HOPS Weekend Team Lead - Victoria

AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) is a multi-disciplinary community based organization, providing HIV, hepatitis C and harm reduction services out of 5 locations across Vancouver Island. AVI provides services to more than 500 people living with HIV and hepatitis C and more than 3000 harm reduction clients. We work within a social justice and health promotion framework – ensuring equity and access to services for all – and from a harm reduction perspective, understanding that clients are the best sources of knowledge regarding the services and supports they need.  

At the core of what we do is our ability, and commitment to, creating meaningful connections. between clients and staff, between peers, between staff members, between organizations, between communities, and between funders and impactful programs. AVI provides comprehensive, accessible and effective education, prevention, care, treatment and support services to residents of Vancouver Island with offices in Victoria, the Westshore, Nanaimo, the Comox Valley and Campbell River.  For more info see www.avi.org

Join our supportive, dedicated and client-centred team in promoting the health, dignity and well-being of all people affected by HIV, HCV and substance use by delivering sex-positive and harm reduction-based education, prevention and/or support services.

Victoria Harm Reduction Services Team provides services for people who use drugs and may be impacted by criminalization, systemic injustice and stigma. Relational care is foundational to the team in providing appropriate and accurate services. Folks accessing supplies for safer drug use, safer sex supplies, overdose   prevention, response and the training are met with care and intention. Harm Reduction services provides supports in various locations as we continue to look for a home for publicly accessible harm reduction services for all. Victoria Harm Reduction Services is located on the territories of the Ləkʷəŋən peoples (Esquimalt and Songhees nations).

JOB SUMMARY:

The Housing Overdose Prevention (HOPS) Weekend Team Lead provides supportive supervision and oversight for the operations of the HOPS sites while directly supporting the residents. The team Lead provides leadership for the Housing Overdose Prevention Workers and resident peer workers while providing a robust range of overdose prevention and response tools. All done with a lens of building community and mutual support within the buildings by working as a cohesive Team lead team across AVI programs and alongside other HOPS service providers, housing operators and involved resources.

The Team Lead position requires a high level of leadership experience and confidence in supporting and instructing staff and peers in a broad range of overdose prevention and response strategies. This includes the ability to model a consistent, relational, empathetic approach to providing supports and services to folks using a broad range of substances. Low barrier, harm reduction supports, crisis intervention, supply distribution, and evidenced based harm reduction education, within an “in-reach” context, are all part of this supervisory role. This role necessitates a demonstrated ability to navigate interpersonal issues that may be entrenched in personal power, colonial violence and racism.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  1. Provides supervision and leadership in the development of a supportive resident community within the buildings, through building trust and mentoring harm reduction principles of relational care, empathy and support.
  2. Provides the team with a supportive, relational and engaged presence that extends to staff, resident workers and residents accessing supports.
  3. Models a consistent approach to supporting and working alongside folks who face the daily impacts of criminalization, colonization, poverty and the health impacts of all these injustices. 
  4. Provides training in overdose prevention education, including education on overdose response, and supporting residents with the development of individual safety plans and other stakeholders with site based and program wide safety planning. 
  5. Coordinate with other services providers in the site by developing lines of communication and mutual support that staff can easily utilize in their daily tasks and works in collaboration with partner agencies within the buildings to provide a continuum of support and care to ensure the success of HOPPS
  6. Working alongside the manager to create schedules, and take care of all the day to day scheduling issues that arise.
  7. Provides break coverage and coverage when minimum staffing is not met
  8. Assists in administrative tasks, for example: ordering supplies, ensuring sites are stocked and transporting supplies to sites.
  9. Participates in collaboration with other HOPPS service providers to ensure consistency of services across sites. 
  10. Provide mentorship and leadership in witnessing and supporting people who are using substances in a variety of settings. Including assessing for overdose symptoms and responding with rescue breathing, oxygen and naloxone when necessary.
  11. When appropriate, attend meetings as representative of Manager.
  12. Assists with paperwork including but not limited to the completion of statistics, leave forms, weekly narrative and reporting, as required, to ensure Managers receive information and reports in a timely manner.
  13. Communicates with manager(s) regarding critical incident follow up.
  14. Provide in-reach supply distribution, information and access/referrals to in-house and external resources. Referral follow up with resources and support in making initial contacts.
  15. Arranges staffing coverage, contacts casual staff members to call-out shift(s), confirms staffing according to seniority and making any necessary scheduling adjustments.
  16. Identifies training needs for staff and residents and works with managers to ensure training needs are met.
  17. Uses brief assessment, active listening, and crisis response skills as needed in situations with residents and staff.
  18. Provides education and support regarding safer drug use and safer sex, HIV, hepatitis C, and STIs
  19. Ensures all necessary safety precautions are implemented to minimize risk for staff and residents we interact with. Ensuring staff are prepared to follow all protocols related to violence prevention and critical incidents.  (Including overdose prevention and response, needle stick injury protocols).  This includes the ability to use communication devices (cell phone/2-way radio) to ensure regular check-ins.
  20. Facilitates/supports staff facilitate OD prevention workshops and community meetings related to increasing sense of community, health and wellness within the building(s).
  21. Performs administrative tasks as requested by the manager(s). Maintains both paper and electronic confidential client files as required. Oversees critical incident reporting and overdose response forms as needed within timely manner.
  22. Involved in the development and implementation of evaluation, and program development as directed.
  23. Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • University degree in health or social services (Social Work, Psychology, Mental Health and Addictions Support Worker, etc.), or equivalent combination of education and experience
  • Minimum of three years’ relevant work experience
  • Supervisory experience in a front line social service agency working with vulnerable folks who use substances. This includes a demonstrated knowledge of harm reduction practice and social services systems (income assistance, housing, healthcare)
  • To comply with current BC Public Health Orders, must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have an approved medical exemption. Proof of vaccination status will be required for successful applicants for positions covered by the order.
  • Valid Class 5 BC Driver’s License with “Normal” Drivers Status
  • Driver’s Abstract (AVI will review the past 1 year and driving records will need to have no suspensions or prohibitions or 1 passenger only restrictions.)
  • First Aid training and experience responding to critical incidents, including overdose response, including rescue breaths and the administration of naloxone.
  • Experience with providing harm reduction outreach support in a variety of settings including parks, encampments, shelters, drop-in centres, people’s homes, community services and to people living outside and/or in temporary and fixed Overdose Prevention sites and other areas of Victoria, for example.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills required to work effectively as a supervisor, co-worker, with clients, community, and other service providers.
  • Direct service delivery and supervisory experience in the community social services sector with a demonstrated working knowledge of community-based programs and related provincial and community support services systems
  • Demonstrated understanding of the importance and role of people who use drugs in the development, delivery, and evaluation of services intended to benefit them
  • Demonstrated ability to establish rapport with a diverse range of clientele including individuals who are actively using substances and living with significant health challenges
  • Demonstrated skills, experience and knowledge in the areas of safer substance use, safer sex, sex work, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, mental health, etc.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of social justice, health promotion and public health approaches and models of social support and health care
  • Demonstrated cultural safety and humility, and trauma-informed practices.
  • Experience managing hostile interactions, utilizing non-violent communication and diffusing techniques
  • Ability to apply sound judgement: stay grounded and use creativity, flexibility and assertiveness when working through complex and often urgent situations
  • Strong working knowledge of local health and social services
  • Demonstrated knowledge of group process and facilitation techniques

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

  • Commitment to honor local indigenous communities and to recognize the ongoing impacts of colonial violence.
  • Committed to social justice, equity, anti-racism and decolonization. 
  • Ability to manage and support staff with diverse experiences.
  • Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position
  • Ability to work both independently and in a team setting
  • Ability to organize and prioritize you work.
  • Ability to establish and maintain rapport with and observe/recognise changes in clients
  • Ability to apply conflict resolution strategies and work thru a diversity of issues with clients and staff.
  • Conflict resolution and crisis intervention skills and ability to work under pressure
  • Advocacy skills
  • Understanding of diversity, and anti-oppressive practices
  • Understanding of the psycho-social issues affecting people who use substances
  • Ability to recognise program needs and implement programming with input from relevant stakeholders

POSITION DETAILS:

  • Pay: $28.56/hour to start with stepped increases based on your seniority with AVI. (Pay for this role is based on the BCGEU paygrid 38)
  • Hours and Schedule: 19.5 hours: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 1 pm to 7 pm
  • Position Term: Position runs to March 31, 2023 or return of incumbent.
  • Position Type: Part Time, covering a leave.
  • Location: 713 Johnson Street, Victoria and in community and when determined, publicly accessible locations in Victoria, BC.
  • Union: AVI is a union environment under the Collective Agreement: HEABC & Health Services & Support Community Subsector Association 2019-2022 and this role is a BCGEU union position.
  • Benefits: This position will be eligible for extended health, life and AD&D coverage after 488 hours with AVI.  AVI pays for the entire cost of the plan on behalf of its staff.
  • Pension: If you are already a member of the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP), you can continue with them at AVI immediately. At this time, AVI contributes an additional 9.31% towards your pension account.
  • Other Perks: This position gets 6% vacation (equivalent to 3 weeks), receives Stat In Lieu payments of 4.6% on each paycheque and has a Sick Bank of 6.9%.  Sick and Vacation are both accessible after your first 488 hours at AVI.

TO APPLY:

Please send your resume and cover letter to jobs@avi.org by 5pm on October 16, 2022

AVI is committed to equity and diversity and we strongly encourage applications from, but not limited to, folks who identify as Indigenous Persons, persons of colour, racialized, persons living with a disability, persons who use/d drugs, persons with experience of sex work, persons who live with HIV and/or hepatitis C, and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities.

It is beneficial to identify in the cover letter if you are Indigenous and/or have lived/living expertise relevant to the position.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

As AVI is a union environment, internal staff will be prioritized in the hiring process.

We would like to thank all those that apply but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.