Connection Coordinator - HART Hub

At House of Friendship we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion Inclusion Justice Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great doesnt it It is!

We are hiring for an individual who is committed to strengthbased person focused care to join our team as a Connection Coordinator. The successful candidate will work in the HART (The Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment) Hub program with the Community Healthcaring Primary Care Outreach Team in Waterloo Region.

The HART Hub is an innovative newly funded program that is dedicated to supporting individuals facing homelessness as well as mental health and addiction concerns. HART Hub will offer comprehensive services that include mental health and addiction treatment housing support and collaborative care.

Connection Coordinators within this program can expect to meet with participants in the community and travel to different HART Hub locations within Waterloo Region. They will collaborate with the Primary Care Outreach Team to connect participants with the necessary resources and supports needed to achieve and maintain their wellness and substance use goals.

** This is a permanent salaried fulltime (37.5 hours per week) position with paid sick time personal days vacation time; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan.

Schedule to be Monday to Friday primarily daytime hours with flexibility based on program needs.

Valid G class drivers license and access to a reliable vehicle is highly preferred for travel throughout Waterloo Region and Wellington County.

Successful completion of a Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector) is required. **

Key Responsibilities:

Connect with participants referred to services and engage in meaningful supportive relationships to promote their wellness goals by providing harm reduction education safe withdrawal education and referrals medication support and connection to primary care

Develop individual support plans including completion of any relevant assessment tools

Work collaboratively with participants to identify and achieve goals as it relates to their individual support needs including: connection to harm reduction supports taper and withdrawal supports medical/medication support mental health supports primary care supports housing supports food supports

Engage participants in meaningful support relationships to achieve the goal of meeting eligibility criteria accessing treatment and maintaining recovery goals post treatment. Including securing of stable housing wellbeing stability aftercare support

Establish strong rapport and maintain appropriate professional relationships

Develop and contribute to Addiction Services Intake Assessments and create and deliver a pretreatment care plan for participants spanning the continuum of pretreatment to post treatment

Participate in intake conversations and orientation to the program including communication around expectations and intended program outcomes

Support participants in preparation for the end of treatment by planning for: housing medical care accessing prescriptions employment access to food working with family services and community resources.

Provide psychoeducation and use Motivational Interviewing Skills to help participants resolve ambivalence and work toward change goals.

Assist with intake admission readmission discharge and completion of programs as needed

Assess complex situations and make appropriate decisions independently and as part of a team including crisis intervention risk assessment and safety planning.

Build effective working relationships with community partners and agencies across the province to increase opportunities for collaboration and positively impact outcomes

Work as part of an interdisciplinary team to provide direct and indirect support to participants

Participate in case conferences to support participants goals both internally and externally eg. probation & parole family & childrens services family & significant Others medical mental health

Complete documentation and data entry in accordance with agency and legislative requirements

Maintain confidentiality in compliance with Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)

Work independently and as part of a team including attending team meetings Addiction Services Town Halls trainings and regular supervision meetings

Participate in other program activities as required

Commitment to ongoing professional development and training

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

Sensitivity to and knowledge of issues relating to and impacting on all genders and marginalized populations

Strong understanding of interpersonal skills and the ability to engage in meaningful conversations to develop rapport with individuals who use drugs using a strengthbased approach;

Knowledge of and training in substance use including associated health risks;

Demonstrated capacity for accurate and efficient documentation and computer data entry

Demonstrated ability to calmly problemsolve in a fastpaced sometimes stressful environment;

Good communication skills and strong listening skills;

Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team

Ability to accept and apply feedback and take initiative

Group facilitation and management skills

Knowledge of community resources and provincial addiction treatment services

Commitment to ongoing professional development and training

Education/Experience:

Minimum College Diploma or University Degree in Related Field of Study required (i.e. social services social work addictions mental health community development etc.)

Minimum 2 years of experience in case planning/management including knowledge of community referral resources

Knowledge and understanding of the complexities of substances problematic substance use harm reduction and recovery oriented interventions required

Demonstrated understanding of working with individuals experiencing concurrent disorders

Previous experience in a social service setting

Critical Skills:

Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected

Exemplary emotional intelligence resilience communication conflict management and problem solving skills required;

Ability to work professionally as a team member with staff participants and community members

Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural backgrounds income levels and sensitivity to their needs;

Experience with and commitment to using an antiracism antioppressive and trauma informed approach to consultation program design evaluations of processes and service delivery

Must be dependable professional flexible a team player and have a positive attitude

Respectful supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities addictions mental illness and other life challenges

Excellent project timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics planning and detailed record keeping.

Compensation:

At House of Friendship we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair market competitive and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive succeed and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the notforprofit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

Fulltime benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC) Dental Group Life Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Long Term Disability (LTD) Flexible Spending Account and Employee & Family Assistance Program; time off includes three (3) weeks of vacation 3 personal days and sick credits totaling approximately 12 days per year

Parttime benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC) Dental Group Life Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Flexible Spending Account and Employee & Family Assistance; time off includes vacation pay and 3* personal days

We believe strongly in supporting the mental health of our team members including providing access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program $2000 for counselling services and our workplace Wellness and Psychological Health and Safety programs

We help you save for the future by providing a retirement plan that includes a matched Group Pension Plan as well as a Group RRSP and a Group Tax Free Savings Account

Rate of Pay:

At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of grades and we base our payment structure on internal determining rate of pay a candidates past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 5

Min: $27.04

Mid: $31.03

Max: $35.02

Working conditions:

Generally daytime hours with some flexibility to meet program needs

Required to work intensively with program participants in emotionally charged situations

Encountering participants at program sites or in community who may be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

Required to assess situations and make decisions under pressure with minimal supervision or working alone

Travel within Waterloo Region required

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

We strive to remove barriers that may prevent qualified applicants from fully participating in the recruitment and selection process. Accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and other applicable legislation is available throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community lets talk.

To apply please submit your resume and cover letter here:

end of day May 16 2025.