CAREER CHANCE The Ending Veteran Homelessness Initiative is focused on reducing veteran homelessness across Waterloo Region. Street outreach workers use a Housing First approach LINKED HERE to support individuals experiencing homelessness in the Region, working collaboratively with the EVHI and existing street outreach teams. This work focuses on low threshold, direct and networked outreach to identify veterans who are street-involved, at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, and those who are living in encampments.

Workers use low threshold approaches making minimal demands on program participants, with the goal of facilitating safety, well-being, engagement and ongoing connections to highly accessible community, social, health and housing services, including rental supplements and all program components of EVHI, shelter-adjacent and shelter services across Waterloo Region, the Cambridge MACS Drop-In and Sanguen mobile van and bus outreach. Workers support participant’s self-efficacy and empowerment through peer-to-peer relationship building.

Objectives include: a) connecting participants to the housing stability system / maintaining (PATHS, HIFIS, CHAC, SPDAT) records, b) confirmation of veteran status through Veteran’s Affairs Canada, c) referrals to relevant harm reduction supplies and supports, d) fostering service pathways for participants seeking outside supports and services, and e) assisting with connections to THRIVE’s support and prevention programs, local community health centres, Sanguen clinical services, and the complement of relevant programs offered by Cambridge MACS partner organizations, as needed.

Thrive HIV Prevention + Support is an AIDS Service Organization with a 35 + year history of responding to the changing needs of diverse, under-resourced, disadvantaged communities within Waterloo Region. These communities include individuals infected, affected and at risk for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, and those impacted by substance use and the drug toxicity / opioid overdose epidemic. THRIVE provides prevention, education, advocacy and support programs and services.

The successful candidate will have both lived expertise and experience working in a way that challenges racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and colonialism in a social services environment. Other preferred skills include the ability to collaborate effectively with people across a wide range of diverse experiences and challenges and knowledge of the principles of adult education, program development and coordination, adaptability, attention to detail, and self-motivation.

Learn More





THRIVE https://www.thrivehiv.ca/

Canadian Observatory on Homelessness https://homelesshub.ca/

Harm Reduction https://ohrn.org/about-us/

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Outreach, Program Delivery / Community Development

● Execution of an annual workplan with a timeline and goals derived from agency and funder strategic and operational objectives.

● Encampment outreach, connecting with and distributing resources to individuals experiencing precarity and homelessness in Waterloo Region

● Partnering with the Cambridge Shelter Corp., Porchlight Counseling, Regional Housing, MACS Drop-In, Sanguen, and Street Outreach partners, to provide outreach to homeless encampments in Waterloo Region.

● Respond to requests for housing supports, information, referral, harm reduction, risk reduction, clinic and program-specific assistance

● Facilitating participant housing readiness, providing reliable team-based coverage across the Region

● Where relevant, collaborate with agency Prevention and Support Teams on health promotion / the three levels of prevention. https://bit.ly/2ROcDPa

● As needed, facilitate access to HIV/STI and hepatitis C testing and promote routine testing

● Create a safe, affirming, and supportive setting for general safety, sexual health risk reduction / harm reduction conversations

● Work collaboratively with community partners /outreach peers to identify and support vulnerable veterans

● Provide information and referrals to participants with regards to community resources and available services

Program Administration / Evaluation

● Attend all staff and department meetings

● Maintaining monthly program activity statistics and accurate updated participant files, gathering and documenting accurate data to complete HIFIS database maintenance reporting

● Monitoring and evaluating program activities to ensure optimal quality of service delivery to local communities

● Assisting with annual reporting.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/CONDITIONS

● This position requires the ability to perform the following tasks:

Walking – moving about on foot while carrying an object

Lifting – raising or lowering an object weighing between 5 and 13 kg

Carrying – transporting an object in the hands,



arms or on the shoulder

Stooping – bending downward and forward to reach an object

Pushing – placing objects on shelving

QUALIFICATIONS

● Diploma or equivalent experience in social work, social/human services, community development, or adult education preferred

● Harm reduction, peer engagement, or motivational interviewing experience

● Demonstrated anti-racist, anti-oppressive work with diverse disadvantaged communities (i.e. sexual orientation, gender identity, marginalized Indigenous, Black, racialized communities, people who use substances)

● Minimum one year experience working (paid or volunteer) with marginalized communities

● Crisis intervention / de-escalation skills

● Strong organizational/administrative, teamwork skills and an ability to function well under pressure

● Demonstrated anti-oppressive work with diverse disadvantaged communities (i.e. sexual orientation, gender identity, marginalized Indigenous, Black, racialized communities, individuals challenged by addiction)

● Ability to speak openly and frankly about topics including substance use recovery, and sexuality in a sex-positive and non-judgmental manner

● Proficiency in Microsoft Office, and presentation software

● Flexibility to work occasional evenings

● Experience working with military personnel, veterans an asset

● Must have a valid G Class driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle

COMPENSATION

● Salary $42,455 annually with mileage compensation.

● 4 day work weeks.

● Paid time off includes three (3) weeks of vacation, personal days, mental health, and sick time.

● Full-time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D;), Long Term Disability (LTD).

THRIVE is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates including individuals from *key populations who may identify as peers or people with lived expertise, people with past experience of homelessness, individuals in recovery from substance use, people living with HIV and / or Hepatitis C, 2S and LGBTQ-identified persons, persons with disabilities, Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals, and members of Black and other racialized communities.

Additional languages are considered an asset.

Pay: $42,455.00 per year

Advantages

- Casual dress
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule
- Life insurance
- Mileage reimbursement
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Vision care

Work Location: In person

📌 Veteran Street Outreach Worker (Cambridge)
🏢 Thrive HIV Prevention and Support
📍 Cambridge