support worker

early childhood teacher

outreach worker

custodian

program manager

Atira Property Management Inc.

After more then ten years working at Atira and living in one of the buildings they manage, i have seen both sides of the environment provided by Atira. and can say without any doubt or hesitation that anyone considering working for Atira should look for a job anywhere else. My employment experience at Atira is the worst job i've ever had and as a tenant this is hands down the worst living environment i've ever lived in or seen anywhere. 
  Atira should be ashamed of their business practices and the environment their tenants are made to live in.
  More importantly, Atira should lose their provincial housing contract for three reasons, 1- they are a for profit management company which  means they do not qualify for the non profit contract, as mandated by the provincial government. 2- the ceo of Atira is married to the ceo of BC Housing which is a huge conflict of interest. 3- Atira is in no way living up to their part of the provincial housing contract as they dont provide the basic level of tenant and staff safety at the properties they manage as required by municipal and/or provincial government regulations.

There is so much more negative to be revealed about Atira that any reasonable person would be in disbelief and outraged that hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars have been paid to Atira over the last ten years alone (more then $33,000,000.00 a year) even though Atira doesn't  even meet the basic requirements to apply for the provincial housing contract. How they have been able to get away with this for so long is just wrong and a clear indication that  the provincial housing minister (Coleman) is not doing his job, nor is BC housing. This needs to be addressed immediately..

Despite being the largest property manager for bc housing, atira can be very poorly organized.  Pay in maintenance is far less than industry standards.
Complaints process is never made clear and rarely acted on, other workers can harass and not be held accountable.
Once you realize that the administration has the only benefits in this company, you will probably choose to move on to a more rewarding organization.
There is a high risk of infection working in Atira, and workers become stressed and take leaves for burnout.  There is not much benefit to working here other than experience to put on your resume to get a better job....some managers  in certain departments are not qualified for their jobs, however due to being chronically under staffed, such unqualified people are able to move up quickly, so be prepared for unqualified inexperienced management and supervisors with rude, unintelligent attitudes and methods.  This was my experience with maintenance at Atira.   However it may be different in other depts but I doubt it,
as no good employees want to work so hard for so little.  The only reward is the great rapport you can have with many of your coworkers here as they are genuine humanitarians.  Watch out for the over ambitious ones who are suck ups trying to climb the corporate ladder, don't worry they're easy to spot as they are cold and uncaring, always acting super busy when they're not lmao. 

A typical day working in an Atira SRO like the London Hotel is often unpleasant.  And hazardous to your health.  Plumbing problems and other basic maintenance and safety and security problems abound in many of these buildings.    

As a veteran front line responder of the DES, I found that management often turned a blind eye to serious breaches of safety and security, including allowing drug dealing and other, often violent threats or assaults against staff.  Many of my co-workers were active addicts at work and even were drug dealers and had violent criminal records.  

The hardest part of the job is the corrupt job culture.  Ambitious abusers advance more often than do good people who truly want to serve the poor and make a real difference.  Employees who genuinely care for the 'hard-to-house' and the safety of their environment are generally seen as whiners:  Atira management does not care to hear about your safety concerns.   Despite the fact that SRO hotels are rife with drug dealing, violence, theft, etc.

The most enjoyable part for me was working with the people, especially the ladies.  Given what these women have been through it's a miracle they are alive, and their feisty resilience and random acts of extreme kindness were a priviledge to witness.

When I first joined this company I was so eager to start and see what Atira was all about. I had come from another Social Service Agency and so I had an idea of what I was getting into but I wasn't prepared for what I found. The management at some of the shelters and housing sites is abhorrent. I was used to having management that was supportive and would get there hands dirty. I've found here the management are unsupportive, lazy and disorganized. At times, I've witnessed clients being treated unprofessionally.
 The policies that I read at head office and at each site are outdated and don't reflect what's really happening. There is a lot of staff who are working double shifts voluntarily. At some sites there is no staff bathroom and staff do not drink the water because many say it has made them sick. Overall it has been really sad and disheartening working for an organization that has such great values on paper but doesn't practice them on principle. 

In writing this review I also acknowledge that there is hardworking management and frontline staff throughout this company. I am speaking to the experiences I've had in a few sites at this company that have been unfortunate.

If you are a person of integrity empathy teamwork and believe in building on an individuals strengths ;do not work at Atiras newest shelter.
There is a sad working environment there fueled by lack of management strong cliques bulling and full force gossiping.The manager does not care nor listens to the workers.Things are contradicted all the time and policies only adhered to if it suits management.Expect to do hard labor like moving furniture up and down staircases.
The hourly wage is less than competing agencies.If you work part time expect to be attending meetings regularly on other weekdays so don't try to have another part time job next to that as these meetings are mandatory.
The meetings will have to be attended even if you work overnights who needs sleep eh!? Oh and a lot of the time you get notice maybe max a week in advanced..The workers do not receive any positive feedback at all its all negative.Shaming a worker in front of everyone else is sadly acceptable here.

The work that Atira does in the DTES and the Lower Mainland is incredible. The low-barrier approach and the fact that they house some of the hardest to house women in the Lower Mainland is amazing. The fact that they took over buildings that had some of the most violent things ongoing in there and transformed them to house women who experienced or are experiencing violence, making them a home, is awesome. 
However, there's some management rhetoric and ongoings that I don't believe center the women at the work being done. I think that Atira is a terrible employer in terms of supporting the growth and well-being of its employees, and management is awful at taking feedback given by its employees that speak up to some of the unfair and unjust practices. I think that management operates in a gaslighty and fear mongering way towards its employees while touring feminist and anti-oppressive values. 
In short, love the work that Atira does in the community, but would never encourage anyone to work there.

I currently work in an administrative role with Atira and have worked in many positions from volunteering, to support work, to administration and management. 

Atira has been a perfect fit for me for the last 9 years where I have been able to work alongside likeminded individuals who are dedicated to providing safe housing to some of our most marginalized populations. I am inspired daily by my colleagues and appreciate the collaboration we are able to engage in at all levels in order to engage in our Mission, Vision, and Values. I have learned so much from this organization, my colleagues, and the populations that are served within the organization and I look forward to continuing to learn and grow with the organization. 

Some days can be more challenging than some other fields of work due to the nature of the work, however I am grateful for the challenges, lessons learned, and for having the space to work with an organization that aligns with my values.

Atira recognizes the hard work of their employees at all levels and encourages upward mobility within the organization. 




Very rewarding to work with some of the tenants. 
Mental illness is often not diagnosed, tenants refuse to take medication, are left to live in squalor. 
Lots of support staff. Support staff don't seem to know their purpose there. Tenants are left on their own. Infections are left to fester for years. Rooms are full of hoarding, rats,mice, cockroaches and bedbugs.  Drug dealing on all floors. Bullies prey on the weak. Overdoses happen often. Nothing happens to the dealer who has overdosed many people. Police say it is a management problem. 
Staff are afraid to report to police or management. 
Many staff are addicts also. 
Lowest paid in the industry. 
Staff complaints are rebutted by "it's expected to be yelled at, threatened and verbally abused by the tenants. It comes with the job."  lots of stuff are hidden by management or swept under the rug. No chance for advancement or raises.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Giving back! Being able to help people in diverse backgrounds 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Other coworkers, some managers but mostly the pay is far from fair! I can go on…..

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Uncomfortable most times, receive abuse of all kinds on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. Coworkers tend to be aggressive or have no training which is not only dangerous but it’s frustrating!

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
From the minute I walk in the door I have tenants asking me for different kinds of help. I’m constantly busy trying to help them with one thing or another on all levels of need. My job is not just front. Desk worker, I do everything support worker HOUSING worker counselor, and Front Desk secretarial work.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Supporting the people we serve. The majority of the f/t and p/t staff are wonderful and I'm proud to be on the same team as them. Unfortunately I feel like a great deal of the casuals are not in this role for the right reasons... but merely as a means to an end financially.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management and following the correct union regulated guidelines. It's unfair and time consuming to need to go over all your pay stubbs and so on just to make sure thongs are correct. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Well theres 2 halves to Atira.  The AWRS side, that I work on and then the APMI side. My side is fully unionized now and also pays better than the APMI side. Even though there's talk that the APMI side will soon follow our lead.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 38 salaries reported	$30.24 per hour
Early childhood teacher 58 salaries reported	$22.76 per hour
Outreach worker 13 salaries reported	$27.57 per hour
Custodian 16 salaries reported	$22.19 per hour
Program manager 15 salaries reported	$75,533 per year

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