Drop-in Engagement Worker

Job Posting (internal-external)

Drop-In Engagement Worker

• Contract Term: 1 Year Contract
• Pay Rate: $27.20/hr

Bargaining Unit position

ABOUT THE STOP:

The Stop Community Food Centre’s mission is to increase access to healthy food in a manner that maintains dignity, builds community, and challenges inequality. From its origins 40+ years ago as one of Canada's first food banks, The Stop has since grown into a vibrant community centre that uses food as a gateway to addressing many issues, including poverty, the environment, social isolation, and health in one of Toronto’s lowest-income neighbourhoods. The Stop is accredited by Imagine Canada for excellence in non-profit accountability, transparency, and governance.

• THE OPPORTUNITY:
• The Drop-in Engagement worker is part of a cooperative team of people that works to create a safe, welcoming and dynamic space in which community members can have a healthy meal, access essential services and supports and participates in social and food-based programs and activities. Working in the Drop-In may require some physical effort (walking around Drop-In space, lifting, cleaning, and serving meals); the Drop-in engagement worker will be an active presence in the Drop-In space. There may be the risk of exposure to potentially unpredictable behaviours and situations.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

Ensure that the Drop-in space is safe, welcoming and inclusive to community members.

Apply and enforce food handling, sanitation and health and safety guidelines as required by Toronto Public Health

Assist with conflict prevention / resolution and provide crisis intervention support as necessary.

Ensure consistent and clear communication to support facilitation and enhance communication throughout the program.

Assist with cooking/preparing breakfast

Collaborate with Drop-in Support Worker to organize Drop-in activities and to provide additional support to program participants as necessary.

Provide direction to volunteers and relief staff to provide respectful and dignified services and to ensure daily tasks are accomplished.

Maintain daily program logs and assist with on-going program monitoring.

Work with co-workers to coordinate preparation of food and set-up of program space for services as necessary.

Ensure community resources and information is in place to refer participants to other community supports as needed.

Assist in the collection and recording of appropriate statistical information.

Participate in organizational events as needed.

Other related duties as assigned.

General:

Ensure that Drop-in programming reflects The Stop’s policies and procedures (e.g. Anti-Discrimination/Anti-Harassment )

Attend monthly all-staff meetings, weekly team debriefs and other meetings related to job description, as required

Participate in agency-wide events, as needed

Work within the team of Stop staff, board, and volunteers

Maintain administrative records, as required

Participate in training opportunities, as requested

Maintain knowledge of existing agency and program policies and procedures and implement them consistently

Qualifications:

Educational background in social work/social services/human services work or equivalent education and lived experience.

Minimum 2yrs working in community services.

Experience in a commercial kitchen

Crisis intervention, de-escalation skills essential.

Highly developed interpersonal / communications skills and ability to build effective relationships with participants, team members and community partners.

Understanding of and experience working in programs serving participants with complex intersecting needs including homelessness, mental health issues, addictions and histories of trauma - strong understanding of client-centered, trauma-informed and anti-racism, anti-oppression practices.

Ability to work constructively as a member of a team in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Experience working with marginalized people and people of diverse cultures and abilities.

Additional languages besides English an asset.