INTRODUCTION

The Refuge is a Christian not-for-profit community called to show Jesus Christ’s love and kindness to the youth of our community through practical and compassionate means of intervention and prevention. While we offer programs that meet basic needs (food and clothing), our real purpose is to create a community where youth experiencing homelessness can come to be loved, nurtured, encouraged, be safe and find a place to belong... a community in which youth can encounter Christ and find healing.

The Refuge is currently seeking to fill the full-time position of Director of Housing Services.

The Director of Housing Services reports directly to the Executive Director. Obtaining stable, affordable, and secure housing that affirms the God given dignity of each and every youth who comes to The Refuge for support is an essential part of the mission of The Refuge. The Director of Housing Services will manage and oversee both the Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) program of The Refuge, as well as the Affordable Housing Program (AHP) offered by The Refuge. Both programs are rooted in the HF4Y framework - an evidence based housing philosophy documented in the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s “At Home/Chez Soi” project. It uses the key components of immediate access to permanent housing with no preconditions, youth choice, voice, and self-determination, positive youth development and wellness orientation, individualized and client driven supports with no time limits, and social and community integration.

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:

The Director of Housing Services provides strategic leadership, operational oversight,



and financial management for The Refuge’s Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) program and our Affordable Housing Program. This role ensures the delivery of evidence-based, trauma-informed support services to help unhoused youth transition to long-term independence. Qualifications and skills should include:

- Alignment with The Refuge’s mission, vision, and values.
- A current police background check with vulnerable sector search.
- Appropriate educational experiences either by formal training or by informal life experiences. Ideally the position requires a person with a degree in Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, or has prior working and/or life experience.
- Multiple years of experience working within the Housing First/Housing First for Youth framework.
- Great leadership and mentorship skills.
- Comfortability using the TAY-VI-SPDAT, VI-SPDAT, F-SPDAT, and SPDAT tools.
- Is passionate about encouraging the use of family and natural supports using the Family and natural Support framework (FNS).
- Comfortable using and modeling motivational interviewing, trauma informed care, harm reduction, crisis intervention, and de-escalation techniques.




- Brings a high level of creativity to find creative solutions while working in the ‘grey’.
- Keeps accurate and up to date data using case management software (HIFIS).
- Robust budget management skills.
- Demonstrates a mature level of professionalism in all areas of their work.
- A practitioner of good self and soul care.

DUTIES:

- Develop, implement, and evaluate housing programs, policies, procedures, and safety protocols utilizing the HF4Y and FNS frameworks, as well as The Refuge’s guiding principles.
- Provide leadership and oversight to the HF4Y and AHP teams that provide the daily operations of our HF4Y and AHP programs.
- Facilitate individual supervision, facilitate weekly case management meetings, and complete regular performance evaluation of HF4Y and AHP teams grounded in the HF4Y and FNS frameworks, harm reduction, and trauma-informed care.
- Foster a supportive workplace culture focused on professional development and burnout prevention.
- Oversee and track the housing services annual financial budgets.
- Oversee data collection, data integrity, and compliance reporting using databases like HIFIS or similar data recording software as required by funding agreements.
- Work with multi-disciplinary, multi-agency teams to build partnerships and educate key stakeholders (landlords, healthcare, mental health, legal, and community agencies).
- Provide reports to funding agencies/Executive Director as required.
- Other responsibilities may be assigned as it relates to the organizational objectives of The Refuge.

Pay: $60,000.00-$70,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person

📌 Director of Housing Services (Oshawa)
🏢 The Refuge Youth Outreach Centre
📍 Oshawa