Saint Paul's OPS - Relief Peer Support Specialist (Casual)

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.

Benefits: 

• 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 regular Part-time and Full-time 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 Peer Support Specialist – Overdose Prevention Site (PSS-OPS) worker uses their own lived experience with substance use to provide kind, non-judgmental access to harm reduction services and a safer drug consumption venue to reduce stigma, barriers to care and support service recipient safety. The PSS-OPS will work alongside the program’s peer witness team. The role will provide support, organization, and collaboration, and will promote safer drug use in the community.  

The primary role of the PSS-OPS is to promote safer drug use techniques and to prevent and effectively respond to opioid overdose with the assistance of peer witness staff and emergency health services. The PSS-OPS follows the lead of peer team-mates to collaborate with service recipients, staff, external community harm reduction providers and the OPS team to determine appropriate care to meet individual needs and situational requirements. The PSS-OPS provides support and advocacy from a harm reduction perspective to promote service recipient well-being and safety. The PSS-OPS will provide relational support, education, and referral information for other health and well-being services as requested by service recipients and will liaise with staff to assist service recipients in accessing care when needed.

Job Competition # cas2025.082
Closing Date: Midnight, April 03, 2025
Job: Relief Peer Support Specialist, St. Paul’s OPS, Casual
Hourly Range: $31.56 – $33.28 (BCGEU, Grid 34)    
Work Site: St. Paul’s OPS, 1081 Burrard St, Vancouver
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.  

Peer designation is required to be qualified for this position.

Program Summary

Operating inside St. Paul’s Hospital the OPS is available for patients of St Paul’s and offers education and overdose prevention services inside a tent located on the 4^th floor garden area. The site provides supervised consumption for both inhalation and IV drug use. The program has PSS and non-unionized peers, and works alongside Providence Health OPS Coordinators, Nurse Educators, and Critical Care Medical teams within the hospital to ensure best practices around overdose response and witnesses. This program is the first of its kind inside a hospital setting. St Paul's Hospital is expected to move its location around 2027, to 1002 Station St in the False Creek Flats.

Qualifications

Many forms of education and experience are valued, including volunteering and lived experience of addiction/ homelessness/mental illness; education and experience requirements include:

• *2+ years of relevant shared lived experience with the program’s client population (*see Program Description and Diversity) and the willingness to be identified in these areas as the basis of their work.
• Two years of recent, related work experience with an emphasis on addictions, mental health, homelessness and/or social services, including one year of service planning experience, and experience in a peer support training program, or,
• Current First Aid and CPR certification and,
• A Diploma in community social services or, an equivalent combination of education, training, volunteering and lived experience.

Knowledge and Abilities

• Knowledge of overdose response and accidental drug poisonings
• Knowledge of principles of harm reduction practice and overdose prevention activities for people living with significant substance use.
• Knowledge of trauma informed practice
• Knowledge of the principles of recovery in problematic substance use and mental illness
• Basic knowledge of diagnoses, treatment and support resources in the areas of mental health, substance use, physical health, including HIV and Hepatitis C.
• Basic knowledge of psychopharmacology
• Basic knowledge of counseling skills, including motivational interviewing principles.
• Basic knowledge of legislation and government policies and procedures that relate to client, including the Residential Tenancy ACT and the BC Mental Health Act.
• Demonstrated understanding of oppression and marginalization, specifically as related to people with experience of an addiction or mental illness when accessing healthcare
• Knowledge of DTES community resources
• Ability to identify and work to increase client strengths, including the use of hope inducing strategies and assisting the client in self-managing their illness and other aspects of their life.
• Ability to commit to service partnerships and build relationships by providing assistance and support.
• Ability to effectively and safely resolve crisis situations
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to establish workload priorities, adjust to new or unexpected events, problem solves, and deals effectively with conflict situations.
• Ability to provide consultation and leadership to other OOT team members
• Ability to operate a computerized client care information system and word processing, spreadsheet, Internet and e-mail software, and smartphone, and related equipment.
• Physical ability to perform the duties of the position.
• Ability to be a role model to people living with or recovering from substance use and/or mental health by sharing common life and rehabilitation experiences and practical information
• Ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds in a downtown environment and be flexible and creative in providing services

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 expertise, 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 hr.inbox@raincityhousing.org.

If you're having any difficulty creating an account or submitting your resume: Please email dfrecruitingsupport@raincityhousing.org 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.