Organization Overview:
Our Place Peel is a growing, community-based, non-profit charitable organization that is focused on providing shelter and outreach support for homeless and disadvantaged youth in the Peel Region. We are a leading organization recognized in the community for our commitment to providing youth in need with a safe environment and access to services to help them achieve independence and foster growth.
Our Place Peel’s mission is to empower youth through prevention, intervention, shelter, and community partnerships – fostering healing, growth, and lasting housing stability. Our vision is to ensure every youth has a safe, stable place to live.
What We Can Offer You:
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Paid Time off
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Casual Dress
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On-site parking
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Training and education allowance
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100% employer paid benefits
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Wellness program
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Employee and Family Assistance program
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Opportunities for Growth!
Position Profile:
Reporting to the Director of Client Services and Wellness, you will guide the work of a team of diversion and central intake workers, based on the principles of shelter diversion in Housing First for Youth. You will develop, lead and manage Our Place Peel’s comprehensive shelter diversion program, which aim to prevent youth from entering shelters by exploring and securing immediate housing alternatives. This includes mitigating the factors that have led youth to seeking emergency shelter. You will lead the intake functions across the organization, which include initial assessments of youth strengths and needs. You will drive effective service coordination for youth with other organizational units, including case management, shelter, housing, and clinical services. You will partner with the Director to implement robust diversion and intake practice standards and decision-making protocols across the organization.
The Diversion and Central Intake Manager will integrate best practices in youth housing and homelessness services, including the following:
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Trauma-Informed Care as the Foundation
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Youth-Centered Assessment & Engagement
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Holistic & Individualized Care Planning
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Multidisciplinary Coordination & Advocacy
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Harm Reduction Approach
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Housing First for Youth Principles
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Relationship Building & Emotional Regulation
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Boundaries with Compassion
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Strengths-Based & Anti-Oppressive Approach
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Ongoing Review & Adaptation
Role Overview:
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Lead programs and services.Using Housing First for Youth principles and best practices, you will develop and manage the delivery of diversion and intake services for youth (ages 16-24) seeking support from Our Place Peel. You will guide the vision and goals of the diversion and intake team, and drive innovation in programming. Programs in this portfolio include the following:
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Shelter Diversion – You will oversee the delivery of shelter diversion workers, who work within a system of care approach to assess diversion or entry to the shelter, and provide coordinated access to the shelter system if appropriate.
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Central Intake – You will operationalize comprehensive and strengths-based youth engagement strategies to inform high-quality, relevant, and youth-driven supports and referrals at the time of initial contact with Our Place Peel.
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Ongoing Quality Improvement: You will work to continually assess and remove barriers so youth can quickly access the support they need, helping prevent homelessness and reduce time spent in crisis.
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Provide team leadership. You will lead team meetings, case consultations, and skill building activities across all organizational sites to ensure consistency and effectiveness of diversion and intake services. You will provide competency-based and administrative supervision to direct reports, supporting best practices and offering consultation across Our Place Peel programs. You will address client and staff concerns promptly and in alignment with agency policies.
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Develop Internal Competencies & Capacity Building. You will assess, analyze and prioritize a training and capacity building plan to elevate the awareness and understanding of diversion and intake practices and competencies across the organization.
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Manage documentation. You will create annual work plans for yourself and your team, assign programming duties, and manage the diversion and central intake team’s schedule. You will establish staffing systems for central intake to ensure 24-hour support, track internal and funder-driven KPIs, and ensure robust data collection for evaluation. You will ensure accurate and timely documentation of all diversion and central intake activities.
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Evaluate performance. You will implement accountability measures, such as observing phone calls and interactions with youth, reviewing reports, and conducting documentation reviews. You will manage bi-annual file audits, provide constructive feedback, and evaluate direct reports to identify growth opportunities. Collaborating with the Manager of Quality & Program Development, you will strengthen program evaluation and continuous improvement efforts.
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Manage incidents. You will address disciplinary procedures and grievances in consultation with the Senior Director of HR and in accordance with the CBA. You will review and approve serious occurrences and critical incident reports, ensuring appropriate follow-up within the case management team.
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Provide oversight. You will work with organizational managers and external partners to develop and deliver collaborative and effective diversion and intake services. You will oversee the acquisition of necessary resources and equipment to ensure effective service delivery. You will maintain strict client confidentiality and participate in the agency's on-call rotation.
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Ensure risk and compliance management. You will assess and mitigate risks, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and adherence to professional codes of ethics. You will develop and execute risk management strategies for diversion and central intake services.
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Drive strategic planning. You will integrate research, innovation, and best practices into program delivery while collaborating with leadership and front-line teams to implement effective strategies. Through regular environmental scans, you will evaluate community needs, service delivery outcomes, and partnership opportunities, recommending policy and system improvements.
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Foster Equity, Diversity, and Belonging. You will embed cultural humility and inclusivity in program delivery. Staying updated on best practices in equity and diversity, you will work with leadership to infuse these principles into all operations. As a role model, you will cultivate an inclusive organizational culture and develop leaders, integrating equity and belonging into all interactions and practices.
Qualifications:
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The education and experience. You have a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Child and Youth Work, or related field. Masters in a related field is considered an asset. Additional training and certification in housing, homelessness, youth services, etc. is considered an asset. You have at least 3 years of experience working in housing and homelessness, including shelter operations. You demonstrate a strong understanding of the Housing First For Youth and Built For Zero community principles, and associated diversion and central intake modalities in the sector.
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The management experience. You have a minimum 3 years of experience working as a supervisor/manager in the housing and homelessness sector. Youth-specific experience is preferred. You have an understanding of concepts related to power and privilege, social location, equity, and intersectionality. You have demonstrable experience in implementing equity strategies in programs and services. You have site and team management experience, including exposure to human resource management (union experience is a strong asset), financial management, program management, evaluation design, or systems design.
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The knowledge. You continually seek out information about current literature and innovations in shelter diversion and community support practices. You are acutely aware of the impact of childhood, racial, and intergenerational trauma on youth development as well as strategies to promote resilience and stability. You can develop and lead creative diversion interventions when working with youth facing intersectional barriers. You demonstrate an understanding of issues relating to youth homelessness and the barriers youth face in attaining and maintaining their housing, as well as an understanding of the broader housing sector in Peel.
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The leadership. You are a demonstrated leader with excellent communication, presentation, organization and interpersonal skills and have a passion for supporting the most vulnerable and marginalized youth in our community. You leverage relevant information and critical analysis to make informed decisions, tackling problems with urgency and energy. You are passionate about mobilizing individuals and teams to drive change and collaborating with partners and stakeholders at all levels to build consensus.
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The ethical drive. You hold yourself to high moral standards, have a strong character and exercise sound judgment even in the most challenging situations. You are a champion of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, specifically focusing on Anti-Black Racism. You are thoughtful in your choices and reflective in your guidance and practice, fostering learning, promoting innovation and introducing change for the better. You accept responsibility for decisions and actions and achieve results utilizing accountability strategies with staff.
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You have flexibility to work in a 24-hour, 7 days a week operation, while supporting an on-call rotation.
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You possess a valid Ontario’s full G Driver’s Licence is required, with a clean driver’s abstract.
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A $2,000,000 minimum liability car insurance coverage is also mandatory.
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Must be able to travel and support youth in the community and all Our Place Peel locations (local travel is required on a regular basis).
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You have valid CPI and/or UMAB and First Aid/ CPR certifications.
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You complete a successful Vulnerable Sector Check/Criminal Record Check as a condition of employment.
How to Apply:
If you are a compassionate, highly motivated and results-oriented individual, with a passion for supporting youth, please send your updated resume and cover letter by clicking "Apply Now". We thank all applicants for their interest in Our Place Peel. We thank everyone that applies. Only qualified candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
Our Place Peel is an equal opportunity employer. Accommodations for disabilities will be provided to support participation in all aspects of the recruitment process upon request.
We are dedicated to providing an atmosphere free from barriers in order to promote equity, inclusivity and diversity. We celebrate and welcome the diversity of all employees!
DISCLAIMER
This job posting is general in nature and is not designed to contain or to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Vacancy: Current Opening
