About the Role
The Housing Support Worker role provides direct support to youth living in the Transitional Home, primarily during weekend shifts. This role focuses on maintaining a safe and affirming environment, facilitating life-skills programming, and responding to crises using de-escalation and harm-reduction approaches. Additionally, help youth access resources, navigate systems, and build resilience through individualized coaching and emotional support.
Responsibilities
- Welcome and orient youth, providing compassionate, non-judgmental support.
- Collaborate with youth to address goals, safety, and care plans.
- Build connections with community partners to amplify support.
- Support daily operations, including reception tasks, snack prep, and maintaining a clean, safe space.
- Provide trauma-informed, harm-reduction-based care and crisis support.
- Collaborate with volunteers and teammates to foster a positive, inclusive environment.
Requirements
- Post-secondary education in social work, social sciences, related field (or equivalent experience).
- Experience working with youth and/or in mental health, addictions, or residential settings.
- Knowledge of Housing First for Youth and harm-reduction models.
- Current CPR/First-Aid training is required.
- Familiarity with Toronto Shelter Standards and SMIS; TREAT is an asset.
- Training in CPI, ASIST, and/or UMAB is an asset.
- Must be legally authorized to work in Canada.
- Must provide a satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Police Check.
- Must reside in Ontario.
- Must have flexibility to work various shifts including evenings, overnights, weekends, and holidays.
- Travel to various community-based settings as needed.
- If you have accessed Friends of Ruby services in the past year, please refrain from applying to ensure objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest.
Skills
- People-Focused: Aligns functional practices to staff and participant outcomes.
- Collaboration: Builds functional and cross-departmental trust and resolves friction constructively.
- Integrity: Holds high work and management standards, leading activities, team, budget, and compliance with accountability and transparency.
- Growth & Learning: Incorporates evidence, evaluation, and improvement cycles into activities; owns and addresses mistakes; demonstrates openness to continuous learning.
- Respectful & Affirming: Embeds IDEA, trauma-informed, harm-reduction standards, and staff care into operations; addresses systemic inequities across teams and develops diverse talent.
Location
- Onsite (Downtown Toronto)
Work Type
- Part-Time
- Permanent
- Onsite
Education Level
- Post-secondary education in social work, social sciences, related field (or equivalent experience)
Salary/Compensations
- $27.88 per hour
About the Company
- Friends of Ruby supports 2SLGBTQIA+ youth aged 16–29 through mental health services, social programs, and housing. We operate a Youth Centre and a Transitional Home, offering identity-based barrier-free counselling, case management, housing supports, drop-in and community programming in affirming and integrated way. Our work is rooted in intersectional, anti-oppressive, and decolonized approaches, and we are committed to treating everyone with dignity, respect, and inclusion.
- Be part of a mission-driven organization where your work has a lasting impact on the lives of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth.
- Join a welcoming, inclusive environment where your ideas are valued, and your contributions are recognized and celebrated. We offer a space where everyone can be their authentic selves at work.
- We invest in your professional development with meaningful opportunities for growth, learning, and advancement.
- Engage in work that is challenging, meaningful, and aligned with your values.
Equal Opportunity
- Friends of Ruby is committed to an inclusive hiring process. Accommodations are available upon request—please contact our Culture & Equity team.
- Preference will be given to members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as part of our commitment to equity and representation.
