Street Outreach Worker

Street Outreach Worker

Outreach Department

Onsite, Downtown, Toronto

Full Time, Permanent

Level 7

Requisition Number: DIO-2026-003

Covenant House helps youth ignite their potential and reclaim their lives. As Canada’s largest agency serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk, we offer the widest range of services to hundreds of young people every day.

More than a place to stay, we provide life-changing care with unconditional love and respect. We meet youth’s immediate needs and then we work together to achieve their future goals. We offer 24/7 crisis shelter transitional housing options on-site and, in the community, health and well-being support, training and skill development, and ongoing care once youth move into the community.

For over 40 years, Covenant House has been dedicated to its mission of serving youth on the street and to protect and safeguard all youth with absolute respect and unconditional love. Since 1982, Covenant House has supported more than 100,000 young people.

Overview

Street Outreach Workers engage directly with youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness by meeting them in community settings such as streets, encampments, and drop-in centers. This role focuses on building trust through trauma-informed and harm reduction approaches, providing immediate support for basic needs and crisis stabilization, and connecting youth to emergency shelter, health care, and other essential services. Outreach Workers act as a bridge to long-term solutions, including housing, education, and social inclusion, while maintaining strong professional boundaries and prioritizing safety.

We are currently recruiting for 1 Full-time, Permanent Street Outreach Worker. This is a new roles within the organization.

Responsibilities

Direct service

• Conduct street outreach in encampments, adult shelters and drop-in programs, and other areas where unhoused young people gather.
• Identify and engage youth in need build trusting relationships while using trauma informed practice and harm reduction approach, and maintaining positive and professional boundaries
• Provide basic needs, food, clothing, hygiene and crisis interventions while working in community spaces
• Provide harm reduction tools such as naloxone kits to young people.
• Engage young people who are living in encampments and other areas where young people experiencing homelessness gather or live.
• Assess youth’s needs for food an provide meals, and food packages in accordance with the safe food handling practices
• When necessary, de-escalate physically and verbally hostile situations
• Provide ongoing support to young people in the community with system navigation and crisis support
• Support young people with accessing external services (e.g., housing, emergency shelter, obtaining their legal identification).
• Assessing young people for potential referrals for support from other CHT programs (e.g., housing, employment, mental health counselling, family and natural supports counselling) or other community services that offer timely and appropriate support.
• Engage with local businesses and maintain a good relationship within the catchment area
• With support from program leadership, provide enhanced services during extreme cold and extreme heat alerts
• Follow CHT’s harm reduction protocols when in community and onsite (this includes administering naloxone to people who have overdosed or are suspected to have overdosed.
• Situational awareness for unpredictable/unknown environments.
• Other duties assigned in accordance with Covenant House Toronto

Community Partnerships

• Collaborate with community partners to ensure young people have time and appropriate referrals to external programs/supports
• Consult with outreach partners to ensure
• Maintain current information on programs and services offered by community partners.
• Engage with local businesses in the catchment area to ensure CHT’s Good Neighbour Policy is followed.

Administrative

• Implement Covenant House philosophy, mission statement, and policies as they relate to disconnected, homeless, and hard-to-serve youth.
• Maintain daily and monthly documentation on the ETO platform.
• Engage in regular supervision meetings with a supervisor
• Engage in team meetings (both program, department, and all staff)
• Complete fund requests as needed according to their youth's needs -ie. change of housing and payment to landlords
• Participate in program evaluations by completing ETO and outcome tools.
• Submit/ complete reports as required, including daily, monthly, and semi-annual reports and year-end

Organizational activities

• Participation in internal and external committees
• Other additional duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Diploma in Child & Youth Work or Social Work, or a Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., Social Work)
• 2–3 years supporting vulnerable youth (homelessness, housing instability, mental health, addictions, trauma)
• Experience with community-based or street outreach (streets, shelters, drop-ins)
• Strong understanding of youth development and relationship-building
• Ability to engage youth with empathy, active listening, and a non-judgmental approach
• Experience identifying mental health and concurrent disorder concerns and connecting youth to supports
• Comfortable responding to crises, including de-escalation and safety planning
• Familiarity with risk assessment (self-harm, unsafe environments)
• Training in CPR, non-violent crisis intervention (UMAB or equivalent) is an asset
• Commitment to harm reduction and trauma-informed practice
• Experience administering naloxone and responding to overdoses
• Knowledge of housing, income supports, mental health services, and community resources
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams and community partners
• Comfortable navigating systems and advocating for youth-centred solutions
• Strong commitment to anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and social justice-based practice
• Experience with documentation and case management systems (e.g., ETO)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 and standard office equipment
• Able to work independently in dynamic, unpredictable environments
• Valid driver’s licence preferred, but not required

Don’t meet every requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet all qualifications. If you are excited about the role but your resume doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the description, apply anyway. You may still be the right candidate for this or other roles.

What we Offer

• Meaningful work.
• Competitive compensation.
• Benefits such as Health, Dental, Vision, Personal Days, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement and more.
• Employee perks which include discounts on gym membership, city bike rentals, auto & home insurance and more.

Interested candidates are welcome to apply directly to this posting on or by October 20, 2026 . Only those selected to move forward in our recruitment process will be contacted. No agencies or phone calls please.

Use of AI and Technology in the Hiring Process

Covenant House Toronto does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to make or inform hiring decisions. However, we do use an external applicant tracking system (ATS) to help manage applications efficiently.

While our ATS may apply automated filters or sorting functions, all applications are reviewed and evaluated by human recruiters. No hiring decisions are made by AI.

Commitment to Equitable Recruitment

At Covenant House Toronto we believe in a workplace culture of inclusion that is welcoming, respectful and safe for all staff. It is critical to Covenant House Toronto success to eliminate barriers and promote the inclusion of equity groups. Equity groups have been, and continue to be, underrepresented and marginalized in the workforce, leadership roles, and in some specific occupations. Equity groups include but may not be limited to Indigenous persons, racialized people, gender diverse people, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities.

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Covenant House Policy on Accommodation, a request for accommodation will be accepted as part of the Covenant House recruitment process.