At Ottawa Inner City Health (OICH), we do health care differently. It’s part of who we are. We are a nurse-led, trauma-informed organization working on the front lines of homelessness and mental health. We work in the margins- the grey area- with clients experiencing complex trauma, mental illness, and substance use challenges. Our approach is hands-on, harm reduction-focused, relationship-driven, and rooted in human dignity.
We are currently seeking four (4) Temporary Full-Time Triage Outreach Workers who are are passionate about health care equity and who are not afraid to get into the nitty-gritty.
Why this role matters:
The Triage Outreach Workers will engage and support people experiencing homelessness outside and around 256 King Edward with the aim of connecting people to services, resources and make referrals to recovery-oriented services. Additionally, the outreach worker will aim to build and strengthen relationships with Shepherds of Good Hope (SOGH) staff, as well as provide support to OICH's TED program staff.
Duties:
- Establish rapport with hard-to-serve clients and engage clients into care.
- Respond to challenging situations with clients who are under the influence of drugs and make the appropriate referrals for supports.
- Identify clients suitable for referrals to recovery-oriented programs to the case management team who will make the connections as needed to services such as TED, Recovery Care, HART hubs, CMHA, Sandy Hill Community Health Centre, Mission Clinic or primary health clinics.
- Assist clients to attend referral appointments as needed.
- Provide support to the TED program when RPN/CCW respond to Code Abby or other emergencies.
- If an overdose is found while conducting outside rounds, call in a Code Abby and start overdose reversal until TED Code Abby team arrives.
- Work collaboratively with the SOGH staff, security staff and community partners.
- Support security by ensuring that there is enough gear for them to distribute.
- Outreach workers will make gear daily as part of their role.
- Collect and report statistics on a daily basis such as client encounters ODs, referrals made, etc.
- Infection Prevention and Control (Cleaning) duties as required: desk, door handles, phone should be wiped down and sanitized regularly. Supplies shelf should be kept tidy and in order.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
- Personal experience with any of the following: drug use, mental health and/or homelessness.
- A demonstrated level of stability in your personal life which will allow you to be at work reliably and not affected by exposure to people who are living with mental illness and using substances in a negative way or in a way that will affect your recovery.
- Knowledge about mental illness and substance use.
- Good people skills required, must be open, non-judgemental and willing to learn.
- Ability to work within a harm reduction framework, including awareness of the recovery-oriented programs available in Ottawa.
- Knowledge and comfort working with Aboriginal communities, the homeless & under housed, injection drug users, sex trade workers, as well as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender/sexual people.
- Well-developed skills in setting and maintaining appropriate boundaries, confidentiality and trust with people in crisis
- A well-developed sense of when personal safety is at risk.
- Fluency in English required.
- Fluency in French or Inuktitut a bonus.
- Familiarity and comfort with computer software such as email, word documents and spreadsheets which are used for documentation.
- Ability to use tact and diplomacy to avoid upsetting or offending clients.
- Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team.
- Must provide a Criminal Records Check (having a criminal record does not exclude you from this position).
Physical Requirements:
The Triage outreach worker must be able to stand and walk for up to 2 hours at a time in outdoor conditions up to 4 times throughout a 12-hour shift.
Reporting: The Outreach worker reports to the OICH TED Supervisor
Hours of work: The Triage Outreach Worker will be scheduled based on the operational needs of the program and employment status.
Shifts include: 7 x 12-hour shifts every two weeks, including every other weekend from 11 am to 11 pm.