Position Summary:
Grid Level: 21, $22.38/hour
Work Locations: AVI Health Centre, 102-55 Victoria Road, Nanaimo
Hours of Work: 4 hours per week, during clinic hours, specific hours not yet determined.
Start Date: ASAP
End Date: March 31, 2021
To Apply: Please submit your expression of interest to jobs@avi.org or in person at AVI Health Centre Nanaimo.
Job Summary:
The Outreach Worker will work in partnership with our interdisciplinary team to provide person-centered support, including harm reduction education and psychosocial support for people who are contemplating or accessing substance use treatment. The Outreach Worker builds and maintains therapeutic relationships with people who use drugs and who are experiencing other health and social issues related to systemic poverty, lack of appropriate housing, sex work, colonialism, classism, racism, heterosexism, gender-based discrimination, and/or living with HIV and/or HCV. This position reports to the Manager of AVI Nanaimo Health Centre.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Supports people contemplating or accessing OAT and substance use services in outreach and telehealth formats.
- Identifies goals with clients and assists clients with appropriate advocacy and support to reach their goals.
- Provides advocacy and systems navigation support for clients to access services related healthcare care needs, medication adherence, housing, financial support, nutrition, and other relevant services.
- Provides clients with harm reduction support through individual risk reduction education, distribution of harm reduction supplies, and Naloxone trainings and distribution.
- Offers peer support through active listening skills and non-judgmental attitude.
- Shares up-to-date information about local drug use trends and practices with coworkers and peers, as they emerge.
- Works collaboratively with clients and care team to maintain individualized care plans, providing ongoing assistance and support with clients in accordance with care plan.
- Work with clients to enhance understanding of their health status and to build capacity to manage their own health, including self-advocacy and navigating barriers to care.
- Attends regularly scheduled team meetings and individual supervision meetings.
- Performs other duties, as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Have lived experience with using substances, involvement with mental health care, systemic poverty, sex work, lack of appropriate housing, ongoing colonialism, racism, heterosexism, gender-based discrimination, HIV, and/or HCV.
- Have personal experience accessing OAT or substance use services, harm reduction services for safer drug use support, and/or accessed other services designed to meet the needs of people who use substances.
- Have a current knowledge of the local street scene, cultural norms related to street life, and can relate, as a peer, with people who access AVI Health Centre Nanaimo.
- Experience with overdose response, including administration of naloxone, is an asset.
- Demonstrated commitment to working in a team environment.
- Interest in learning and eager to support and educate peers with a non-judgmental attitude.
- Working understanding of the importance of confidentiality and boundaries.
- Working knowledge in the areas of OAT and substance use services, harm reduction, safer drug use, safer sex, sex work, HIV, HCV, and mental health.
- Working knowledge of local health and social services.
- Demonstrated understanding and commitment to harm reduction principles and practices.
Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to communicate effectively.
- Ability to initiate, establish and maintain good rapport with a diversity of people.
- Ability to work independently and in collaboration with clients, care team, and community partners.
- Ability to engage in proactive problem solving and de-escalation technics.
- Ability to observe and recognize changes in clients.
- Strong advocacy skills.
- Ability to show up for shifts agreed upon with supervisor.
- Ability to resolve tense situations.
We encourage applications from, but not limited to, Indigenous persons, persons of colour, persons living with disabilities, persons who use/d illicit drugs, persons with experience of sex work, and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities.