Job Title: Urban Indigenous Safety Navigator
Program: Our Circle is Strong & Women's Mobile Primary Care
Wages: $28.00/hour

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30–4:30 (Tuesdays and Wednesdays required)
Location: 449 East Hastings St. Vancouver, BC V6A 1P5

Status: Part Time (16–32 hours/week), term* to March 31 2024
* term to be extended based on available funding

Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society (VAHS) is a not-for-profit organization located in the Downtown Eastside community for over 30 years. VAHS programs are designed by and for urban Aboriginal people to promote physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Our services include a Primary Care Clinic, a Dental Clinic, a cultural team of Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and Indigenous Early Years programs. 

ABOUT THIS POSITION

The Urban Indigenous Safety Navigator (UISN) will provide administrative and advocacy supports to help VAHS clients meet their day-to-day and urgent needs, such as securing food or housing, accessing services, or applying for government benefits. With a focus on supporting Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people, the UISN will assist clients who often have to navigate complex and culturally unsafe systems when trying to meet their basic needs or seek justice/safety from gender-based violence.

The UISN will also provide services as part of VAHS's Women's Mobile Primary Care program, which delivers low-barrier, culturally safe care to women in the Downtown Eastside community.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Women's Mobile Primary Care Program

  • Connect and engage women in the community to help them feel physically, emotionally, and culturally safe in accessing Primary Care services
  • Provide case management services, including file documentation and progress reports
  • Collaborate with existing and new community partners, who primarily serve homeless women, to identify outreach sites and support the implementation of the program
  • If able, drive the WMPC van to sites within the Downtown Eastside and Vancouver area

Our Circle is Strong Cultural Program

  • Assists clients with safety planning, applying for government services, or meeting basic needs such as adequate housing, food security, health care, and cultural/community resources
  • Performs administrative tasks to help meet the self-determined needs and goals of each client
  • Advocates for clients when accessing supports outside of VAHS
  • Supports the OCIS team with planning, setting up, delivering, and concluding daily activities
  • Other related duties or outreach services, as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS

  • At least one (1) year of experience in a related position, such as community outreach, social work, case management, program support, or other social service roles
  • A combination of work, volunteer, education, and lived experience will be considered

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

  • Knowledge of local and provincial health, social, and community resources
  • Comfort with outreach duties, which may include work outside of regular hours, commuting to/with clients, accompanying clients to appointments, and/or setting up services at various partner sites within the Downtown Eastside
  • Experience delivering trauma-informed supports to people facing barriers to safety, health, and wellness (including but not limited to poverty, homelessness, addictions, gender-based violence, grief and loss, and the ongoing impacts of colonialism)
  • Working knowledge of harm reduction, cultural safety, and case management principles
  • Experience working with Indigenous peoples, structurally vulnerable women, and/or residents of the Downtown Eastside are strong assets
  • Able to perform the physical requirements of the role, including but not limited to walking, standing, and setting up tables/chairs
  • Basic ability to use the Internet, electronic filing systems, and Microsoft Office programs
  • A valid BC driver’s license is considered a strong asset

VAHS encourages all people with relevant professional, grassroots, education, and/or lived experience to apply, even if they do not meet all of the points listed. We look for people who are committed to ongoing learning and development, and we will train the successful candidate. 

Due to the cultural nature of the role and its intentions to address gender-based violence in our community, this position is intended for Indigenous women (trans-inclusive) and Two-Spirit people, in alignment with Section 41 of the BC Human Rights Code. In your cover letter, please self-identify at your comfort level.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application or questions about this posting to: [email protected]
ATTN: Marlee Poole, Policy and Innovation Manager
Email Subject Line: UISN Application

Closing Date: Open until filled

All VAHS job applications require a resume and a cover letter; please submit both in PDF format. Successful candidates will be required to complete a vulnerable sector Criminal Record Check.

VAHS thanks all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

The information in this job posting is subject to change, consistent with operational requirements and the provision of the BCGEU Collective Agreement and applicable statutes.