Safe House Community Wellness is seeking compassionate, dependable, and community-minded individuals to join our Neighbourhood Response Team (NRT) as Neighbourhood Response Team Specialists.

The NRT is a specialized community safety and wellness service focused on early intervention, crisis prevention, trauma-informed engagement, harm reduction, de-escalation, and connection to appropriate community resources.

Unlike a traditional security role, the NRT emphasizes relationship-building, respectful communication, voluntary compliance, and proactive engagement. Specialists maintain a visible and approachable presence within assigned communities, shelters, respite sites, supportive housing environments, commercial areas, and other locations while helping address concerns before they escalate.

This position is well suited to individuals with experience in community services, shelters, outreach, social services, mental health, harm reduction, crisis response, or security who are comfortable working directly with individuals experiencing homelessness and other complex barriers.

What You Will Do

As a Neighbourhood Response Team Specialist, you will:

- Conduct regular foot patrols and community outreach within assigned sites, neighbourhoods, and surrounding areas.
- Maintain a highly visible, professional, welcoming, and approachable presence focused on community safety, wellness, and relationship-building.
- Engage respectfully with individuals experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges, substance use, crisis, or other vulnerabilities.
- Build trust and maintain positive relationships with community members, residents, tenants, businesses, shelter clients, service providers, and other stakeholders.
- Identify emerging safety, behavioural, or wellness concerns and intervene early whenever appropriate to reduce the likelihood of escalation.
- Use trauma-informed, harm reduction, and crisis de-escalation approaches when supporting individuals experiencing distress, conflict, or behavioural escalation.
- Encourage voluntary cooperation and respectful use of shared community spaces through communication, engagement, and problem-solving.
- Monitor entrances, walkways, sidewalks, doorways, courtyards, and other assigned areas to help maintain safe and unobstructed access and egress.
- Address concerns such as loitering, trespassing, disruptive behaviour, public substance use, encampment activity, or other community impacts using respectful and proportionate approaches.
- Observe and report suspicious activity, hazards, safety concerns, and serious incidents to the appropriate site staff, security personnel, emergency services, authorities, or City divisions as required.
- Connect individuals with appropriate resources, including shelters, outreach teams, housing supports, harm reduction programs, health services, mental health services, 211/311, Central Intake, EMS, and other community supports.
- Collaborate with outreach workers, shelter teams, case managers, housing providers, security personnel, emergency responders, community organizations, and other partners.




- Serve as a bridge between individuals experiencing homelessness and the agencies or services available to support them.
- Provide residents, businesses, and community members with information regarding appropriate referral pathways and community resources.
- Recognize potential medical emergencies, overdoses, mental health crises, or other urgent wellness concerns and activate the appropriate emergency response.
- Report discarded needles, drug paraphernalia, biohazards, and other potentially hazardous materials and assist with safe disposal where trained and authorized to do so.
- Support harm reduction initiatives, including promoting awareness of safe disposal practices and appropriate disposal-bin locations.
- Respond appropriately during emergencies such as medical incidents, fire alarms, floods, lockdowns, significant disturbances, and other critical events in accordance with site procedures.
- Accurately document incidents, client engagements, interventions, de-escalations, referrals, EMS responses, community concerns, and notable events using established reporting procedures.
- Prepare clear, objective, professional, respectful, and strengths-based reports that protect the privacy and dignity of the individuals involved.
- Identify recurring incident patterns, environmental concerns, or community trends and communicate relevant observations to NRT leadership.
- Provide exceptional service to individuals experiencing multiple barriers while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
- Participate in shift briefings, debriefings, supervision, training, and team meetings.
- Maintain professional standards regarding uniform presentation, issued equipment, PPE, attendance, punctuality, communication, and conduct.
- Support community safety, homelessness response, mental health awareness, harm reduction, and other community wellness initiatives.
- Perform other related community safety and wellness duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements

Candidates must have

- Minimum Grade 12 / Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent.
- A valid Ontario Security Guard Licence is required.
- Completion of a Social Services, Community Services, Social Service Worker, Community Justice, Mental Health and Addictions, or related diploma/degree from an accredited Canadian college or university; OR a minimum of one year of relevant experience working in shelters, outreach, homelessness services, community services, supportive housing, crisis response, or a related environment.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong active-listening, interpersonal, and conflict-resolution skills.
- Ability to communicate calmly, respectfully, and professionally with individuals experiencing distress or complex barriers.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and remain composed during challenging or rapidly changing situations.




- Ability to work independently while also functioning effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Ability to write clear, accurate, objective, and professional incident and engagement reports.
- Demonstrated commitment to dignity, respect, inclusion, professionalism, accountability, and client-centred service.

Assets The following are considered strong assets:
- Experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness.
- Shelter, respite, supportive housing, outreach, or community-services experience.
- Experience supporting individuals experiencing mental health or substance-use challenges.
- Training or experience in crisis prevention and de-escalation.
- Trauma-informed care training.
- Harm reduction training or experience.
- Naloxone administration or overdose-response training.
- Standard First Aid and CPR certification.

Schedule & Availability Neighbourhood Response Team operations may take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week, depending on the assignment.

Candidates must be able to work a adaptable schedule that may include:

- Days
- Evenings
- Overnight shifts
- Weekdays
- Weekends
- Statutory holidays

Reliable attendance and punctuality are essential requirements of the position.

Work Environment

This is an active frontline position that is primarily conducted outdoors and within community-based environments.

Neighbourhood Response Team Specialists must be prepared to:

- Work outdoors throughout all seasons and in varying weather conditions, including heat, cold, rain, and snow.
- Walk for extended periods throughout assigned neighbourhoods and site perimeters.
- Stand for extended periods during shifts.
- Maintain consistent visibility and presence within assigned areas.
- Work in environments where homelessness, substance use, mental health crises, behavioural escalation, and other complex community challenges may be present.
- Respond professionally to potentially stressful, unpredictable, or hazardous situations.
- Follow all established health and safety procedures and use required personal protective equipment.

Required safety equipment and applicable PPE will be provided.

Our Approach

At Safe House Community Wellness, community safety begins with presence, relationships, communication, and early intervention.

Our Neighbourhood Response Team Specialists are expected to balance compassion with accountability—supporting vulnerable individuals while also helping maintain safe, accessible, and welcoming environments for residents, businesses, clients, staff, and the broader community.

We are looking for people who can remain calm under pressure, communicate respectfully, recognize when someone needs support, and understand when a situation requires the involvement of outreach services, security personnel, emergency responders, or other community partners.

Professionalism. Compassion. Accountability. Community.

This paid role offers a chance to develop your leadership in a vibrant community-focused environment. If you’re passionate about making neighborhoods safer, more inclusive, and better connected—this is the perfect opportunity for you!

Pay: $18.00-$22.00 per hour

Work Location: In person

📌 Neighbourhood Response Team Specialist (Peel Region) (Toronto)
🏢 Safe House Community Wellness
📍 Toronto