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Home » CMHA Kelowna

Associate Director, Housing & Homelessness Services

April 6, 2021 By Jessica Samuels Leave a Comment

The Associate Director of Housing & Homelessness Services (ADH&HS) is an integral part of the CMHA Kelowna leadership team helping us to realize our vision of a mentally healthy community by building homes, building lives and building community. We are an innovative, fast moving, pragmatic, compassionate organization, and a leader in the social services sector. Being a part of our team means: you are driven, creative and organized, passionate, and experienced.

The ADH&HS provides overall coordination and leadership to the CMHA Kelowna Housing & Homelessness Services staff and ensures that our programs are person-centered, recovery focused, and that staff are supported to succeed and excel. The Associate Director provides leadership in the development, planning, coordination, operation, and evaluation of all programs and services within the Housing & Homelessness Services portfolio. This includes more than 200 units of supportive housing in 5 sites, 1 affordable housing apartment building, and approximately 100 units of affordable housing throughout the community plus an amazing team of individuals who work hard at the front line to make life better for our residents and clients.

We have had a big year of growth and we need a seasoned professional to help make sure the little things are not missed, while keeping a keen on the broader vision to take us to the next level.  Are you a master of time management? Can you efficiently assess and address competing priorities? Do you find yourself constantly trying to make things even better? Are you interested in taking something from good to great?  Fantastic, we want to hear from you.

The portfolio currently includes:

  • Supportive Housing – Willowbridge, Heath House, Gordon Place, Ellis Place (complex care), McCurdy Place (recovery orientation)
  • Scattered-Site Housing
  • Housing First, Rapid Re-Housing, Homelessness Prevention & Diversion
  • Homeless Outreach
  • Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) and Benvoulin Youth Housing Project
  • Rent Bank 

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Leadership – in the planning, organization, and direction of the CMHA Kelowna Housing & Homelessness Services;
  • Human Resources/Personnel relations – contribute to the professional development of new and experienced team leaders and staff. Ensure program staff are valued and supported to reach their potential and serve the organizational mission and values;
  • Vision – support and promote a dynamic team of staff who provide first class, positive and recovery oriented services and supports where respect, diversity, responsibility and creativity are promoted;
  • Evaluation – all program/services and personnel receive regular and consistent evaluation and feedback;
  • Community Development – represent the organization and promote community awareness of the services delivered through Housing & Homelessness Services by maintaining positive contact with other groups, services and agencies in the community and province. 

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:     

  1. Human Resource Leadership:
  • Ensure Operational Policy and Procedure Manuals are up to date and implemented;
  • Supervision – ensure regular, documented performance/progress reviews;
  • Foster and maintain effective communications, collaboration and support within CMHA Kelowna staff and programs;
  • Provide leadership and promote the values of the Association through effective planning, implementation and evaluation of priorities within their area of responsibility;
  1. Program Management:
  • Ensure contracted programs adhere to and exceed the funder’s contracted goals and objectives and report on these as required;
  • Evaluation – regular review of program direction, goals and objectives through satisfaction surveys with staff, program participants, family/friends, service providers in the community, funders; file reviews, process reviews;
  • Information Management – provide leadership in ensuring consistent processes for collection of information for staff, participant/resident files, information measuring outcomes and expectations;
  1. Program Development and Coordination:
  • In conjunction with the Director of Service Delivery & Program Innovation, develop funding proposals for new programs and services within their area of responsibility consistent with the organizations mission, vision and strategic directions.
  • Financial and Budget leadership – support program staff to be aware of program budget, spending and reporting.
  • Lead the coordination and integration of services within their respective area of responsibility. 
  1. Community Development:
  • Build and expand upon relationships with community agencies, funders, business and the general community to further the work of CMHA Kelowna;
  • Create opportunities for collaboration within the community;
  • Participate on key committees and working groups as required;
  • Establish opportunities for relevant community based research initiatives. 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (social/human services, management, leadership);
  • Minimum 5 years of experience in a management role, including 3+ years in senior leadership role;
  • Direct experience in the housing and homelessness sector, with a well-rounded understanding of current best practices and the evidence base in serving individuals experiencing, or at-risk of, homelessness;
  • Experience in non-profit sector an asset;
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with proven ability to communicate effectively with general public, program participants, family members, funders, volunteers and other community partners;
  • Outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills;
  • Demonstrated collaborative leadership style;
  • Ability to develop and manage budgets within operational parameters;
  • This is a management position, overtime may be required;
  • Ability to work flexible hours – some evening and weekends may be required;
  • Must have own vehicle;
  • Some travel required.

YOU ARE:

  • Flexible, adaptable, thrive in a fast paced environment;
  • Hungry for growth and challenge to keep you at the top of your game;
  • A team player who thrives on contributing to team success;
  • Results-driven and self-motivated. 

BENEFITS:

  • Dental Care
  • Extended Health Care
  • Vision Care
  • RRSP matching program
  • 3 weeks of vacation time
  • Generous sick time

To apply for this exciting role, please forward a cover letter and resume to John West, Human Resources Coordinator, at [email protected] by April 14th, 2021.

As an employer, CMHA Kelowna strives to create a workplace that respects and values all individuals, minimizes bias, and promotes the equity, diversity, and inclusion of different perspectives and ideas. At CMHA Kelowna, that means welcoming diversity in mental health, race, ethnicity, and culture. It also means diverse abilities, age, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, gender identities, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. These values are embedded in the work CMHA Kelowna does every day.

We appreciate and thank all applicants for their interest, however only short-listed candidates and those legally eligible to work in Canada will be contacted.

Filed Under: Careers Tagged With: Associate Director Housing and Homelessness Services, Associate Director jobs, CMHA, CMHA jobs, CMHA Kelowna, CMHA Kelowna jobs, Director jobs non-profit, mental health, mental health jobs, supportive housing jobs

Move for your Mood

March 18, 2021 By Jessica Samuels Leave a Comment

Move to improve your mental health

Before we talk about how to improve your mental health, let’s make sure we agree on what we’re talking about. At the Canadian Mental Health Association, we notice that people use the terms “mental health” and “mental illness” interchangeably, but really, they mean different things.

Mental illnesses are disturbances in thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that are severe enough to affect day-to-day functioning.[i] Some examples are anxiety disorders or major depression, and by age 40, about half of people in Canada will have or have had a mental illness.

Mental health, however, is a state of well-being, and we all have it. Some signs of good mental health are enjoying life, having a sense of purpose, and being able to manage life’s highs and lows.

One in five people in Canada will experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year.[ii] But five in five of us have mental health that needs to be protected and promoted.

The good news is, there are things we can all do to promote and protect our mental health, and they can be as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.

Move to feel well

You don’t need to run to get a runner’s high. Any aerobic activity, such as powerwalking to the grocery store, climbing a toboggan hill or doing jumping jacks in your basement pumps up endorphins and floods your brain with feel-good chemicals.

If you’re feeling tense or trapped by your always-on monkey brain, movement can be a form of meditation, too. Ever notice how you’ve forgotten the stresses of your day after a long walk?

People who exercise report feeling less stressed or nervous, and regular heart-pumping movement can reduce tension, fatigue and anger, and improve your mood, your self-esteem and your body image. For even greater benefits, get moving outdoors! Recent studies have found people report a higher level of vitality, enthusiasm and pleasure after they have walked outside.

Move to manage illness

In people with a diagnosed mental illness, such as depression, regular physical activity can even help treat your symptoms.[iii] In the short term, vigorous exercise that really gets your heart pumping can boost your mood after just 10 or 15 minutes.

And, if you get moving regularly, this trains your brain over time to help regulate your mood and can even relieve depression.

Ride the ups and downs of life

Remember: even if you don’t have a mental illness, that doesn’t mean you’ll feel great all the time. You might experience stress, a difficult life event, or burnout. Just like anyone can catch a cold or flu, everyone experiences the ups and downs of life.

So, there’s not just the one in five of us who have mental illnesses, and “the rest of us” who don’t. There is no rest of us. There is just us—all five in five. And regular physical activity can help all of us feel better, mentally and physically.

Are you looking for mental health services or supports in your own community? Visit www.cmha.ca to find your local CMHA. If you are thinking of suicide, please visit www.crisisservicescanada.ca or call 1-833-456-4566; in QC, call 1-866-APPELLE.

[i] Quick Facts: Mental Illness & Addiction in Canada. Mood Disorders Society of Canada

[ii] https://cmha.ca/fast-facts-about-mental-illness

[iii] https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-depression

This article was written for ParticipACTION’s Move for your Mood campaign and originally appeared on the CMHA National website

Filed Under: News Tagged With: CMHA, CMHA Kelowna, depression, exercise for depression, Kelowna, mental health, move for your mood

Now is the time for universal basic income

September 16, 2020 By Jessica Samuels Leave a Comment

When the covid-19 pandemic caused sudden and unprecedented job loss, Canada moved swiftly. The covid-19 economic recovery plan – of which the CERB is a part – provided temporary income support to workers who lost jobs due to the pandemic. In the process, it may have changed the way we think about income, job loss and poverty.

Canadians are now asking themselves, and their leaders: What if everyone had enough to live, all the time?

Enter an idea that has been circulating for a long time: the Universal Basic Income.

Here’s what it is:

The idea of a Universal Basic Income is to provide a no strings attached payment to all Canadians of working age to cover their basic needs. It would be a minimum income provided to everyone, rich or poor, employed or not, and funded by our progressive tax system.

The Canadian Mental Health Association has taken a position in support of the creation of this benefit. Here’s why:

Poverty has long been shown to negatively affect mental health. With a Universal Basic Income, poverty essentially disappears, and with it, the mental health effects of being poor. At the same time, having an adequate income actually protects health — both mental health and physical health – and increases our quality of life. Not surprisingly, health-care costs would be expected to plummet and so, too, would hospitalizations related to mental health.

There is a big mental health case to be made for this old idea, and CMHAs across the country are making it. Maybe it’s an idea whose time has come. You can read the CMHA’s statement calling for a Universal Basic Income here.

*This article originally appeared on the CMHA National website

Filed Under: News Tagged With: CMHA Kelowna, CMHA National, mental health, UBI, Universal Basic Income

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