addiction counselor

shelter support worker

support worker

administrative assistant

warehouse worker

House of Friendship

PROS: Decent benefits and paid time off (3 personal days and accrued sick/vacation); flexibility in schedule as well as managing your own time/autonomy; training/learning experience provided; depending on department and program, you can have good team members and supervisors ; the work can, at times, be meaningful when you are not burnt out and are feeling supported.

CONS: Management is completely ignorant to what is actually happening on the front lines and what their staff needs. They will host "work events" and give out t-shirts in lieu of (1) paying staff appropriately, (2) giving merit-based raises or room for growth, (3) paying staff the "liveable" wage they promise upon hiring. While the executive director makes $113,000 per year (he’s on the sunshine list), most front-line staff make $18-30 per house ($50-60,000 per year) and are on the verge of burn out 85% of the time and programs are underfunded. Management does not care to hear feedback from front line staff and does not open the opportunity for a line of communication. The programs and their processes are highly flawed, yet no attention is being paid to the programs, the front-line staff, the high turn over, or the provision of services. The workplace culture is burnout and staff picking up the slack for failed hirings or people on leaves of absences due to burnout and stress. There is little to no room for growth or promotions. A lot of the work staff is forced to do is tedious, disorganized, and unfulfilling. 

I really enjoyed my time at House of Friendship. I started off in the Safer Use program, and then I moved into the Addictions Counsellor position. I really enjoyed working with the other counsellors in my team; my supervisor was extremely supportive and helpful with me.  I didn’t really like my manager; she was great as a person, but her work personality wasn’t my vibe, and that’s okay. 

I did face difficulties with the clinical aspect of my role - the clients can be extremely intense with their traumas, but I was well supported by my fellow counsellors and supervisor. Make sure you have a therapist! Thankfully, our insurance reimbursed up to 2k per year.  I struggled a lot, and told my supervisor what I was going through. I ended up leaving the agency, and I was given a lot of support on my way out. I’ve found employment elsewhere that better fits my niche, but I can honestly say, House of Friendship was and still is, my very first healthiest workplace I’ve ever been at, and I’m grateful to have gotten my clinical training there. 

a typical work day looks like:
-I start off making lunches for the men in the hostel consisting with four sandwiches, cookies, and an apple. usually make 6 lunches
-then I make juice and tea for their meals
-I also prepare for the next day by making juice
-I set the tables for roughly 27 men with knife and fork, fill up the napkin dispenser and fill up the salt and pepper shakers
-then I assist the cook by helping them plate the food
-then I was the dishes used and help clean the working area
-the hardest part of the job is finding more to help out with
-I enjoy see the men of the facility enjoy eating a hot meal
-my co-workers are easy to get along with and help answer questions I may have 
- what I learned from this job was being able to work under pressure; being able to wash massive amount of dishes in a short period of time. I'm now able to multi-task 
 
  

- a typical day involves being belittled by the exec team
- I learned that they lack respect for others even though the mission, vision and values specifically make it 'sound' like it's a positive org but it's not
- management rules with an iron fist, just like a dictatorship
- the hardest part of the job is dealing with the attitudes at the top, as they believe their are god and they participate in talking the talk, but they never walk the talk
- the most enjoyable part of the job, is when I left as I value myself and don't respect those who choose to bully and belittle others for their own selfish purposes

The agency is working on improving the PayScale.  Pay is still a bit on the lower end but decent.  There are lots of new grads. Lots of turnover.  There can be petty and immature behavior from inexperienced staff that are not supervised or mentored adequately.  They tend to hire management from within without adequate management skills.  Great counsellors and workers do not always good managers, it takes a different skillset.  A structured training program for managers would be helpful.  

i started at the house of friendship center back in 2002 , i was doing a program at this time and they needed a front desk receptionist and i loved computers and work well on phones as well as the team stated i was a great communicator on phone as well as in person with clients and asked if i was able to answer phones as well as direct clients for the day , at the end of the day they stated i done a great job and asked if i could work on call, so i have been ever since  for friendship center as well as cowichan tribes

I can’t understand how this organization has 4-stars. Employees are not paid well and management is out of touch. Hardly anyone working here would be able to afford an apartment, transportation, and food. They work hard to keep unions out seemingly because they know that they do not treat their employees fairly. They ran a fundraiser asking their underpaid employees if, “they are the one.” These employees can’t afford to live, let alone give part of their salary to the people they work so hard to serve.

I've never worked anywhere where I'm apart of such a supportive team, supervisor, HR dept and every single person I've met or trained with. It's a genuinely inclusive place to work whether you're upper management to any supportive role. The pay could be a bit better in this economy but I'd much rather work in a healthy and supportive environment and be a couple of dollars less an hour.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Friendly staff and lots of hands-on experience with the residents.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Drug-related challenges because this is a  harm-reduction, housing first model

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment is okay, all things considered

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Case management and counselling

What is the best part of working at the company?
The staff is great. Management listens to complaints and come up with solutions 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working with our clientele in the Shelter can be challenging. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
A good work environment and culture.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy all day long. You know when your day is done.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Addiction counselor 4 salaries reported	$28.19 per hour
Shelter support worker 3 salaries reported	$24.93 per hour
Support worker 1 salary reported	$30.41 per hour
Administrative assistant 4 salaries reported	$20.96 per hour
Warehouse worker 5 salaries reported	$20.22 per hour

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