At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!

Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It is!

We are hiring for an individual who is committed to strength-based, person focused care to join our team as a Connection Coordinator. The successful candidate will work in the HART (The Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment) Hub program.

The HART Hub is an creative, newly funded program dedicated to supporting individuals facing homelessness as well as mental health and addiction concerns. HART Hub offers comprehensive services that include mental health and addiction treatment, housingsupport, and collaborative care.

Connection Coordinators within this program can expect to meet with participants in the community and travel to different HART Hub locations within Waterloo Region. The Connection Coordinator on this team will work primarily in Cambridge in collaboration with the LANGS HART Hub and Interprofessional Primary Care Team (IPC) to connect participants with the necessary resources and supports needed to achieve and maintain their wellness and substance use goals.

This is a permanent, salaried, full-time (37.5 hours per week) position with paid sick time, personal days, vacation time; group health benefits and defined contribution pension plan.

Key Responsibilities:

Connect with participants referred to services and engage in meaningful supportive relationships to promote their wellness goals by providing harm reduction education, safe withdrawal education and referrals, medication support, and connection to primary care

Develop individual support plans, including completion of any relevant assessment tools

Work collaboratively with participants to identify and achieve goals as it relates to their individual support needs including: connection to harm reduction supports, taper and withdrawal supports, medical/medication support, mental health supports, primary care supports, housing supports, food supports

Engage participants in meaningful support relationships to achieve the goal of meeting eligibility criteria, accessing treatment and maintaining recovery goals post treatment. Including securing of stable housing, wellbeing stability, aftercare support

Establish strong rapport and maintain appropriate professional relationships

Develop and contribute to Addiction Services Intake Assessments and create and deliver a pre-treatment care plan for participants spanning the continuum of pre-treatment to post treatment

Participate in intake conversations and orientation to the program, including communication around expectations and intended program outcomes

Support participant’s in preparation for the end of treatment by planning for: housing, medical care, accessing prescriptions, employment, access to food, working with family services and community resources.

Provide psychoeducation and use Motivational Interviewing Skills to help participants resolve ambivalence and work toward change goals.

Assist with intake, admission, re-admission, discharge and completion of programs as needed

Assess complex situations and make appropriate decisions independently and as part of a team including crisis intervention, risk assessment and safety planning.

Build effective working relationships with community partners and agencies across the province to increase opportunities for collaboration and positively impact outcomes





Work as part of an interdisciplinary team to provide direct and indirect support to participants

Participate in case conferences to support participant’s goals both internally and externally eg. probation & parole, family & children’s services, family & significant Others, medical, mental health

Complete documentation and data entry in accordance with agency and legislative requirements

Maintain confidentiality in compliance with Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)

Work independently and as part of a team including attending team meetings, Addiction Services Town Halls, trainings and regular supervision meetings

Participate in other program activities as required

Commitment to ongoing professional development and training

Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:

Sensitivity to and knowledge of issues relating to and impacting on all genders and marginalized populations

Strong understanding of interpersonal skills and the ability to engage in meaningful conversations to develop rapport with individuals who use drugs using a strength-based approach;

Knowledge of and training in substance use including associated health risks;

Demonstrated capacity for accurate and efficient documentation and computer data entry

Demonstrated ability to calmly problem-solve in a fast-paced, sometimes stressful environment;

Good communication skills and strong listening skills;

Ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team

Ability to accept and apply feedback and take initiative

Group facilitation and management skills

Knowledge of community resources and provincial addiction treatment services

Commitment to ongoing professional development and training

Education/Experience:

Minimum College Diploma or University Degree in Related Field of Study required (i.e. social services, social work, addictions, mental health, community development etc.)

Minimum 2 years of experience in case planning/management including knowledge of community referral resources

Knowledge and understanding of the complexities of substances, problematic substance use, harm reduction and recovery oriented interventions required

Demonstrated understanding of working with individuals experiencing concurrent disorders

Previous experience in a social service setting

Critical Skills:

Commitment to understand and uphold the mission and values of House of Friendship is expected

Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem solving skills required

Ability to work professionally as a team member with staff, participants and communitymembers

Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural backgrounds, income levels, and sensitivity to their needs

Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach to consultation, program design, evaluations of processes and service delivery

Must be dependable, professional, flexible, a team player, and have a positive attitude

Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental illness and other life challenges

Excellent project, timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics, planning and detailed record keeping

Compensation:
At House of Friendship,



we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have a positive work experience.

House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.

We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:

Time off includes three (3) weeks of vacation, 5* paid personal days (*3 for the remainder of 2026) and accrual of sick hour credits (approximately 12 days per year)

Full-time benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D;), Long Term Disability (LTD), Flexible Spending Account and Employee & Family Assistance Program (all benefit premiums paid by House of Friendship, except for LTD)

We believe strongly in supporting the mental health of our team members, including providing access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, $2,000 for counselling services and our workplace Wellness and Psychological Health and Safety programs

We help you save for the future by providing a retirement plan that includes a matched Group Pension Plan as well as a Group RRSP and a Group Tax Free Savings Account

Rate of Pay:
At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.

Grade: 5

Min: $27.86

Mid: $31.97

Max: $36.08

Working Conditions:

37.5 hours per week; generally daytime hours with the possibility of one evening shift per week

Occasional evening and weekend work to support House of Friendship or Community events

Required to work intensively with program participants in emotionally charged situations

Encountering participants at program sites or in community who may be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected

Required to assess situations and make decisions under pressure with minimal supervision or working alone

Travel within Waterloo Region required

This role is being posted to fill a current vacancy.

House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.

House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.

If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

By end of day August 25, 2026 .

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not being used in the screening of applications.

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📌 Connection Coordinator (Ontario)
🏢 House of Friendship of Kitchener
📍 Ontario