Position Title: Inreach Worker – Community Care and Peer Support Initiatives
Department: Community Programs
Position type: Full Time, Temporary (10 month contract, with possibility of extension)
Hours of work: 35 Hours Per Week
Position Summary
The Inreach Worker is a specialized frontline role within CMHA Calgary's Community Care and Peer Support Initiatives, providing purposeful support to individuals experiencing significant barriers to mental health, wellness, housing, and community services. Working primarily within the Welcome Centre, this position focuses on engaging individuals experiencing homelessness, housing instability, complex mental health concerns, substance use, trauma, and other intersecting challenges.
This role complements CMHA Calgary's Community Care model by providing expertise in complex-needs engagement, stabilization, coordinated support, and systems navigation. Working collaboratively with Peer Support Workers, the Community Navigator, and community partners, the Inreach Worker helps remove barriers to service, strengthens connections to community resources, and supports individuals in moving toward increased stability.
Reports to: Program Manager, Community Care and Peer Support Initiatives
Key service responsibilities and specific accountabilities
- Client engagement and complex support
- Build trusting, respectful relationships with individuals experiencing complex mental health, substance use, housing, and wellness challenges who may not otherwise access traditional mental health or community services.
- Complete holistic assessments to identify strengths, immediate needs, barriers, risks, and opportunities for stabilization, and develop individualized support plans that promote safety, wellness, recovery, and increased community connection.
- Provide interventions, emotional support, behavioural response, and de-escalation using trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and harm reduction approaches.
- Support individuals in accessing safe housing, healthcare, income and employment opportunities, legal resources, transportation, and other community services.
- Maintain collaborative relationships with healthcare providers, shelters, housing organizations, outreach teams, and other community partners, and coordinate warm handoffs to internal CMHA Calgary programs and external community agencies to ensure continuity of care.
- Promote client dignity, autonomy, self-determination, and culturally responsive care in every interaction.
- Contribute to a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and trauma-informed Welcome Centre environment, by working collaboratively with Peer Support Workers, the Community Navigator, and other interdisciplinary team members to ensure coordinated, person-centered service delivery.
- Participate in continuous improvement efforts by identifying emerging client needs, service gaps, and opportunities to strengthen service delivery.
- Organizational and professional responsibilities
- Maintain timely, accurate, and confidential documentation in accordance with agency standards.
- Collect program data and outcome measures to support evaluation, reporting, and continuous quality improvement.
- Participate in reflective practice, and ongoing professional development.
- Remain current on legislation, community resources, and best practices related to homelessness, mental health, substance use, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction.
- Uphold CMHA Calgary's commitment to recovery, equity, diversity, inclusion, reconciliation, and culturally responsive service delivery.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
And skills:
- Diploma or bachelor's degree in Social Work, Human Services, Community Rehabilitation, Psychology, Addictions Counselling, or a related discipline.
- Minimum three (3) years' experience supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, housing instability, severe and persistent mental illness, substance use, concurrent disorders, and other complex wellness challenges.
- Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NVCI), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Mental Health First Aid, and/or equivalent crisis and de-escalation intervention trainings are required.
- Lived experience of housing instability, substance use, and/or mental health concerns is considered a strong asset.
- Experience utilizing Outcomes Star or similar person-centred assessment and planning tools is considered a strong asset.
- Demonstrated knowledge and application of trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, de-escalation, harm reduction, and person-centred practices, including behavioural interventions and motivational interviewing.
- Strong understanding of Calgary's mental health, addiction, housing, healthcare, income and employment supports, justice, and community service structures, with experience navigating complex systems and coordinating services.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, advocacy, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish trust and engage individuals who may be reluctant to access formal supports.
- Professional judgement, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic environment.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within an interdisciplinary team.
- A deep commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, reconciliation, and culturally responsive and anti-oppressive practice.
Additional requirements
- This position is scheduled primarily in-person during weekdays, with some evening and occasional weekend shifts as required.
- Some local travel within Calgary may be required.
- This role requires a balance between client engagement, verbal communication, and computer-based work, and the ability to manage multiple and competing priorities.
Disclaimer
The above statements are not intended be a thorough list of all responsibilities, additional duties and tasks may be assigned.
You may be exposed to emotionally charged and high-stress situations. You must demonstrate resilience, sound judgment, emotional regulation, and the ability to maintain composure and professionalism under pressure.
CMHA Calgary operates CCTV equipment on its premises for safety and security purposes. All employees may be subject to video monitoring while on site.
CMHA Calgary is a smoke-free work environment, there may be occasional exposure to secondhand smoke from designated smoking areas nearby.
