Harm Reduction Room Worker

Harm Reduction Room Worker

Full-time position of up to 6 months in duration. 1.0 FTE (35 hours)

Bargaining Unit - UFCW Local 175

Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre (Parkdale Queen West CHC) is a dynamic, community-based health care organization serving mid-west downtown Toronto. Offering a broad range of services, including primary health care, dental care, harm reduction, health promotion, counselling, and community development programming, we are also committed to serving people who face barriers to health care, and we strive to reduce these barriers. PQWCHC is a multi-sited organization.

We are seeking a Harm Reduction Worker who shares our passion for making a difference; you see this role as an opportunity to take the next step in your successful career while contributing to a vision of Inclusive Communities. Responsive Healthcare. Healthier Lives.

Reporting to the Manager, Harm Reduction Programs and Outreach, you will:

• Provide support to people who use drugs through harm reduction supply distribution, crisis intervention, referrals, just listening counselling, information sharing and system navigation.
• Working closely with the Harm Reduction Coordinators to help engage community members accessing PQWCHC’s harm reduction room services
• Utilizing harm reduction principles and practices when interacting with clients
• Providing information on safer drug use, including as appropriate, the proper use of harm reduction and risk reduction supplies, overdose prevention (including naloxone), and other harm reduction practices to clients accessing the service
• Distributing harm reduction supplies (such as safer injection and inhalation supplies, naloxone kits, and condoms and lubes) to clients and encouraging about safer disposal of drug use equipment
• Tracking and recording of supplies distributed and collected
• Assisting with stocking, organizing harm reduction inventory, risk reduction and other relevant program supplies
• Providing clients with support, information and referrals to harm reduction, overdose prevention, health, community, and drug treatment services (as appropriate) within and outside PQWCHC
• Maintaining a safe and respectful environment in collaboration with other staff
• Maintaining confidentiality and other protocols according to the PQWCHC policies
• Performing other appropriate duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• Lived experience (current or past) with drug use, homelessness or street-involvement is a considerable asset
• Knowledge of drugs and substances being used and methods of use
• Work experience with a harm reduction and/or relevant community-based front-line program; values aligned with a harm reduction approach to service delivery
• Experience with overdose prevention and response and training in/experience with Naloxone administration.
• Experience working with marginalized communities such as people experiencing homelessness and under-housed, psychiatric consumer/survivors, people who do sex work and people who use drugs.
• Strong understanding of and commitment to harm reduction, trauma-informed, and anti-oppression practices.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and confidence in asserting and maintaining strong boundaries
• Experience or demonstrated comfort in crisis response, de-escalation, conflict resolution and emergency response and ability to function calmly and effectively in difficult or crisis situations
• Knowledge of community services & resources and good advocacy skills
• Ability to listen actively and accurately, open to feedback and demonstrated display of sensitivity to others
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency in the use of computers and various software applications
• Languages other than English are an asset

Compensation: $37,683 to $46,128 per annum, plus HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan) option

If you are interested in joining in a creative and dedicated team to, we want to hear from you! Applicants, please send your resume and cover letter in a single document (MS Word or PDF format only). Please apply using the form at the bottom of the PQWCHC employment page: https://pqwchc.org/contact/employment/

Job ID: 2025-073

Please also note that the successful candidate will be required to provide a police vulnerable sector check as a condition of employment, however strong consideration is made to the type of offense. Employment is conditional upon having had a COVID-19 vaccination(s) (as per Health Ontario) 14 days before starting employment.

PQWCHC is committed to the principles of access and equity. PQWCHC is committed to reflecting the diversity of the communities it serves and we encourage applicants who reflect Toronto’s Indigenous, LGBTQ2, racial, and cultural diversity. We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified candidates, including people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request. Parkdale Queen West CHC is in full compliance of the Ontario Human Rights Code and does not discriminate on the ground of records of offenses.