Position Description

From 2002, Why Not City Missions has served the community of Brantford, Ontario, meeting the needs of the most vulnerable.  In a safe and inclusive environment, we seek to eliminate barriers and foster the social development, personal growth and empowerment of homeless and at-risk youth in Brantford.

Why Not City Missions serves youth ages 13-25.  Our mission is to Empower Youth through Relationship and our vision is that Brantford’s youth would have the support they need to thrive in their potential and purpose. 

We have been on a consistent growth track for several years. In 2019, the youth centre went from being open just four evenings to seven evenings a week. In 2021, we started tackling the issue of youth homelessness directly by launching Why Not Youth Housing and opening our first supportive home for young men, Charlie’s Place. In the same year, we established our youth church program, called Encounter, as a safe place for youth to explore faith, ask real questions, and find encouragement and hope.  In 2022, we opened a new supportive home for young parents (SHYP).

We use team mentorship and a responsive trauma-informed programming approach to youth services.  The youth who attend Why Not have a few things in common: almost all live in poverty, most only have contact with one or fewer of their parents, and even fewer have a safe, consistent place to live. Some of the other challenges that plague our teen community members are bullying, substance dependency, mental illness, unplanned pregnancies, criminal activity, abuse, poverty, lost identification, and dropping out of school.

Why Not City Missions is a multi-service, Christian faith-based, non-profit organization. As such, it is important that our management team share our beliefs and values.

We are currently interviewing for the following openings:

Program & Case Manager

• 32-35 hours
• Location: Charlie’s Place

We are looking for someone to learn, embrace and implement the program at Charlie’s place who has life experience and a passion for empowering young men to change their paths. We’re looking for a quick learner who has a heart for service and a love for God. This will be your chance to use your skills to help support both the young men that we serve at Charlie’s Place and the dedicated people we work with. If you love leading and encouraging others and have a strong attention to detail, we want to hear from you.

Position Overview: 

Reporting to the Executive Director of Why Not City Missions, we seek an individual who will be passionate about our culture and mission, servant leadership, and building relationships with our youth.  The perfect candidate will be a personable, organized, and effective communicator who works well independently and can lead a team.   

This role has the potential to be between 32-35 hours weekly, based on mutual discussion on goals, suitability and availability of the candidate and how they may best meet the needs of the organization.

The successful candidate will be confident, considerate of the needs of others, and a regular attendee of a local church. They ideally will have completed post-secondary education in a field related to social work (BSW, SSW, CYW, CYC, Addictions and Mental Health, etc.), or have experience in similar fields.

Responsibilities:

Program Oversight

• Provide programming oversight to CP, ensuring clients are equipped, resourced, and supported in a way that empowers them to meet their goals
• Ensure that CP operates in a way that is consistent with Why Not City Mission’s Mission, Vision, and Culture
• Together with the Executive Director, develop and regularly revise policies and procedures, program application and agreements, intake forms, and client manual
• Oversees the budget line for program expenses

Team Leadership: 

• Provide leadership to the team of Client Support Workers such that they work seamlessly in support of clients’ in all areas
• Train all program-related staff and volunteers in CP processes and communication
• Conduct regular team meetings with client support staff and volunteers or placement students
• Hold 1:1 meetings monthly with regular client support staff
• Identify training needs for staff
• Communicate and coordinate client goals, program participation, and progress with the team.  Ensure all staff are well-informed about how to best support each client in the house.
• SLACK: Report on daily happenings; Highlight successes or concerns related to client behaviour, progress, or decisions.  Communicate anything that will be needed by other staff in order to continue seamless continuity of care within the home.
• Record keeping: maintain a visitor log for guests to the facility

Client Care

• Interview clients / complete intake with oversight and guidance from Executive Director
• On call:  On a rotating basis, cover weekends for serious issues or staff questions.
• Authority: During the daytime and when on call, you are the final voice of authority within the house.  Decisions made during the day with respect to client schedule/discipline/etc. to be communicated and followed through by other staff. 
• Conduct bi-weekly room inspections or as needed for each client

Programming:

• Responsible for design and implementation of program within the home
• Set schedule for the clients’ daytime programming 
• Set reasonable goals with clients with the ultimate goal of transition preparation to stage two, semi-independent housing
• Craft a plan with the client for accomplishing goals in a timely manner
• Review and update goals about every other month to adjust/track/celebrate
• Identify and schedule appropriate program supports to help clients achieve goals (1:1 with you, program support staff or volunteers, outside service providers etc.)
• Maintain thorough, up-to-date client records
• Use Case Management Sheets (online) for client records

Facility: 

• Ensure safety and well-being of clients when on shift, mitigate any emerging concerns
• Ensure that access to the facility is limited to clients, staff, authorized visitors and service providers
• Coordinate with housing partners for any facility repairs or maintenance issues. 

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of work experience, including involvement in working with youth
• Post-secondary education preferred
• Experience working at a Christian organization is an asset
• Proven leadership skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Passion for youth mentorship and skills development
• Ability to form positive, meaningful relationships 
• Ability to work in a busy, dynamic environment
• CPR/First Aid, ASIST are assets