Senior Manager, Youth Transitional Housing and Shelter Program – Job Posting 1453

September 18, 2024

YouthLink believes in the potential of every youth. We are dedicated to providing them with the support, guidance and opportunities they need to make positive life choices. We provide youth with brief and ongoing counselling, in-home wraparound support, shelter, housing, educational support, and safe drop-in spaces.  YouthLink works towards equitable outcomes for youth in our community and, as such, is committed to equity-based hiring practices. 

We welcome applications from candidates who reflect the communities we serve, particularly candidates from Black communities, Indigenous communities, and racialized people, persons with disabilities, members of diverse gender identities and people with lived experiences.  We are seeking candidates who demonstrably operate and practice from an equity and trauma-informed lens.  We encourage applications from passionate professionals who will help us dismantle systemic barriers and will embrace working outside of Euro-centric practices.

YouthLink Benefits are Top of Class!

  • Competitive pay
  • *Annual vacation with pay at 1.66 working days for each calendar month to a maximum of 20 working days per year.
  • *5 ‘authorized absence’ days for family illness or emergency circumstances that prohibit employees from reporting to work.
  • *3 paid agency days every calendar year after 3 calendar months’ service.
  • Maternity / parental /adoption leave top-up payments (to top-up Canadian government unemployment benefit payments).
  • Eligibility to participate in pension plan after 2 years of continuous service with generous matching contribution from employer.

*(pro-rated for part-time employees according to the employee’s full-time equivalency (FTE))

Senior Manager, Youth Transitional Housing and Shelter Program

 (Temporary, Full-time 35 hours per week)

MAT Leave Contract starting ASAP – March 2, 2026.

Non-Bargaining Unit Position

This position is responsible for managing all the functions within the Transition Housing and Shelter including planning, recruitment, supervision and training of staff and managers, ensuring an effective shelter team, managing the provision of service, handling client issues and crises and ensuring all safety policies and procedures are in place and well monitored.

Works with the City of Toronto to ensue youth in the shelter system have optimal outcomes by providing intense case management and programming.

Highlights of Your Role

Funder Applications, Monitoring and Reporting

  • Seeks funding opportunities, and actively participates in the building of program logic models and outcome indicators.
  • Monitors program impact progress and outcomes and completes progress reports to leadership team and funders.
  • Builds and monitors program budgets; meets with finance team and leadership team to adjust spending priorities.
  • Assists with funding proposals as needed.

Ensure excellence in data collection & reporting

  • Collaborates with Evaluation team to coordinate program evaluation needs for the program
  • Ensures data integrity, audits/troubleshoots data related processes within program database and internal spreadsheets
  • Developing a measurement framework, including fidelity measures, a data management system, regular reporting on both KPIs and system indicators, evaluation reports, data analysis for program and outcome evaluation, presentations to management ad Board, conducting evidence based research and addressing funder requirements.

Ensures the provisions of Community Engagement & Partnerships

  • Provides referral, liaison & service resolution
  • Establishment of a Peer Program, Afrocentric programming and housing, shared community programming
  • Development of community relations & outreach. 
  • Developing and maintaining partnership with private landlords and supportive housing providers.
  • Program logistics include developing formalized service partnerships to deliver programming, referrals, and development of community relations strategies, collaborating on joint community events, developing participant agreements with agencies and community partners to achieve optimal results. 

Models and Builds a Strong Workplace Culture

  • Builds and/or maintains team and organizational values that ensure a healthy work environment where everyone feels safe, supported, engaged and motivated.
  • Proactively and enthusiastically stays updated on best practices as it relates Equity, Diversity and Belonging and organizational development. 
  • Works collaboratively with ABR Committee and Director of Anti-Racism, Equity and Belonging to embed best practices into all programs, operational goals and processes.
  • Development and Implementation of the Agency’s Strategic Plan by participating in initiatives and committees to support the overall Plan.
  • Takes all reasonable and necessary precautions to protect his or her own health and safety and that of co-workers by complying and demonstrating knowledge of the policies, procedures and safe practices established by YouthLink.
  • Serve on the Health and Safety committee locally or for the agency as a whole. 

Operational Planning and Budgeting

  • Builds and implements a strong housing and programming operational plan and supporting budgets that will ensure youth in the shelter and housing system have optimal and equitable outcomes.
  • Continually manages organizational risk and opportunities; participates in the development and implementation of risk mitigation plans. 
  • Ensures full compliance with accreditation and all regulatory standards.
  • Builds program capacity through developing a staffing model, agreements, resourcing, hiring and assessing training needs. 
  • Manages the day to day operations of the YTHSP.  Works with staff on the development and implementation of the YTHSP. 
  • Ensures the provision of housing-focused case management, including triage, screening, assessment, individualized service planning, case conferencing, brokering, referrals and transition to follow-up.
  • Ensures that staff conduct intake assessments for shelter referrals including: screening clients to assess appropriateness and fit to our service; ensuring that all current and background information is recorded that might be relevant to the treatment matching and planning process; participates and collaborates on all program admission decisions; participates in weekly triage teleconferences with Centralized Access to Shelter Services.
  • Assesses effectiveness of counseling support and collaboratively alters approach to suit client needs.
  • Ensures that aftercare follow up with clients occurs to monitor and assist with post-discharge issues.
  • Ensures the provision of client programming to meet client needs and support the client’s journey to independent living. Programming may include recreation, employment, life skills, substance abuse recovery, harm reduction, and trauma counselling.  Client programming will be customized and tailored to client needs.
  • Embraces reflective learning and development to enhance all traits of leader character

Supports Organization’s Strategy:

Actively contributes to the Agency’s Strategic Plan by participating in initiatives and committees to support the overall Plan.

Takes all reasonable and necessary precautions to protect his or her own health and safety and that of co-workers by complying and demonstrating knowledge of the policies, procedures and safe practices established by YouthLink.

Highlights of What You Bring

Education:

  • Masters Degree or Bachelors Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Education, or related discipline.

Experience: 

  • Three (3) years demonstrated management experience including budgeting, planning, performance management, problem solving
  • Five (5) years’ experience working in the area of residential services, housing, or the shelter system
  • Experience or knowledge of case management, intake assessment and bed management; broad knowledge of theories, principles and practices of shelter and/or residential treatment is   required
  • Detailed understanding of the high-need, complex youth population, their needs and appropriate responses 
  • Knowledge and experience of how to apply clinical knowledge in the context of a residential program.
  • High level of administrative skills associated with the day to day operation of a residential or shelter service.
  • Knowledge of Scarborough community services, relevant legislation, education system, and social justice and other issues such as human trafficking, poverty, LBGTQI youth, youth justice, substance abuse.
  • Knowledge of City services particularly offered through shelter and support
  • Familiarity with suicide/risk assessment and crisis support services.
  • Proactively and enthusiastically stays updated on best practices as it relates Equity, Diversity and Belonging and organizational development. 
  • Works collaboratively with ABR Committee and Director of Anti-Racism, Equity and Belonging to embed best practices into activities, operational goals and processes. 

Skills:

  • Ability to multi task in a very busy team environment
  • Ability to work effectively both independently and as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
  • Excellent customer service, interpersonal skills, with demonstrated ability to work with clients and staff to ensure a welcoming, effective and efficient working environment. Able to respond to challenging behaviours calmly and professionally
  • Strong time management and organizational skills
  • Demonstrated knowledge of, and sensitive to, the impact of social, economic, environmental and cultural issues on diverse communities
  • High comfort working with homeless youth
  • Excellent written communication
  • Strong proficiency is Microsoft software applications
  • Ability to speak a second language spoken within the community an asset

Other Requirements:

  • Vulnerable Sector Police Check is required.

Salary:

YouthLink offers a comprehensive compensation package.

Full job description available here:  

https://youthlink.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Senior-Manager-YTHSP-JD-upated-Sept-17-2024.pdf

How to Apply:

  • Submit application to shelterposting@youthlink.ca Please quote posting #1453 in the subject line.
  • As an organization committed to equity and justice in our community, we believe lived experience and knowledge of equity, diversity, belonging and anti-Black racism is a critical component in our recruitment process.  If you have a disability and require accessibility accommodations with the application process, please contact accessibility@youthlink.ca
  • Application deadline is: Open Until Filled.