Awake Overnight Shelter Support Worker

Employment Type:  Full-Time, Permanent
Position Status: Vacant
Work Hours: 35 hours per week, Tuesday to Saturday 12:00 am to 8:00 am with on-call responsibilities)
Salary: $61,479 (L7) per annum, plus comprehensive benefits
Location: 348 Davenport Road Toronto, ON, M5R 1K6
Internal Application Deadline: Thursday, May 7, 2026

External Application Deadline : Monday, May 11, 2026

JOIN OUR TEAM
Join YWCA Toronto, where intersectional feminism, community voices, and social justice drive lasting change. We welcome women and gender diverse people of all identities into a workplace rooted in equity, collaboration, and inclusion

The Awake Overnight Shelter Support Worker works within a collaborative team to provide meaningful and relevant services within a theoretical feminist framework that includes a working knowledge of the dynamics and effects of trauma and oppression. They act as a resource to staff and clients and is responsible for providing a full range of services which includes crisis counselling, case management and the development, implementation and evaluation of workshops. The position shares in the responsibility of the overall health and safety of the building and will work in an open shelter/work environment without a dedicated office space.

ABOUT YWCA TORONTO – YWCA DAVENPORT
YWCA Davenport provides up to 80 emergency shelter beds to young women and gender diverse people (16 – 24 years of age) and adult women and gender diverse people (25 and older) and is staffed 24 hours a day. This pet friendly shelter is funded by the City of Toronto and adheres to Toronto Shelter Standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILTIES

• Applies knowledge of the issues of trauma and the dynamics of woman and gender diverse people abuse and homelessness to develop and implement effective support strategies;
• Completes risk assessments and safety plans;
• Models and coaches residents to use conflict resolution and mediation skills to support positive relations between residents;
• Provides supportive counselling to clients regarding their housing options; assesses clients’ housing needs through group sessions or in one to one interviews;
• Identifies tenancy support required and, in collaboration with the client, develops an individualized housing and tenancy support plan;
• Engages with the staff team in reflective practice, to ensure the development and implementation of quality programs and services;
• Contributes knowledge and expertise to team members to develop meaningful and relevant services for clients.

QUALIFICATIONS

• In-depth knowledge of an academic discipline normally acquired through completion of a supervised undergraduate degree (e.g. BSW); (Cases for Equivalency will be considered) ;

• An analytical framework that identifies clients' relation to social systems and the demonstrated practical application of this framework;
• Completion of workshops and courses pertaining to mental illness, trauma, harm reduction, crisis de-escalation and anti-oppressive practice;
• 3-5 years’ experience in counselling and group work focused on clients at risk and/or homeless women;
• Completion of Toronto Hostel’s Training Certificate (T.H.T.C.) or equivalent;
• Demonstrated knowledge of harm reduction principles and practice;
• Demonstrated knowledge of community resources and supports focused on mental health and group support;
• In-depth knowledge of the dynamics of woman abuse and trauma within an anti-oppression framework;
• Demonstrated experience in the development, delivery and evaluation of workshops and groups;
• Experience delivering culturally sensitive services in a multicultural environment;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Knowledge and understanding of mental health, substance use/addictions, advocacy, refugee and immigration issues and homelessness;
• Life Skills Certificate an asset;
• A certificate in trauma counselling would be an asset;
• Knowledge of a second language and/or culture would be an asset.

What we offer:

• Comprehensive Medical, Vision, and Dental Coverage
• Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Benefit
• Multi-Sector Pension Plan: Employer’s contribution of 5.75% and Employee Contribution of 3.25%
• Time off: Starts with 20 Vacation Days, 1.5 Days Per Month Sick Leave, 12 Paid Holidays, Health Promotional Days and 4 Float Days
• Other Benefits: Child Care Benefits, Maternity/Parental Leave Supplementary Employment Benefits, Educational/Sabbatical Leave, and Financial Assistance for Professional Development

Please note: A vulnerable sector police reference check is required by the successful candidate prior to hiring. YWCA Toronto is a unionized workplace. Staff are represented by CUPE Local 2189. This position is within the Bargaining Unit. Please indicate on your cover letter if you are an internal candidate. For internal applicants this position is secondable.

Posting Date: April 28, 2026

 

YWCA Toronto transforms lives. As the city’s largest multi-service women’s organization, we help women and gender diverse people escape violence, move out of poverty and access safe, affordable housing.

We work tenaciously to break down barriers that hold women and gender diverse people back from achieving equality.

Vaccination Policy: In accordance with YWCA Toronto’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy, all YWCA Toronto employees, students and volunteers are strongly encouraged to obtain all COVID-19 vaccinations and booster doses as recommended by Toronto Public Health

Please note: A vulnerable sector police reference check is required by the successful candidate before hiring.

YWCA Toronto promotes the principles of anti-oppression and adheres to the tenets of the Ontario Human Rights Code. We encourage applications from women and gender-diverse people of all races, ethnic origins, religions, abilities and sexual orientations.

YWCA Toronto provides accommodation during all parts of the hiring process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. If contacted, please advise us if you require any accommodation. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

YWCA Toronto may use AI-supported tools to assist with parts of the recruitment process; all hiring decisions are made by people and guided by our commitment to equity and fairness.

YWCA Toronto is a Scent-Sensitive Workplace.