CASEWORKER HOMELESSNESS SERVICES

City of Toronto•Toronto, ON

1d•CA$40 - CA$44•Onsite

About The Position

If you are a person driven to make tangible impacts towards housing security for vulnerable Torontonians, enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, and are interested in contributing to the City's HousingTO Action Plan, join the Eviction Prevention in the Community (EPIC) program team as a Caseworker Homelessness Services. Building on the City's commitment to expand preventative approaches to homelessness, the EPIC program assists vulnerable households facing imminent risk of eviction by offering intensive case management services to prevent the loss of housing and avert the need for emergency shelter services. Reporting to the Coordinator Programs, Caseworker Homelessness Services works collaboratively in person with other members of the EPIC program team and performs the following responsibilities.

Requirements

Post-secondary education in Social Services or related field, or equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
Considerable experience delivering comprehensive support to clients facing complex psychosocial, physical, educational, and environmental challenges within social services sector.
Considerable experience addressing the needs of homeless clients or clients at risk of homelessness due to eviction, including assessing needs and making referrals to community agencies.
Considerable experience conducting detailed client intake assessments of varying complexities either in a call-centre or in-person environment within the human services sector.
Experience using MS Office applications (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), to prepare correspondence, perform data entry, as well as review and manipulate databases and spreadsheets with large volumes of information.
Knowledge of applicable legislation such as Residential Tenancies Act, Ontario Works Act, Ontario Disability Support Program, Municipal Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), Mental Health Act, Child & Family Services Act, etc.
Ability to respond appropriately and in a compassionate manner to callers sharing highly sensitive information that often includes details of traumatic events.
Ability to exercise good judgement, tact, diplomacy, and excellent customer service when interacting with members of the public, media, and elected officials.
Ability to de-escalate and diffuse challenging situations and successfully resolve customer issues in a diplomatic and professional manner.
Excellent assessment and problem-solving skills with the ability to respond to situations based on available information and/or past experience.
Extensive knowledge of issues related to homelessness, including the ability to provide appropriate resources for individuals, families, and their dependents.
Extensive knowledge of resources and services available within the City of Toronto, other levels of government, and community agencies.
Highly developed interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently and as a member of a team in a dynamic, complex environment.
Ability to follow directions, multi-task, manage and organize time, work well under pressure, and maintain composure during stressful situations, as well as showing attention to detail with the ability to set priorities and meet deadlines.
Excellent written communication skills to effectively prepare and document case histories and process and analyze data.
Ability to conduct research by extracting and interpreting information from various databases and software applications, including Internet search engines.
Ability to travel to community locations to conduct assessments when required.

Nice To Haves

A Vulnerable Sector Police Reference Check will be required as a condition of employment.

Responsibilities

Conducts assessments by phone to determine clients’ eligibility for the EPIC program and other homelessness prevention services utilizing principles of case management when conducting assessments and referrals to address client needs.
Applies homelessness prevention and shelter diversion strategies to assist clients to sustain their current housing and/or be directed to applicable service providers to meet their needs.
Determines, develops, and recommends courses of action based on legislation, divisional policies and procedures, and the evaluation of clients' functional abilities, degree of urgency, finances, and other relevant criteria.
Coordinates referrals to supports and services to community agencies, City of Toronto programs, and other government services to meet client needs.
Advocates on behalf of clients for services and benefits with internal and external resources and supports, which may include landlords/housing providers, income maintenance programs, and other service providers.
Completes third party verification by contacting various sources, including community agencies, housing providers, health care providers, income maintenance systems, child welfare agencies, and other service providers.
Responds to crisis situations involving clients by assessing the situation and implementing appropriate solutions which promote client safety.
Maintains thorough case documentation in automated systems, including documenting all intake information. Updates and revises intake records with each client contact, to ensure case information is current. Supports collection and coordination of information and resources within the program.
Updates and completes operational tracking records, ensuring accurate and timely data entry and documentation for all stages of the assessment process from intake to service request close out.
Works independently and as part of a team to identify client needs and assist the client to access appropriate programs and services.
Maintains current knowledge of legislation, community services, resources, programs, policies & procedures, and issues affecting or related to the client population.
Responds to inquiries from the public and/or other service providers.
Maintains a high level of confidentiality related to all client matters and information.
Participates in team meetings and case conferences to discuss program issues, review client needs, discuss homelessness prevention and shelter diversion plans.
Reports trends, challenges and issues relating to program service requests to the Coordinator Programs and/or Management lead.