Foxglove - Support Worker Indigenous Cultural Liaison Offline (Wed-Sun Days)

RainCity Housing and Support Society • Surrey, BC

3d • CA$33 - CA$35 • Hybrid

About The Position

RainCity Housing is an organization that makes a difference in people’s lives. Our mission is to advance social equity by building upon the strengths of our community and of each individual. With a goal of providing a home for everyone, RainCity’s programs sustain relationships, strengthen communities, and make change for people experiencing homelessness, mental health, trauma, and substance use issues. RainCity Housing has been developing emerging and promising practices for over 40 years in social services and healthcare, providing Housing First, harm reduction and supports for community members who access our services.

Requirements

• Indigenous ancestry/identity is a bona fide occupational requirement for this position: Indigenous (First Nations, Native American, Metis, Inuit) staff only please.
• Job requires employee to have a valid Class 5 Driver’s License (Learner’s and New Driver’s licenses are not sufficient) with a clear abstract to be able to drive for outreach visits using a MODO account OR your own vehicle.
• A clear British Columbia Vulnerable Sector Criminal Record Check for working with vulnerable adults and/or children is a condition of employment with RainCity Housing. Applicants must be willing and able to receive a clearance under the Criminal Record Review Act.
• A Diploma in community social services or equivalent,
• Two years of recent, related work experience with an emphasis on mental health, addictions, homelessness and/or social services
• Or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience
• Current First Aid and CPR certification; Naloxone Certification
• Valid Class 5 Driver's License with access to a reliable vehicle
• Establish a dignifying and purposeful relationship with the client, contacting and getting to know the client as a unique individual, and clarifying the role of the ICL and client in the service planning process.
• Ability to identify and work to increase client strengths, using of hope inducing strategies.
• Respond to problematic behaviour using an understanding of the behaviour's context and function.
• Knowledge of the integrated concurrent disorders recovery model for working with chronically homeless individuals.
• Knowledge of mental health diagnoses, medications, treatment, and support resources.
• Knowledge of the housing continuum, including supported housing systems and program models for special needs populations.
• Demonstrates understanding of oppression and marginalization as related to the impacts of colonization on Indigenous peoples.
• Ability to resolve crisis situations effectively and safely.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to establish workload priorities, adjust to new or unexpected events, problem solve, and deal effectively with conflict situations.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.
• Experience navigating paths to client-centered/client-focused Indigenous work with tenants using culturally informed strategies.
• Knowledge of the holistic addictions model including stages of change and harm reduction, cultural pillars of healing and cultural forms of medicine, Indigenous led/informed case planning.
• Knowledge of the impacts of colonization on Indigenous persons, including residential schools, the 60’s scoop, child, and family welfare system.
• Knowledge of indigenous cultures, services, ways of holism and recovery.
• Fostering awareness and understanding of the cultural context of trauma related addiction/MH among Indigenous community members – work to create paths to holism.
• Transporting and accompanying participants to and from cultural ceremonies in community.
• Outreach duties may also include taking participants to appointments, recreation activities.
• Advocate and liaise with outside organizations on participants behalf.
• Constant learning of cultural protocols: understanding that the participants we serve come from different teachings then our own.
• Structure around programming and events.
• Databasing/ Logging all necessary information.
• Knowledge of the host nations that we are working on, how are we honoring the land and incorporating it into the work.
• Creating connections to elders and knowledge keepers in the community.
• Knowledge of community organizations specifically Indigenous run and all relevant resources.
• Ability to facilitate cultural programming on and off site.
• Knowledge of holistic approaches to healthcare vs western medicine.
• Understanding of protocols of Indigenous ceremonies, sweat lodge, pow-wow’s, workshops.

Nice To Haves

• Many forms of education and experience are valued, including volunteering, and lived experience of mental illness/addiction/homelessness.

Responsibilities

• Provides a range of services for Indigenous people living in the Foxglove community who have a history of systemic racism, oppression, displacement, and that are living with the impacts of marginalization.
• Uses a culturally informed model that is rooted in harm reduction, the ICL walks alongside clients in their self-identified and self-determined goals for culture, connection/reconnection, and community integration; while navigating colonial systems of oppression, advocating for access, rights, and Cultural Safety as needed.
• Consists of a combination of in-house support, programming at Foxglove as well as outreach programming with a primary focus on culture, navigating colonial systems, community integration and maintaining housing.
• Works closely and collaboratively with program staff, family, and external service providers, advocating for access and rights as needed.
• Provides daily supports including cultural safety work, eviction prevention work including supporting people with maintaining their spaces, medication administration, responding to tenant safety and security issues, crisis intervention, accompaniments, health and recreational groups and general problem solving.
• The work may take place at Foxglove, at other RainCity programs, at external services and in community.
• Research/connect individual and group support for indigenous tenants regarding indigenous ways of understanding holism and recovery, indigenous services and resources, and indigenous culture to actively plan, arrange and seek out these relationships while on shift in coordination the program team and manager.
• Walk alongside Indigenous tenants as they connect with community and cultural events and build supports with the tenant such as Elders. Connect with supports available through the Indigenous Cultural Services Department, Indigenous Cultural Liaison Manager and ICL Community Building Groups at RainCity.
• Collaborate with additional ICL supports in the site around planning and running the programming.
• Assist with creating an effective and supportive connection between the Indigenous/non-Indigenous service providers and community supports and tenants. Advocate for tenants as needed.
• Assists to build connection to the greater community to promote healing and wellness beyond RCH building to foster connection circle of care and support.
• Orientate new tenants to the role of the ICL and familiarize them with cultural services.
• Perform related work as assigned.

Benefits

• 5 days of paid leave for Indigenous Employees for Ceremonial, Cultural, and Spiritual events per year
• 8 weeks of paid leave for gender affirming care for medical procedures for transgender and gender diverse employees, cumulative total
• Employee and Family Assistance Program available to ALL employees, including 24-hour helpline, Personal counselling, Life Coaching, Financial Coaching, Legal Referral and Advisory Services, and Health Coaching
• Municipal Pension Plan with guaranteed lifetime monthly pension when you retire
• Employer-paid benefits for employees: Unlimited Physiotherapy and $1,000/year coverage for Massage
• Vision Care, Dental Care, Prescription Drugs, Naturopath, Acupuncture, Chiropract, Group Life Benefit $50,000, Long Term Disability, and Unlimited Out-of-Province and Out-of-Country Emergencies

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree