Internal/External Employment Opportunity
Position: Outreach Worker
Component/Team: CTS
Status: Casual contract until March 31st (No guaranteed hours)
Salary Scale: $27.05 - $32.58 hourly plus 8% vacation pay in lieu of benefits
Work Location: On-Site at 221 Nelson Street
Vacancy Status: This posting is for an existing vacancy
Start Date: Immediately
APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 2, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
Position Description:
The role of the Outreach Worker is to provide direct engagement and practical support to individuals who are street-involved, use substances, or face systemic barriers. Working within a harm reduction framework, the Outreach Worker helps minimize risks, promotes well-being, and facilitates access to health, housing, and social services. The Outreach Worker plays an integral role in building trust, offering basic needs supports, and contributing to improved health and social outcomes for participants in the Sandy Hill community.
Reporting Relationship:
The Outreach Worker is directly accountable to the Director of CTS Services, and receives guidance and coordination support from the Shift Lead – Outreach Worker. The Outreach Worker is accountable through the Director of CTS to the Chief Executive Officer.
Requirements
Skills, Education and Experience:
Requirements for this position include:
Education and Language
- College diploma in social services, addictions, mental health, or a related field.
- An equivalent combination of education and experience, including lived experience may be considered
- Non-Violent Crisis Intervention training is considered an asset
- Under the Centre’s designation to provide French Language Services:
- French (oral expression): Advanced
- French (oral comprehension): Advanced
- French (reading comprehension): Advanced
- Fluency in English, both oral and written
Professional Experience
- Two years of experience in community outreach or a front-line harm reduction role
- Experience supporting individuals facing homelessness, substance use, or mental health challenges
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- A patient, non-judgmental compassionate, client-centered approach to working with street-involved people, people who are HIV+ or who are at risk of becoming HIV+ and individuals facing homelessness, substance use, or mental health challenges
- Excellent active listening skills
- Knowledge of community resources in Ottawa
- Ability to work within a harm reduction framework
- Capacity to assess risk and respond to crises and in a therapeutic manner
- Ability to work under stress with multiple demands
- Ability to identify client service needs
- Commitment to equity, trauma-informed care, and culturally informed practice and cultural humility
- Ability to exercise sound judgement, and problem-solving skills
- Tact and diplomacy
- Ability to maintain relationships and act as an ambassador with a wide variety of stakeholders with divergent perspectives, including service participants, neighbours and emergency services including police
Hours of Work
- Outreach services operates from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. 7 days a week
Benefits
In lieu of benefits, 8% vacation pay is added to the hourly rate. We provide employees the opportunity to enroll in our Pension Plan (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan - HOOPP).
Conditions of Employment:
An offer of employment will be conditional upon the candidate completing a criminal reference check, verification of educational requirements for this position, and linguistic profile to the satisfaction of the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre.
Accommodation:
SHCHC will provide accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment process.
If at any stage in the selection process, you require accommodation due to disability, please let us know the nature of the required accommodation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclaimer:
We value transparency in our hiring process. Please note that artificial intelligence (AI) is not used to screen or evaluate resumes. All applications will be reviewed by qualified human recruiters.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those under consideration for the role will be contacted.