Uquutaq Society Job Board
Client Service Worker
Description
Job Description
Job Title: Client Services Worker
Reports To: Program Manager
Direct Reports: None
Date: April 19, 2023 Revised: July 21, 2023
MISSION
Uquutaq Society is a non-profit organization providing housing and homelessness services and is committed to providing healthy, safe and dignified housing solutions and supports. We offer high- and low-barrier shelter spaces, transitional and affordable housing. Our commitment to helping our clients develop life skills to build and maintain independent lives in the community drives our growth and expansion of our sites and services.
PURPOSE
The Client Services Worker provides a safe, healthy and dignified environment for residents of Uquutaq’s homeless and transitional shelters. They build positive relationships with clients who are experiencing the challenges of homelessness by supporting their well-being, physical health and life skills development.
KEY BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE
The Client Services Worker is competent, knowledgeable and experienced in:
- Basic business principles and practices associated with a non-profit business
- Basic understanding of how to manage costs, expenses and working within a budget
- Knowledge of basic health & safety practices specifically in social housing or shelters
- Awareness of underlying issues that contribute to homelessness
- Strategies to effectively manage work relationships, including dealing with conflict, with co-workers, clients and external stakeholders
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The following is a list of the essential duties and responsibilities of this job. The tasks and the time spent performing each task may vary as business needs require. Uquutaq Society maintains the right to modify job duties and responsibilities at its discretion.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform these essential duties.
Client Services
- Address client needs in a client-focused, harm-reduction manner and provides client services in accordance with established policies and procedures.
- Assist with client intake and initial screenings and assess eligibility for admission.
- Provide clients with assistance related to their personal hygiene, well-being, physical comfort and assist them with finding appropriate community resources.
- Follow all health & safety protocols and report any health or safety issues promptly. Take every reasonable precaution to ensure the safety and well-being of staff and clients by always working in a healthy and safe manner.
- Ensure the shelter is safe by performing regular patrols of all common areas and client rooms throughout the shift.
- Assist with medical emergencies or any critical incidents in the workplace and respond to crisis situations or problem behaviors nonjudgmentally.
- Provide input on ways to improve client services or achieve better client outcomes based on observation and experience.
- Complete all required administrative functions related to client services including managing supply lists, preparing incident reports, completing intake forms and providing information in appropriate logs.
- Establish collaborative relationships with clients, working to increase their strengths.
- Support team-members by making positive contributions to the team and by supporting your co-workers when needed.
- Accept all donations in an appropriate manner and maintain accurate records of all donations.
- Clean food service and other areas associated with client use as per shift checklist.
- Report any necessary maintenance issues or damaged equipment to the Facilities Manager.
- Participate in and attend all meetings that are required as well as any case conferences.
- Participate in the on-call rotation is a mandatory function of the position.
Organizational Support
- Protect all confidential files and information.
- Safeguard Uquutaq Society by ensuring its effective, ethical and conformance to standards and regulations.
- Comply with and apply health and safety standards, regulations, policies and procedures and comply with them.
- Other duties as assigned.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- Grade 11 education or combination of education and experience
- Minimum of one (1) year of experience in a client support role, preferably in the non-profit or public sector and in the area of homelessness or social housing
- Knowledge and/or experience with:
- Homelessness programs and resources
- Mental health disorders, addiction, treatments and resources
- Treatment and support for individuals with complex social and health needs
- Basic intake and basic counselling skills
- Understanding of oppression and marginalization of the homeless
- First Aid with CPR certificate
- Class 5 Drivers License with a clean driving record
SKILLS, APTITUDE & ABILITIES
- Understanding of basic financial transactions including purchasing supplies, submitting expense reports etc.
- Reliability and commitment to work assigned shifts and provide the highest level of care to clients
- Well-developed interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively build relationships and contribute to a cross-functional team and work well in a diverse cultural environment
- Creative problem-solver who is able to provide practical advice and guidance and proactively reach solutions to issues
- Honest and trustworthy with a high degree of personal integrity and ethical conduct
- Good organizational skills, good attention to detail and the ability to complete work assignments within the allotted time frame
- Able to deliver high quality results in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
- Commitment to privacy of sensitive information and a high level of discretion and professionalism
- Familiarity or lived experience with Inuit culture
- Familiar with basic Microsoft Windows Office Suite including Excel, MSWord and Outlook
ENVIRONMENT & WORKING CONDITIONS
- Shelter environment in an institutional setting with daily interactions with individuals with complex needs and potential behavioral issues
- Shift work and working on weekends and holidays is required
- Occasional requirement to lift 10 lbs (4.5 kg)
- Occasional requirement to be outside in cold temperatures
- Requires a commitment to ongoing training and pre-employment screening
Employee Signature: Date:
Manager Signature: Date:
COMPETENCIES
Bilingual & Bicultural
Bilingual and Bicultural – Read, write and speak both English and Inuktitut. Intrinsic understanding of Inuit culture and able to operate effectively in both cultures.
Communication
Conveys information and ideas clearly through a variety of mediums to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message
Conflict Resolution
Minimize or mitigate conflict whenever possible. Manages conflict in a pro-active, direct, fair and non-judgmental manner seeking effective long-term solutions
Builds Trust and Respect
Treats people with dignity, respect, and fairness; listens to others and considers opinions and ideas; shares thoughts, feelings, and rationale for decisions made, operates with integrity
Collaboration
Promotes cooperation between staff members by actively listening, being genuine, valuing others’ points of view, leveraging the diversity of the team, supporting and recognizing successes, providing feedback and responding to staff member’s needs, while ensuring inclusive behaviours are modeled and represented broadly across the organization
Influence
Represents their position on issues to gain support and buy-in from others; generates solutions to meet the needs of residents and stakeholders; works to achieve win-win outcomes
Health and Safety
Identifies safety issues/problems and informs the appropriate individual when issues arise; reports unsafe working conditions; makes recommendations for correcting safety and security concerns
Professional Development/Continuous Improvement
Maintains and develops professional competence, through appropriate continuing education methods
Resident Focus
Exhibits the desire to serve others by providing helpful, courteous, accessible and responsive service
Compensation
$27.00 - $32.00 per hour