RainCity Housing operates on the stolen, unceded, ancestral, traditional homelands of the Xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ Nations in so-called Vancouver, the q̓íc̓əy̓, qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm, qiqéyt, SEMYOME, Stó꞉lō, and sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ Nations in so-called Lower Mainland, and the shíshálh in so-called Sunshine Coast.

About Us – A home for every person

RainCity Housing is an organization that makes a difference in people’s lives. Our mission is to advance social equity by building upon the strengths of our community and of each individual. With a goal of providing a home for everyone, RainCity’s programs sustain relationships, strengthen communities, and make change for people experiencing homelessness, mental health, trauma, and substance use issues.

RainCity Housing has been developing emerging and promising practices for over 40 years in social services and healthcare, providing Housing First, harm reduction and supports for community members who access our services. To learn more, check out our innovations page. You can visit our Indeed page and click on the “Follow” button to be notified of new job openings: ca.indeed.com/cmp/Raincity-Housing-and-Support-Society/about.

You can also follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Advantages:

- 5 days of paid leave for Indigenous Employees for Ceremonial, Cultural, and Spiritual events per year
- 8 weeks of paid leave for gender affirming care for medical procedures for transgender and gender diverse employees, cumulative total
- Employee and Family Assistance Program available to ALL employees, including 24-hour helpline, Personal counselling, Life Coaching, Financial Coaching, Legal Referral and Advisory Services, and Health Coaching: https://www.fseap.ca/
- Municipal Pension Plan with guaranteed lifetime monthly pension when you retire: https://mpp.pensionsbc.ca/
- Employer-paid benefits for employees:

- Unlimited Physiotherapy and $1,000/year coverage for Massage
- Vision Care, Dental Care, Prescription Drugs, Naturopath, Acupuncture, Chiropract, Group Life Benefit $50,000, Long Term Disability, and Unlimited Out-of-Province and Out-of-Country Emergencies

Position Summary The Indigenous Cultural Liaison Support Worker (ICL) provides the Indigenous lens and consults with Indigenous clients to provide/connect them with a range of Indigenous specific supports in the community, while advocating for access and rights as needed. These can include but are not limited to liaising with and/or supporting cultural activities/programming; Indigenous-led and informed case planning for Indigenous clients; connecting clients with outside organizational supports/connecting to agencies that assist; and accompanying clients in navigating the health and/or court systems. In addition to these Indigenous specific supports, the ICL provides daily supports to all program participants, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, including medication administration, building security, crisis intervention, building maintenance, and front-line overdose response. Using a culturally informed model that is rooted in harm reduction, the ICL walks alongside clients in their self-identified and self-determined goals for culture, connection/reconnection, and community integration; while navigating colonial systems of oppression, advocating for access, rights, and Cultural Safety as needed.

Job Competition # job2026.367

Closing Date: Midnight, October 15, 2026

Job: Indigenous Cultural Liaison Support Worker, Alderbridge, Temporary until March 6, 2027, or return of incumbent, Full-Time, 1.0 FTE

Hourly Range: $33.49 - $35.31 (BCGEU, Grid 34)

Hours: 75 bi-weekly

Schedule: Tuesday – Saturday: 7:00AM – 3:00PM. At present, includes a 30-minute unpaid meal break.

Work Site: Richmond, BC

Start Date: As soon as possible A clear British Columbia Vulnerable Sector Criminal Record Check for working with vulnerable adults and/or children is a condition of employment with RainCity Housing. Applicants must be willing and able to receive a clearance under the Criminal Record Review Act.

Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, Metis, Native American) ancestry/identity is a bona fide occupational requirement for this position.

Program Summary

Opened in April 2019, Richmond Modular housing provides 40 units of single room occupancy (SRO) housing to low-income individuals 19 years of age or older who live in the community, have a history of homelessness and who need additional support services to maintain housing. This supported housing program will be staffed by a combination of support workers, including an Indigenous Cultural Liaison Support Worker and a Peer Services Support Worker.

Each unit will contain a private bathroom with toilet, shower, and sink, as well as a kitchenette. The building will have 24/7 staffing, with a minimum of two staff working on site to maintain the building, deliver programs, support tenants and ensure a safe environment within the building. The program supports also include an onsite kitchen facility and a cook to prepare at least one hot meal per day. The building will also have custodial, home support and facilities management staff.

QUALIFICATIONS

Our mission is to advance social equity by building upon the strengths of our community and of each individual. We are looking for employees who will be dedicated to helping fulfill our mission. Many forms of education and experience are valued, including volunteering, and lived experience of mental health/substance use/homelessness; Minimum education and experience include:

- A Diploma in community social services or other relevant training.

- Two (2) years of related experience with emphasis on mental health, addictions, homelessness and/or social services.
- Or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Current Standard First Aid and CPR certification.
- Food-safe certification for sites that have food-handling requirements.

List Of Duties

Cultural Liaison Duties





- Researches and connects individual and group supports for indigenous tenants regarding indigenous ways of understanding holism and recovery, indigenous services and resources, and indigenous culture. Actively plans, arranges, and seeks out these relationships while on shift in coordination the program team and manager.
- Walks beside indigenous tenants as they connect with community and cultural events and build supports with the tenant such as Elders. Connects with supports available through the Cultural Safety Working Group and Indigenous Cultural Liaison Manager and ICL Community Building Groups at RainCity.
- Collaborates with additional ICL supports in the site around planning and running the programming.
- Assists with creating an effective and supportive connection between the Indigenous/non-Indigenous service providers and community supports and tenants. Advocates for tenants as needed.
- Assists to build connection to the greater community to promote healing and wellness beyond RCH building to foster connection circle of care and support.
- Orientates new tenants to the role of the ICL and familiarize them with cultural services.

Relationship And Support

- Responsible for building dignifying and strengths-based relationships with participants.
- Uses anti-racist and anti-discrimination approaches in work with participants.
- Receives participant feedback, inquiries, and complaints, and responds as required.

Service Planning

- Develops strengths-based, recovery-oriented, and culturally informed services plan in collaboration with participants and program team and regularly communicates and adjusts to ensure alignment with the participant and their support team.
- Participates in all service planning activities, including referral and intake, goal setting, linking with external resources, advocacy, and monitoring in the areas of daily living, financial, vocational/educational, social supports, health, harm reduction, culture, recovery, and leisure/recreational supports, and maintaining and finding housing.
- Communicates, coordinates, collaborates, and advocates with family, landlords and external service providers involved in the care and support of program participants, in accordance with established policy.

Health And Wellness

- Promotes harm reduction in all work with participants, including substance use, mental and physical health, and sex work; prevents and responds to drug overdoses as required.
- Collaborates with program participants in health and wellness planning, including safety plans and safety checks; identifies and links to external healthcare supports as needed.
- Distributes medication to participants in accordance with established policy.
- Supports the program’s food services.

Preventing And Managing Crises

- Observes participants, identifies, and assesses potential emergency situations, and develops short-term strategies to deal with such situations and intervening and de-escalating as required. Reports medical, behavioural, and other issues as required. Supports self, co-workers, and participants in the aftermath of a critical incident.
- Monitors and ensures the safety of program participants and premises, including managing security access and monitoring systems, providing guest management, and conducting apartment checks.

Team Commitment

- Actively participates in building a skilled, cohesive, and collaborative staff team, including demonstrating a commitment to program participants and their communities, as well as organizational and program policies; communicates directly and respectfully in disagreements; and assists in orienting, training, and mentoring staff.
- Actively supports the unique work of Peer Support Specialists and Peer work, and Indigenous Cultural Liaisons within the program context.

- Participates in opportunities to help improve program operations.
- Works collaboratively to ensure a smooth and thorough shift change, including communicating guest restrictions, participant safety concerns, program participants’ goals and case management, building safety issues, and plans for critical incident response or overdose response.

Building And Apartment Supports

- Works closely and collaboratively with operations to coordinate repairs and maintenance and turnover of units/apartments and the building.
- Performs housekeeping in the staff office, common areas (where applicable) and maintenance of outdoor premises, including needle and garbage disposal.

- Assists participants in maintaining a clean apartment, including encouraging independence and increasing skills, washing belongings and cleaning apartment, assisting with pest control, and liaising with home support, if applicable.
- Completes shift duty list, as per program requirements.

Documentation And Technology

- Completes and maintains documentation in logs, databases, critical incident forms, shift change and other hard copy or computer-based systems.
- Performs required tasks using technology systems, including cameras, card readers, building access, intercom, telephone, Canoe, and Callbot.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Competencies

- Skills to contribute to safety in the workplace, including:
- Demonstrated anti-racism knowledge and skills to support racialized communities, including knowledge of Canada’s historical and ongoing colonialism and its impact on Indigenous peoples.
- Demonstrated anti-discrimination knowledge and skills to support equity-seeking groups, including the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, people who use drugs and alcohol, people living with mental health conditions, and sex workers.





- Demonstrates sound emotional skills in developing strengths-based, dignifying relationships with participants; ability to maintain professional, confidential relationships.
- Sound understanding of the structural barriers that impact people experiencing mental health conditions, substance use, racism, discrimination, homelessness, and/or poverty.
- Basic sound knowledge of mental health diagnoses, medications, treatment, and support resources.
- Basic sound knowledge of harm reduction, trauma-informed care, substance use treatment and support resources.
- Knowledge of the housing continuum.
- Strong ability to take initiative to ensure participant care and work is completed.
- Strong verbal, written, and active listening skills; ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with and about people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
- Ability to develop and implement program participant-centred service plans.
- Ability to administer medications according to established policies and procedures (if applicable to the program).
- Ability to maintain and develop personal wellness in the workplace and support the wellness of co-workers.
- Ability to work collaboratively with others and to take direction.
- Ability to organize and prioritize multiple tasks.
- Ability to analyze problems and develop effective solutions.
- Ability to learn and be self-reflective.
- Demonstrated crisis intervention and de-escalation skills.
- Ability to prevent and respond to drug overdoses.
- Capable of adapting to changing priorities and developments within the program, organization, and community sector.
- Ability to work independently and with minimal supervision.
- Ability to operate office equipment, including computers and required software.
- Physical ability to carry out the job duties, functions, and responsibilities.

Please submit both a cover letter and resume to apply, describing your suitability for this position. We thank all applicants in advance for their interest. As part of the application process, you may be asked a short set of questions to provide further information about your experience and availability. Please note, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

Diversity

RainCity Housing serves a diverse group of people, and we need a staff group that reflects this diversity. People of diverse backgrounds and cultures are encouraged to apply.

As we work towards building a diverse staff team, we are particularly seeking applicants who identify as being Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, applicants with personal lived experience, and 2SLGBTQ+ identified people.

Inclusion and creating a safer space

We are committed to making our organization a safer place for our staff, with steps taken to create space for learning and unlearning. RainCity’s department of Indigenous Cultural Services was created with the purpose to acknowledge the unique history and service needs of our Indigenous staff and tenants in respect to accessing culturally relevant and culturally sensitive care and support. RainCity’s Black Affinity Group was formed to provide support for Black staff by creating a safe space to support each other, network, debrief, and to heal from the impact of harm endured.

Candidates are welcome to self-identifying in their cover letters as Black, First nations, Métis, or Inuit.

All of our employees are expected to develop and exhibit skills to contribute to safety in the workplace, including demonstrating anti-racism knowledge and skills to support racialized communities, including knowledge of Canada’s historical and on-going colonialism and its impact on Indigenous peoples, and commitment to learn and uphold the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Employees are also expected to demonstrate anti-discrimination knowledge and skills to support equity seeking groups, including the 2SLGBTQA+ community, people who use drugs and alcohol, people living with mental health issues and sex workers.

Inclusivity and support for people with differing abilities In our efforts to provide a barrier-free workplace, we invite you to let us know of any adjustments or accommodations that might be needed for you to participate in the interview or selection process by sending an email to [email protected].

If you're having any difficulty creating an account or submitting your resume: Please email [email protected] for assistance.

Do you want to improve your chances of joining RainCity? Be sure to include a cover letter letting us know why the work that we do is important to you, and how your experiences make you a good fit for this role.

Do you need additional support with your application? Connect with our partners for assistance:

- ACCESS Futures provides free employment support for Indigenous people and can assist with career advising, resume and cover letter writing, and funding for training: https://www.accessfutures.com/employment-services
- PRISM Employment Support Service (ESS) provides free strengths-based, trauma-informed employment support program for 2SLGBTQIA+ people, including coaching sessions, workshops, personal counselling sessions, and financial assistance for transit, occupational training, clothing, and childcare: https://qmunity.ca/employment/
- WorkBC provides free employment services to all job seekers, providing with support in resume and cover letter writing, training, and financial support for childcare and transportation costs: https://www.workbc.ca/discover-employment-services/workbc-centres/employment-services
- MOSAIC provides free employment support for refugees, immigrants, and racialized women, with services in career readiness training, mentoring, and peer groups: https://mosaicbc.org/our-services/employment-services/

We are a Union RainCity Housing is a unionized workplace. Along with the union, we support the principles of the Human Rights Code of BC. We promote a workplace that treats both staff and the people accessing services with dignity and respect.

📌 Alderbridge - Indigenous Cultural Liaison Support Worker (Tues-Sat Days) (Richmond)
🏢 RainCity Housing and Support Society
📍 Richmond