At House of Friendship, we believe in what we are doing. We get out of bed each day to make a difference in our community; to walk with and to serve. We are not happy with the status quo. We get energy from ongoing learning and growth. We lead with passion and believe without a doubt that everyone deserves to belong and thrive. We live and breathe our values of Compassion, Inclusion, Justice, Dignity and Hope. And we have fun!
Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It is!
We are hiring for a ShelterCare Supervisor position for the Housing Services, ShelterCare program. A shelter program that is following the ShelterCare model of providing a place to stay and staff support 24/7. ShelterCare creates opportunities where individuals experiencing homelessness have access to on-site, integrated housing and health supports so they can become healthier and housed - exiting the cycle of homelessness for good. The ShelterCare Supervisor will possess and utilize their passion for coaching and developing people and teams. They will provide leadership for the program and the team by coordinating the daily operations of the program.
This is a contract position, from approximately August 10, 2026 to February 28, 2027. This is a full-time position (37.5 hours per week). Schedule is generally Monday to Friday, evening hours (4:00pm to 12:00am) with flexibility to meet program needs; including working on the weekend at least once per month. Successful completion of a Police Records Check (Vulnerable Sector) required pre-employment.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead, develop and support the team members working within the ShelterCare program including staff, volunteers and students
Guide, direct and mentor direct service staff and support program participants through meaningful professional relationships rooted in the program goals of obtaining permanent housing, improved health and wellbeing and a successful stay in ShelterCare program
Responsible for the healthy and safe operation of the programs; ensuring a physically and psychologically healthy work environment for all team members
Responsible for the allocation of staff, students and volunteers based on the needs of the program
Maintain communication with staff team, carry out coaching, regular check ins and reviews, and supporting staff professional development
Coordinate program design and delivery, ensuring timely and appropriate services to meet the needs of the ShelterCare program
Responsible for overseeing and supporting the day to day operations of the ShelterCare program, including program budgets, expenses, coordination of data collection, staff and participant safety
Support the program Managers with creating reports and proposals to support or source funding by sharing program insights, collecting registration and financial records, and coordinating program data collection
Work with program management team to evaluate programs and overall approach for ShelterCare
With the program Managers, build and maintain solid and fruitful relationships with community partners and agencies to increase opportunities for innovation and positively impact outcomes
Represent House of Friendship at various housing and homelessness related meetings and community forums as needed or requested; bringing relevant issues and solutions to the conversation
Maintain confidentiality in compliance with Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)
Support staff in assessing complex situations and making appropriate decisions
Provide on-call support to staff on a rotating basis
Performance development activities including 1x1, onboarding, training, annual Performance Development etc. using an anti-oppressive, trauma-informed approach
Understand, implement and be accountable to human resource, organizational and program policies, procedures and protocols including hiring processes, leaves of absence, incident reporting, harm reduction, fire prevention, privacy/confidentiality, safe substance use onsite, restrictions and restorative practices, storage of personal belongings, etc.
Lead team meetings that share timely information, build consistency across shifts, ground the team in shared values, leverage the knowledge/experience of the team and create opportunity for dialogue and feedback
Champion organizational and program change initiatives, helping team members and program participants to understand the change and inviting feedback through appropriate channels
Confidently coach team members in their conflict de-escalation, resolution, and approach to addressing behavioural concerns to ensure a healthy environment for all staff and people we support
Engage in ongoing training and development, including daily on-the-job learning within the program, required courses and learning opportunities provided at an organizational level
Participate in scheduled management meetings, program and organizational town halls; working collaboratively with members of leadership across House of Friendship programs, including managers, supervisors and also at the director level
Contribute to the organizational strategic planning process annual planning within the program
Develop and implement work procedures to improve our service excellence organizational culture
Model effective use of resources (people, materials, funds) through measurement, planning and monitoring resources to maximize results
Obtain ongoing information feedback about resource utilization to make timely effective decisions
Lead program planning and improvement through special projects, committee work or ad hoc working groups
Job Specific Knowledge/Skills:
Strong leadership, team building and decision making skills required, including demonstrated strength in coaching and developing people and teams
Experience with coaching and mentoring for personal growth and development, including the ability to coach others through conflict
Knowledge of and experience serving in the area of housing and homelessness with a passion to support those experiencing low income and/or poverty and enthusiasm for preventing and reducing the related effects
Demonstrated skill in building and maintaining productive relationships (staff, community partners, funders)
Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple tasks and deadlines are required
Highly organized, with ability to manage staff files, timesheets and streamline administrative processes
Experience navigating team discussion and disagreement in high crisis situations
Keen ability to make decisions with confidence, while balancing a trauma informed lens with the safety of the program in mind at the same time
Experience using online communication platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, is an asset
Knowledge of local community agencies and resources is an asset
Experience working within a non-profit and/or social services environment may be an asset
Demonstrate innovative approach to providing supports and programming in a residential setting or services for persons experiencing homelessness is an asset
Education/Experience:
Post-secondary degree or diploma in a related field of study and relevant work experience required
At least two years of experience providing program support or leadership, ideally within a social services or healthcare environment
Experience with coaching and mentoring for personal growth and development, including the ability to coach others through conflict
Strong organizational and computer skills, ability to work under pressure and manage multiple tasks and deadlines are required
Demonstrated skill in building and maintaining productive relationships (staff, community partners, funders)
Critical Skills:
Commitment to understand and uphold the mission, values, service philosophy, policies and procedures of House of Friendship is required
Exemplary emotional intelligence, resilience, communication, conflict management and problem solving skills required
Ability to work professionally as a team member with staff, participants and community members
Build solid and fruitful relationships with community partners and agencies to increase opportunities for innovation and positively impact outcomes
Ability to provide clear direction and expectations for performance, which can involve being firm, assertive, stepping up to difficult decisions and openness to inviting/receiving feedback
Ability to build effective teams and creating an atmosphere of belonging and collaboration that values diversity and individual strengths
Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a positive work environment including the ability to navigate change in a positive and productive manner
Experience or strong interest in working with diverse populations including people from various cultural background, income levels, and sensitivity to their needs
Strong intercultural competency, with the ability to recognize and respect cultural diversity, able to be diplomatic and sensitive to the dynamics of a culturally diverse workplace
Experience with and commitment to using an anti-racism, anti-oppressive and trauma informed approach in consultation, program design, evaluation processes and service delivery
Must be dependable, professional, flexible, a team player, and have a positive attitude
Respectful, supportive and engaging approach to persons with physical and/or cognitive disabilities, addictions, mental health and other life challenges
Excellent project, timeline and deadline management skills including skills in logistics and planning and detailed record keeping
Able to model effective problem solving by recognizing the human, interpersonal and technical sides of a problem, show flexibility and explore possible solutions in an innovative and creative way
Act as a change agent; contributing to continuous improvement and the successful implementation of change initiatives
Strengths in coaching resiliency and solution-focused thinking with individuals and the team
Supporting the team through ongoing and low impact debriefing that grounds people in why we do what we do, at times challenging personal perceptions
Compensation:
At House of Friendship, we know that our team members are the key to the success of our organization and our ability to provide essential services to the community. In support of our mission and in alignment with our values, House of Friendship is committed to ensuring fair, market competitive, and rewarding compensation practices for all of our team members. We aspire to support our team members to create a great work environment where our team is able to thrive, succeed, and have a positive work experience.
House of Friendship compensation practices including our pay grid, have been developed using documented leading pay practices in the not-for-profit sector including Pathways to Decent Work (Ontario Nonprofit Network) and Ontario Living Wage Network. We value the experience that new team members bring to the organization and have a process in place to review previous related experience for placement on our pay grid.
We value the work that you do with fair pay and benefits:
Time off includes vacation pay and 2 personal days per year
Employee Family Assistance Program
Rate of Pay:
At House of Friendship all compensation ranges are categorized under a series of “grades” and we base our payment structure on internal equity. When determining rate of pay, a candidate’s past related experience will be taken into consideration.
Grade: 5 (Supervisor I)
Min: $27.86
Mid: $31.97
Max: $36.08
Working Conditions:
37.5 hours per week; hours may be days, evenings or overnights on a consistent schedule
Weekend rotation will be pre-scheduled or on an emergency basis
Encountering participants at program sites who may be under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, and/or experiencing symptoms of mental illness can be expected
Observation of safe consumption takes place at this location
This role is being posted to fill a current vacancy.
House of Friendship is open and inviting to qualified candidates with lived experience.
House of Friendship supports justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We strive to be a workplace free of harassment and discrimination and we are committed to removing barriers and being an inclusive, work environment. House of Friendship is a place where each person can bring their true selves and feel that they belong. We aspire to be an organization that is anti-racist and anti-oppressive so that our team, and therefore our community, can truly belong and thrive.
We invite applications from all qualified candidates and actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to accessing employment including, but not limited to Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
If you require accommodations to be able to participate fully at any stage in the recruitment process, including applying for this position, please let us know so that we can discuss accommodation options. Accommodations will be provided upon request.
If you are as passionate as we are about serving the community, let’s talk.
To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here:
https://house-of-friendship.hirehive.com/sheltercare-supervisor-weekdaysevenings-waterloo-on-osx4CJ
By end of day July 31, 2026.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not being used in the screening of applications.
