POSITION PURPOSE:
· Provide community development/coordination specific to the needs of the injection/needle use communities, those at risk of HCV/HIV and community stakeholders whose clientele are infected/at risk of acquiring HCV (e.g. community health and social service agencies, needle exchange programs, correctional representatives, mental health and addiction agencies, etc).
· Provide low threshold street & community outreach to marginalized community members living with or at risk of acquiring HCV/HIV/STBBI. The low-threshold approach aims to reach more persons affected by their substance use earlier and to remain in contact in order to prevent health damage while not requesting abstinence.
- By collaborating with the Relief Nurse, members of the Direct Client and Clinical Services Department, and community partners, coordinate HCV/HIV/STBBI testing opportunities, including but not limited to, outdoor testing blitzes/roadshows and testing within community partner’s organizations/agencies.
- Reporting to the Executive Director, the Manager of Harm Reduction Services provides overall management of the harm reduction and outreach programs.
POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:
Community Development/Coordination
- Establish / maintain community partnerships and provide community development specific to the needs of the injection/needle use communities, including community health and social service agencies, needle exchange programs, correctional, mental health and addiction/treatment agencies, etc.
2. Work in collaboration with the Harm Reduction Educator, promote and facilitate HIV/HCV educational presentations as they relate to harm reduction and drug/substance use within the community, including overdose response and Naloxone/Narcan.
- Recognize social determinants of health, build coalition with community partners (Indigenous peoples, community groups, harm reduction organizations) to bring about change and support the self-determination and health improvement of priority populations through harm reduction methodologies.
4. Collaborate with members of the Direct Client and Clinical Services Department, along with community partners, coordinate HCV/HIV/STBBI/Harm Reduction testing opportunities within catchment area.
- Maintain and strengthen existing community partnerships, and actively seek new opportunities for community partnership and collaboration.
6. Foster and sustain co-operative partnerships with neighbouring Indigenous communities to bolster Indigenous led harm reduction strategies (i.e. training, peer engagement, education & facilitation, transportation, etc.).
7. Develop, implement, and evaluate outreach protocol for underserved drug and needle use communities at greater risk of overdose in rural and sub urban areas of Public Health of Sudbury and Districts.
8. Establish community partnerships on Manitoulin Island with the intent of providing assistance in the development and delivery of outreach/in-reach services as identified by Manitoulin Island service providers.
9. Compile and submit activity reports and pertinent statistics as requested by management and/or funders.
10. Meet regularly with the management team to keep them fully informed on program developments, issues, successes, and activities.
Street Outreach/In- reach Services
- Engage with other Community Street Outreach programs to provide outreach/in-reach activities targeting those at risk of HCV/HIV transmission through injection/needle.
- Identify and implement joint harm reduction and outreach strategies to address gaps in service upon consultation with community stakeholders.
- Assure outreach/in-reach team provides ongoing risk/harm reduction information / education / materials / Naloxone / Narcanto those at risk of HCV/HIV transmission through injection/needle use.
- Ensure community trained volunteers/students/peers comply with agency’s philosophy and mandate in the provision of outreach/in-reach services.
- Consult with agency staff, to strategize and implement innovative ways in which the harm reduction outreach team can support program initiatives and better serve target populations.
- Organize and dispatch harm reduction outreach teams, including staff and community workers, to respond to the harm reduction and outreach needs of peripheral communities of Sudbury.
- Liaise with Manager of Consumption and Treatment Services to ensure continuity of care across agency programming and effective service provision for agency members and the wider community of people who use drugs.
- Expand outreach services beyond downtown core, including outlying areas within catchment area.
Human Resources Planning and Management
- Directly responsible for the management of harm reduction/outreach staff including recruitment, orientation, and performance management. Provide regular support and supervision to all staff. Promote a positive work culture through fostering teamwork and supporting staff in all aspects of their work.
2. Coordinate and support outreach personnel in scheduling, supply ordering, training, development of work plans, performance and coaching, leading team meetings, communications, and ensuring the health and safety of staff, including emotional harm reduction strategies.
- Determine staffing requirements for Réseau ACCESS Network and harm reduction service delivery.
- Support the implementation of the human resources policies, procedures and practices including the development of job descriptions for department staff.
- Assist in establishing positive, healthy and safe work environment in accordance with all applicable legislation and regulations.
- Implement a performance management process for designated staff, which includes monitoring the performance of staff on an on-going basis and conducting performance reviews.
- Approve employee leave requests, i.e. vacation requests while maintaining optimal program coverage.
- Work with the Manager of Finances and Administration, as needed, to review and approve time management reports (TMR).
- Participate with the Executive Director in relevant agency human resource and management activities.
- Ensure organizational staff are trained and equipped to document their work using the OCASE/OCHART/NEO and/or other reporting systems as needed.
- Work with the Agency’s Complaints Process Policy, be the first contact to respond to client, volunteer and community complaints as they relate to the delivery of Harm Reduction Services.
- Collaborate with Réseau ACCESS Network Management Team, to oversee, develop, coordinate, promote, and delegate responsibilities for the delivery of services.
Community Relations/Advocacy
- Establishes effective and good working relationships and collaborative arrangements with community groups, funders, politicians, and other organizations to help achieve the goals of the organization.
2. Represent Réseau ACCESS Network at public meetings and committees and direct partnership relationship strategies to advance the mission of the organization.
- Oversee, develop, coordinate, promote, and delegate responsibilities for the delivery of Overdose Awareness Campaigns (i.e. April 16 and August 30 and others as appropriate).
Media Responsibilities
1. In consultation with the Executive Director, and when appropriate, act as spokesperson to media requests on issues of key affected populations.
Administration
1. Ensure that all necessary reports are completed and submitted to the appropriate sources meeting set deadlines.
2. Recommend program changes to the Executive Director as appropriate.
3. Assist and implement with the evaluation of all program activities.
4. Assist in the development and implementation of policies and procedures set out by the Board of Directors of Réseau ACCESS Network.
5. Assist with the regular upkeep of Réseau ACCESS Network offices.
6. Provide input to organizational reviews.
7. In consultation with the Executive Director, arrange for knowledge transfer to staff and contribute to the overall day-to-day running of the agency.
8. Manage the Outreach and Education budget.
Working Conditions
1. Physical requirements include the dexterity to reach, stand, squat, twist, lift light loads, and the ability to do sedentary work.
2. Must be flexible to work evenings and weekends.
3. Must be able to work in a variety of settings.
4. 35-hour work week, overtime compensated by time off in lieu.
5. Must have access to a vehicle and valid driver’s license.
6. Flexibility in scheduling, including availability to work evenings and weekends as required. Standard working hours for this position are Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Qualifications
- Combination of education and experience and/or a Degree in Social Work, or Health related field with an emphasis on community development, health care management.
2. Minimum of three years of experience working with members of substance-using communities.
- Understanding of the health and issues of People living with HIV and/or HCV including a well-developed knowledge of relevant resources. Demonstrated knowledge of the social and political issues surrounding HIV and/or HCV.
- A minimum of 3 to 5 years of management / team supervision experience in a community-based, non-profit organization, with a strong focus on program development, coordinator, or management.
- Experience developing and implementing human resource policies and procedures. Knowledge of applicable employment legislation.
- Excellent case coordination and documentation skills.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience of harm reduction principles and practices.
- Expertise in community development focusing on marginalized communities.
- Experience working within an anti-racist / anti-oppressive framework.
- Experience in project management and evaluation, including the capacity to develop and monitor evaluation frameworks and employee the logic model in program delivery and evaluation.
- Ability to conduct objective program reviews and engage in organizational planning and policy and procedure development discussions.
- Strong problem solving and communication skills and ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing.
- Demonstrated ability to anticipate problems/conflicts and take appropriate actions, to organize and prioritize work.
- Sound decision-making and judgment skills with the ability to effectively manage communications and community, committees and coalitions.
- Demonstrates a commitment to a healthy and safe workplace for self and others by taking all reasonable precautions and working in compliance with Réseau ACCESS Network’s related policies, health and safety legislation and best practices.
- Ability to organize, set priorities and manage multiple tasks.
- Demonstrates ability to manage resources effectively.
- Demonstrated knowledge of Indigenous communities and organizations as well as an understanding of the effects of intergenerational trauma on Indigenous persons an asset.
- Fluency in French and English, both oral and written is preferred.
Skills
Strong interviewing and assessment skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Self-directed and able to take initiative.
Good organizational and administrative skills.
Ability to work as a team member.
Ability to speak openly and frankly about sexuality in a supportive, non-judgmental manner.
Developed: January 2022
Approved: April 2024
DIVERSITY, BELONGING, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION STATEMENT
The Agency values the contributions of people living with HIV and/or Hepatitis C; persons with lived/living experience who use drugs; members of 2S-LGBTQQIAP+[1] communities; individuals from Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, Black, Brown, Asian, Latinx, Middle Eastern, and members of the global majority, and persons with dis/abilities. As a bilingual agency, Francophone candidates are also encouraged to apply. The Agency encourages candidates to self-identify upon application.
Réseau ACCESS Network strives to build an inclusive workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the community in which we live. The Agency prioritizes[2] belonging, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and challenges structural forms of oppression like racism, colonialism, and white supremacy, which sustain unjust social and racial hierarchies within the health care continuum.
As an Agency operating on Robinson Huron Treaty Territory (1850) that is actively working towards reconciliation, Réseau ACCESS Network recognizes that these are the traditional lands of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek and Wahnapitae First Nations. These peoples, along with Métis and Inuit Nations, currently and historically have cared for these lands. The violent effects of patriarchal cissexism, ongoing white supremacy, colonization, neocolonialism, capitalism, and the Transatlantic Slave Trade continue to have a deep impact on the unjust power structures within which Réseau ACCESS Network operates.
[1] Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans/transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual, plus
Through ongoing and continued work, reflection, and dedication to call out and dismantle racist and colonialist actions, policy, practices, and procedures, while limited by inequities brought on by systemic and inherent capitalism.
Work includes member centered knowledge carriers. In the context of addressing systemic capitalist inequities, "member-centered knowledge carriers" refers to individuals or groups within communities who possess valuable insights, experiences, and expertise regarding the impacts of racism, oppression, and capitalism on their lives and communities.
The agency strives to engage in work using a lens of anti-racism; committing time to working group(s), onboarding, trainings, policy and hiring practice reviews, and focus groups. The team also builds relationships and partnerships with others to share and improve upon these intentions, lessons learned, and best practices.
Pay: $61,290.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- Mileage reimbursement
- Vision care
Work Location: In person
