Mental Health Outreach Worker - Visu

Organization name: Watari Counselling & Support Services

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Job opening: Mental Health Outreach Worker - VISU

Working hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week with either Tuesday to Saturday or Sunday to Thursday shifts

Pay: $28.00 an hour + benefits after successful 3-month probation period

Internal-external posting

About Watari

Watari was developed in 1986 as a response to the lack of services and programs for high-risk street-involved youth in Vancouver. Since then, Watari has helped thousands of people in the Downtown Eastside and the surrounding communities, through several youth and community programs as well as through our counseling team. Over the years, Watari has developed important programs not only for youth but for everyone needing support here in the community, including Indigenous people and migrant workers. Our Latin American Group and Vietnamese Community Kitchen have become important staples in the community as well. Although much has changed over the years, Watari continues to be a safe and supportive place for the people in the community. Today, Watari has 13 essential programs made possible by the dedicated staff, and amazing volunteers and community partners!

Watari’s mission statement

Our mission is to facilitate meaningful change and provide a bridge to healthier possibilities through innovative, community driven and supportive programming.

Job description

Watari Counselling & Support Services in partnership with Downtown Community Courts, Vancouver Integrated Supervision Unit, is seeking an energetic, community-minded individual to support the DTES community and VISU Programs, with outreach focused on Mental Health. This position requires the ability to communicate assertively with case-managed people we support, referred through the Downtown Community Courts and community services on xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlili̓lw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) lands.

Responsibilities:

• Provides honest, respectful client-centered care and develops trusting alliances with participants.
• Provides crisis intervention as needed.
• Prepares reports and documents daily activities as required.
• Completes a written progress report for each reporting period.
• Ensures communication with DCC and VISU teams.
• Provides one-on-one support to identify and access appropriate community resources that are barriers for the client.
• Able to participate in and has a practical understanding of integrated case planning.
• Able to work collaboratively with different professionals and as a member of a team.
• Participates in regular agency and training meetings as required.
• Attends clinical individual supervision sessions at least every 2 weeks.
• Maintains accurate petty cash receipts, time sheets, records, and reports.
• Provides the supervisor with verbal updates on progress, developments, and unusual occurrences on a timely basis.
• Provides community outreach services and advocates for participants.
• Conducts intake interviews, helps clients identify goals, and works with a team to draw up the case plan.

Requirements:

• Competence with computers: Microsoft, Adobe - Mac and PC and ability to produce timely written reports.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and ability to work closely with community partners, other service agencies, and government representatives.
• Knowledge of the issues facing residents of the Downtown Eastside
• Knowledge of the social network of services in Vancouver
• A successful criminal record check
• Ability to liaise with doctors’ offices, pharmacies, jail staff, lawyers, community, and tenancy support workers.
• A driver’s License and the use of a personal vehicle are required.
• Approaches the work from a strengths-based, trauma-informed, harm reduction, and bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework.
• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field or a minimum of three years of experience in the Addictions Field

Benefits of working with Watari

• RRSPs after 1 year of work (3%)
• Ability to work in a multicultural work environment.
• Start with 2 weeks paid vacation (Receive 1 day of extra vacation time for every year you work at Watari for up to 11 years)
• Access to counselling services
• Extended health benefits after a 3-month probationary period

Watari’s statement of diversity & inclusion

Watari embraces diversity as an integral part of being a caring community. We are committed to building and maintaining a diverse, accessible, civil, and supportive environment by including diversity of religion, gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, disability, age, and socioeconomic class.

To this end, we will make positive efforts to reach out to groups that have traditionally been under-represented and who can enrich and be enriched by their experience at Watari. At Watari, we encourage behaviors that enhance the freedom and respect that every individual deserves.

This position requires a person who can provide honest, respectful care, community outreach, and advocate for participants. If you believe that you have the above-named skills and abilities, please forward your resume and cover letter to:

Heather Scarff

Director of Community Programs

[email protected]

Closing date: May 19th, 2023, at 6:00 pm.

Watari is an equal opportunity employer, Indigenous applicants, people of color, all genders, LGBTQ2S+, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Thank you to all applicants in advance, only those who are short-listed will be contacted.

Facilitating positive change in our community