

• Your privacy is important to us. The information we collect is used solely for consideration for employment.


• We thank all candidates for their interest, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. The Mustard Seed reserves the right to amend job advertisements. No phone calls please.


• Please visit our Careers page to see more job opportunities.