Title: Community Developer

Reports to: Manager – Community Development

Location: CUPS 1001 10 Ave SW

Calgary, Alberta T2R 0B7

Organization:

Resilience for Life. Through integrated programs and services, CUPS builds resilient lives for Calgarians facing the challenges of poverty and trauma. We’re innovators and trailblazers in our sector. Far from a traditional charity, CUPS is a science-based organization that is defining a new approach to the social challenges of poverty and trauma. We change the lives of low-income and homeless Calgarians by addressing the root causes of their challenges. Using science, we address trauma, manage adversity, and build lifelong resilience that spans generations. We address the past and improve the present – because that’s how we’ll change the future.

Position Summary:

This is a Permanent, Full-Time (1.0 FTE) role available immediately.

The Community Developer will aid in long term housing stabilization through natural community supports vs. traditional case management. Tenants form a Community within the building itself and eventually integrates into the Community at large. The Community Developer will help tenants begin to treat their apartments as homes and develop an increased level of respect for their property. The Community Developer will be responsible for building and mentoring Tenant Boards within 4 distinct housing properties owned and operated by Homespace Society, with a total of 177 units which are a mix of singles and families all either formerly homeless or at high risk of becoming homeless. Each building contains a Resource Center and a full time Community Developer skilled in both program design and systems navigation.

As the rent for tenants is subsidized as per their income or core shelter allowance, the Community Developer is responsible for income testing tenants every year or if income level changes.

The Community Developer is also expected to have a solid understanding of Community Resources available to support a wide variety of participant needs. While the tenant’s housing situation is supported, they will still require the Community Developer’s assistance in connecting with appropriate social supports.

The Community Developer will report on the progress of community being developed within these buildings, liaise with Homespace Housing Liaison to ensure they are adequately resourced for day to day operations, screen new tenants, and implement building safety. The Community Developer will also ensure that participant information is collected and properly administrated into the correct databases to ensure accurate reporting of outcomes, and follow up with landlord and tenants to ensure financial accountability is mandated.

Responsibilities (but not limited to):

• Managing the Resource Centre and hosting programming within the Resource Center, including the formation of a Tenant Board
• Encourage and promote tenant involvement through flyers, door knocking, and one on one conversations to gain tenant proposals and feedback on CUPS designed programming with support (materials and encouragement)
• Ensure that tenants attend CUPS volunteer orientation program and aid in the facilitation of tenant run programming in the Resource Center without staff presence to foster a sense of community between the tenants
• Provide on-going support to sustain housing by providing an ethical, efficient, and holistic approach to dealing with connecting to the wider community in a timely manner.
• Maintain complete client files as directed by the Program Manager and maintain data integrity within ETO and HMIS
• Liaise with volunteers, community associations, churches, and community agencies, and collaborating with Community Liaison Officers to develop program and resources for tenants to build residential capacity
• Responsible for systems navigation to access relevant resources and supports through advocacy, referrals, etc., through community agencies and businesses to fulfill program needs
• In charge of figuring out transportation solutions for tenants

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Social Sciences degree with at least two years experience working vulnerable populations.
• Team Player
• Ability to assume initiative, engage in independent thinking, and decision-making skills are vital.
• Demonstrates an ability to support the CUPS mission statement in their work.
• Demonstrate support for the philosophy of participant involvement in program development.
• Strong knowledge of social services organizations and community support that provide culturally sensitive supports to singles
• Ability to provide own transportation to implement home visits
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Awareness of diverse Aboriginal cultures
• Awareness of health and social issues faced by high-risk singles
• Responsible for delivering quality reports based on cased documentation study
• Flexibility with hours of work
• Responsible for compiling documentation for CUPS yearly annual report.

Thank you for your interest, but only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Please include both a cover letter and a resume with your application, along with your salary expectations.