ABOUT AVI
AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) is a multi-disciplinary community based organisation providing HIV, hepatitis C and harm reduction services out of 4 locations across Vancouver Island. We work within a social justice and health promotion framework to ensure equity and access to services for all. AVI works with and employs peoples from or individuals from diverse populations including people who are criminalized for their drug use; who have racialized identities; Indigenous persons; people living with and/or at risk of HIV and hepatitis C; LGBTQI2S+ identities; sex workers and people with disabilities. AVI has over 125 part and full time employees who come to AVI with a broad range of education, backgrounds and experience.
Our services are located on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, the Esquimalt (Xwsepsum) and Songhees nations and the traditional lands of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw'naw'as, and Stz’uminus People.
JOB SUMMARY:
The Staff Support position will support AVI’s staff to navigate administrative systems such as PWD and peer exemption programs and providing referrals to appropriate health, housing and income support services. The Staff Support position will bring a collaborative and relational approach to supporting AVI staff. The Staff Support position will provide support to AVI’s staff members on an as-needed basis in person and remotely. They will set their own hours but be responsive to staff requests for support in a timely manner.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Communicates with staff who are seeking access to support and referrals.
- Supports staff in ways that are in line with principles of social justice, trauma-informed care and cultural humility.
- Provides advocacy to staff by working with them on issues such as housing, medical, legal and other support agencies.
- Provides support to staff including accompaniment (or support to find accompaniment) to appointments and advocacy in accordance with established care plans.
- Meet people where they are at both physically and figuratively
- Initiates and prompts while honoring resistance and stated needs
- Actively collaborates with community members, clients and organizations
- Pre-empts and address challenges and generates creative and unique solutions
- Liaises with appropriate managers or human resources for supports at staff request and consent.
- Provides information related to harm reduction, HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis C to other service providers, such as government and community-based agencies, and within medical and educational settings.
- Maintains both paper and electronic confidential staff files.
- Fosters safety by following protocols related to AVI’s violence prevention and critical incidents such as overdose and other medical emergencies.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
ABOUT YOU
You are someone who works from a relational perspective, is supportive and empathetic and able to uphold AVI’s values of harm reduction, social justice, trauma-informed care and cultural humility with staff. You are an experienced social worker, systems navigator or community support worker who has experience with taking a collaborative approach. You are a strong communicator, with an inquisitive and open mindset who is readily able to build and maintain trust with a diverse range of people.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Minimum four years of direct service delivery and advocacy experience with community-based and governmental support services and systems (financial aid, housing, healthcare, justice system, etc.) in the Province of British Columbia and on Vancouver Island in particular.
- Registered or Accredited with an applicable regulated governing body (i.e BCCSW, BCACC…)
- Valid Class 5 BC Driver’s License and use of own vehicle for work purposes
- Experience and passion for providing relational, practical and empathetic support and coaching to people with diverse personal and professional experience and ability to self-reflect
- Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to foster empathic communication and demonstrate clear boundaries
- Demonstrated ability to establish respectful rapport, provide support and advocate for a diverse range of individuals who are actively using substances and living with significant barriers to their health and well-being
- Commitment to harm reduction principles and practice, with experience working alongside coworkers, and with program participants, who experience intersecting systemic oppression.
- Demonstrated commitment to social justice principles and practices, including anti-racism, decolonization, combating stigma related to drug use, HIV, hepatitis C, and challenging gendered oppression, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia
- Demonstrated understanding of colonialism and the ways in which historical and ongoing colonization impacts Indigenous People inter-generationally
- Demonstrated skills, experience, and knowledge in the areas of harm reduction/health promotion practices, safer sex and safer drug use practices, addictions, safer sex, sex work, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, poverty, trauma and mental health.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills and demonstrated
- Demonstrated time management and personal organization skills
- Demonstrated ability to work independently
- 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.
- Have lived and/or living experience with criminalized substance use and navigating social service systems, is an asset
Position Details:
- Pay: $35.00/hour
- Hours and Schedule: 30 hours/week, Tuesday through Friday, 10:00am to 6:00pm
- This position will provide support largely to Victoria and up to 3 hours per week to the Nanaimo Team, as requested
- Work Location: This role will work with staff out AVI offices and remotely
- Position Length: Starting as soon as possible and running until March 31, 2024
- Union: This role is an Excluded Position.
- Stats & Stat In Lieu Payments: This position will receive a paid day off on any statutory holidays they are eligible for but will also receive a 5% Stat in Lieu payment as their 3 day/week schedule will not often qualify them under the BC Standards Act rules. This means the hourly rate for this position will actually be 5% higher.
- Benefits: This position will be eligible for extended health, life and AD&D on the 1st of the next month that starts after this position begins. AVI pays for the entire cost of the plan on behalf of its staff.
- Pension: This position is immediately eligible to join the Municipal Pension Plan. At this time, AVI contributes an additional 9.31% towards your pension account.
- Other Perks: This position gets 8% vacation (equivalent to 4 weeks, prorated for part time), receives Stat In Lieu payments of 5% on each paycheque and has a Sick Bank of 6.9%. Sick and Vacation Banks are both accessible after your first 3 months at AVI.
- Proof of Vaccination Required: AVI is under BC's Health Services Order and continues to require proof of vaccination.
- Hours of Work, Days Off and Work Area may be subject to change.
To Apply: please send your cover letter and resume to jobs@avi.org by August 13, 2023 by 5 pm.
AVI strongly encourages 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.
Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.
We would like to thank all those that apply but only those selected for an interview will be contacted