Safehouse Youth Worker Competition #66-23

About this Role

Directions Youth Services is a division of Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV), which for more than 90 years has provided a variety of essential resources for children, families and individuals in the Greater Vancouver community.  We believe in the resiliency of Vancouver’s youth who are at-risk, homeless, and street-involved. We assist youth under the age of 25 to get counselling for trauma, mental health or substance issues. Our teams strive to create spaces and build connections with youth who are facing challenges of street life, substance use, mental health concerns, and disconnection from their communities. Directions inclusive programs of shelter and drop-in, safe houses and other unique programs are committed to being a community leader in harm reduction work and fostering low-barrier spaces where all youth are welcome. 

This position is located at our undisclosed Safehouse location. Our voluntary residential program is for youth between 16 – 18 years old, of all genders, who need a safe place to stay. This low barrier environment welcomes intakes 24/7. We provide immediate support for basic needs, connections to longer term services, youth-led goal achievement and service planning. Staff work collaboratively with a shift partner to provide responsive care for the youth and report to the Program Manager.

About our Opportunity:

Our Valued Benefits:

• Starting at 3 weeks’ vacation for full-time staff
• 3 paid household leave days a year
• 2 paid Wellness Days a year
• Paid sick days
• 2 1/2 paid Agency days for full-time staff
• 5 paid days for education leave/year
• 1 paid Moving Day/year
• Subsidized professional association annual dues (if applicable)
• A work culture that values transparency, teamwork, learning, fairness and integrity

Health and Wellness Resources:

• Generous health/dental benefits after 3 months.
• 3 flex benefit options to meet your individualized needs
• Option of psychological/counselling services (up to $1500/year)
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Long Term Disability Plan
• Insurance, Travel insurance, ++

Pension: Pension plan for eligible employees

Work hours: 32 hours per week, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 4pm – 12am, and Sunday 3:30pm – 11:30pm

Salary: $25.06 per hour (GS 8 Step 1)

Location: Confidential location

Posting End Date: Posting will remain open until filled

What you bring:

Education, Training, Experience

• Diploma in a related human / social services field
• 2 years related experience with emphasis on homelessness, mental health, addictions, and/or social services
• Or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Ability to engage, observe, and recognize client-centered change by establishing respectful relationships by increasing the youths motivation for positive changes
• Ability to initiate and influence case management and creatively support complex decision-making
• Ability to share best practices with more junior staff and take lead where required
• Knowledge of the systematic issues that affect low income and marginalized people and relevant community, government, social / health resources services and systems.
• Knowledge of low barrier resources, harm reduction model, adolescent development, alcohol and drug use issues, mental health issues, sexually exploited youth, and street-involved activities
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries with clients and apply personal self care principles
• Ability to deal effectively with conflict situations or aggressive behaviour and use non-violent crisis intervention and behavioral management techniques
• Maintain calm and tactful composure under a broad range of challenging circumstances, and adjust your approach in changing conditions
• Ability to productively work alone or cooperatively within a culturally diverse environment
• Maintain the highest professional standards of ethics and confidentiality
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing across a range of technologies
• Maintain current knowledge of issues, best practices, and available resources

Additional Requirements

• Successful completion of a Criminal Record Check
• Current First Aid, Food Safe Level 1, and Non-Violent Crisis Intervention certificates are an asset.
• Proof of Covid-19 vaccination status will be required

How to apply:

If this describes you, please submit your application to us through our website, https://fsgv.ca/careers/

Only short listed candidates will be contacted for interviews. Thank you for your interest.

We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that represents the communities we so proudly serve, while encompassing the principles of equity, inclusion and diversity. We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, Indigenous communities, persons with disabilities, gender expressions and sexual orientations including queer, trans, and two-spirit people. In our words and actions, we recognize the challenges for those facing inequalities, while acknowledging our privilege, as we continuously strive to remove biases and reduce barriers that individuals may experience in the hiring and job-seeking process. We invite feedback from all applicants who apply for roles within the Agency.

If you require a disability-related accommodation in order to participate in the recruitment process, please email your resume and cover letter (indicating the competition number #66-23 in email subject line) outlining your interest and relevant experience to  for follow-up. **if you are an internal candidate, please indicate “Internal Candidate” in the Comments section at the bottom of the online application**

Our programs are located on the traditional, ancestral, and unseeded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw(Squamish), Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil Waututh), Qayqayt,Katzie, Kwantlen, Kwekwetlem,Semiahmoo,Matsqui,and Tsawwassen First Nations. Huy ch q’u.