Community Crisis Intervention Worker, Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) Project

Position Title: Community Crisis Intervention Worker, TCCS Project, full-time, fixed-term

Reports to: Project Manager, TCCS

Salary: $63,609 per annum, with comprehensive benefits package

Employment end date: December 31, 2025, with possibility of extension

Background: Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) is a community safety and crisis support service program operated by service partners across Toronto. Gerstein Crisis Centre is the anchor for the downtown project. In July 2024, services will expand to include geographies east, west, and south of the downtown core.

Gerstein Crisis Centre (GCC) believes strongly that a model in which the earliest intervention for mental health needs is provided by a mental health worker, rather than the police service, can provide opportunities to access the services people want and need to leverage help sooner, while reducing stigma, discrimination, and unnecessary police involvement. Our experience over the past three decades has demonstrated that this early intervention can put needed supports in place and often avoid unnecessary interactions with emergency services such as hospitals and police. Gerstein Crisis Centre involvement in TCCS builds on our many years of experience and our commitment to continue to collaborate, partner, and ally with others across the city to create a strengths-based, integrated, accessible, community based, anti-racist and socially just crisis response system.

Job Summary: The Community Crisis Intervention Worker (CCIW) provides crisis intervention, de-escalation, crisis management and follow-up services and referrals to individuals in the community who are experiencing mental health and/or substance use crisis. The CCIW will work collaboratively with community members to provide help and assistance that is adapted to diverse needs and includes diversion away from unnecessary police or medical emergency response.

Successful applicants will have:

• three – five years of experience working in community mental health, crisis intervention, substance use specific services or experience in a related field;
• a broad understanding of all of the factors that impact an individual’s mental health and well-being including the social determinants of health, trauma, poverty and homelessness;
• a demonstrated capacity to provide crisis intervention and utilize de-escalation strategies and interventions;
• a demonstrated ability to provide suicide risk assessment and interventions using the ASIST model;
• a demonstrated ability to work with issues related to substance use and concurrent disorders within a harm reduction framework;
• a demonstrated understanding of issues related to involvement in the Mental Health and Justice System;
• a demonstrated ability to adapt interventions to ensure equity, access, and accommodation;
• a demonstrated commitment to working through an Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppression, Trauma informed lens
• a demonstrated ability to provide and adapt interventions to a diverse client group including Persons with Disabilities, Black, Indigenous, Racialized, LGBTQI2S+ and Neurodiverse communities;
• an extensive working knowledge of community supports available in the City of Toronto;
• a demonstrated capability to be flexible and to work under pressure;
• a demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team;
• a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with clients, community partners and service providers and make appropriate use of resources;
• a demonstrated understanding of issues related to involvement in the Mental Health and Justice System;
• a current and working knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Mental Health Act and P.H.I.P.A.;
• strong organizational and time-management skills
• strong oral and written communication skills in English
• a demonstrated ability to navigate multiple computer and communication systems;
• A valid Ontario ‘G’ Driver’s License

Primary duties and responsibilities:

• Provide timely and appropriate telephone and in-person crisis intervention to individuals and families including assessment, de-escalation and conflict mediation when needed;
• Provide transportation support to shelter or community supports when needed. This may include accompaniment in crisis vehicle or provision of TTC or taxi when appropriate;
• Exercise sound judgement in crisis and/or emergency situations, requesting support of Emergency Services if required;
• Provide suicide intervention if required;
• Provide follow-up crisis management for a period of 3 months post crisis contact. This may include referral to substance use and wellness supports, housing support and referral, psychiatric assessment where indicated and wellness checks;
• Work collaboratively with clients to identify, develop and fulfill the goals they identify as meaningful and relevant;
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and leadership and within a team environment;
• Work collaboratively with community partners including mental health, substance use, geriatric crisis and mental health and justice initiatives in order to maximize support of the client, ease movement through systems and help to create pathways to recovery goals;
• Arrange follow-up, linkages and referrals to appropriate resources;
• Support clients with system navigation;
• Actively participate in GCC’s data collection and analysis by documenting client interactions as per established policy and protocols;
• Participate in team meetings, reflective practice sessions, internal and external trainings, as required;
• Fulfill duties and responsibilities of Access Facilitator from time to time, as required.

Please note:

• This position will involve working a rotating shift schedule that will include days, evenings, overnights, and weekend shifts.
• Work will include travel in the community locations across service geographies
• We are particularly interested in hearing from individuals who represent the cultural diversity of Toronto including, Black and Indigenous, LGBTQI2S+ individuals and those with lived experience of the mental health system.
• All GCC employees are required to provide proof of full vaccination for COVID-19

Please send cover letter and resume to: jobs@gersteincentre.org

Gerstein Crisis Centre is committed to equity in employment and to upholding the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005 (AODA) in all its practices and policies. We will provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities at all stages of the hiring process. If you are a person who requires accommodation under the OHRC or AODA during the hiring process, please request in writing to admin@gersteincentre.org.