case manager

case worker

support worker

youth worker

family support worker

Good Shepherd Centres

Core values at it's worst is how I describe the toxic work environment within this organization both Good Shepherd and Shelter Health Network. Boss after boss after boss, noone has your back. Depreciated and undervalued quickly after hire. Managers and Directors are clueless what your job description is. High turnover of staff. Noone cares! Mary's Place Manager filed a complaint against me for fighting to get an 82 year old woman off the street into a shelter when I was told she didn't qualify, she had no shelter!!!!! My own lead harrassed me and taunted all my coworkers to write up things on me to get me out the door. All because I was too good for this place and always put my patients and  clients first. My director knew of these allegations made it look like she stood by me. I WAS GIVEN A 5 STAR REVIEW with almost a 5.00/hr increase last Nov 2019 with a change of job title. Soon after I was 11 days short of 1 year probation and terminated abruptly with no cause because my new lead felt I was a threat. The position was demoted again so this proves to me how devalued this position is. I hope the new COO will investigate  into the problems and low values because the management  have none.  Mental health is badly affected within 6 months of working fir Good Shephard.

Patchwork management that doesn't know anything about what is happening on the front line. There are people on the "Leadership team" that don't even know the youth's names. Instead of hiring a proper Director they just tried to cover the job with another manager who should NEVER have been put in that role... she has no idea how to run an entire organization and the shelter has crumbled because of it. The Brothers should be ashamed of how Youth Services does not support any youth on the streets that management doesn't approve of. They put more kids on the streets then get them off. Management will burn you out because they don't care about staff retention, all they care about it ensuring they don't have to work on weekends. You can give that place everything you have, and it still won't be enough to be treated with respect there by the management team. Extremely poorly run organization. Do not waste your time applying here....it's not worth the stress.. and not because of the job or the amazing youth that are trying to get back on their feet... because of the horrific management team and their inability to understand how an organization should run.

Every shift looks different depending on what crisis presents. You will interact with adults/children in shelter, community members who call seeking shelter space, community partners and other essential services. 

Work/life balance is difficult with fluctuating shifts (days/afternoons/overnights) and extended shifts due to being short staffed all the time. You will receive constant calls for shift coverage on days off. 

Pay is low and unionized environment means no negotiation. The safety risks should be reflected in the pay and they are not. Part-time/contract employees do not receive benefits or sick days. Advancement opportunities are limited as most other positions are at the same level of pay/benefits. If another location is in a different union you lose your seniority when you transfer. 

Good job security as such high turnover means that even if austerity measures are introduced there are likely unfilled positions that could be eliminated first. 

Hardest part of the job is that the need for services exceeds the ability to provide. The city makes decisions which limits overflow options, however you will be the person who has to communicate this to the people who have no other options.

Working for the good shepherd sure is an eye opening experience.  Staff members are treated differently,  depending on what kind of pull/connections you have or how much of a fuss you'll put up in the face of adversity.  If management thinks they can take advantage of you and you're not a strong advocate for yourself, you'll get treated very poorly and denied some of your most basic requests. You will be expected to put your job at good shepherd (which pays just above minimum wage) over all other areas of your life. A healthy Work/life balance is not easy to attain in this setting.

Client's wants and needs are prioritized to a degree which is enabling. People are not encouraged to take responsibility or face natural consequences which is frustrating and sets them up for failure once they move on. Working here and wanting to support people in becoming independent and successful can be frustrating as you will not be allowed to implement any of these skills.  On the flipside ,If a staff member is struggling in any way, they are not granted the same grace, support and understanding.  

 

Working at Emmanuel House - it's a good place to get some palliative care experience then move on. High culture for burnout /compassion fatigue as employees are expected to devote their lives to the "mission" of the organization despite working chronically short staffed. Pay is below community standards and no guarantee increase to living wage. Somehow this organization does attract wonderful people - some of the best, hardworking, caring co-workers I've met here, yet everyone ends up leaving due to management and the poor working conditions. Management views you as a body to staff the shifts, and not as a person. Very unfortunate as ultimately it is the clients that suffer the most and you feel unsupported and unequipped to do the job you love well.

When I started working for this agency the training process was disorganized and there wasn’t a formal process. The training period took longer then expected and staff were expected to independently find task to work on.

Once the program started there was numerous safety concerns that were ignored and dismissed by management. The pay was low and the high demand of task required were not being compensated for. Overall, the colleagues I worked with made the job enjoyable. The unsafe work conditions and being exposed to pest on a daily basis did not make the work enjoyable and it created a high stress work environment. I would only recommend applying if you desperately need work experience. There is a high turn over rate as well. 

"People leave managers not organizations... turnover is mostly a manager issue."

 People have limited commitment here. There so much staff turnover, It is unbelievable and absolutely alarming. And the thing that gets me most is that management always has a way to put the blame on the person who leaves or goes on leave. Somehow it's their failing that they couldn't live up to the ridiculous expectations and conditions. Management can't take responsibility for their own problems.
We need a union here so bad but everyone is too scared to talk about it openly.  The only way we can give feedback to management is to put up a review on a website.  They really need t0 clean house of the so-called 'leadership team'  This isn't what real management looks like, because Intimidation and disrespect arent daily management strategies.

Like most shelters this is an incredibly stressful job. A lot of the downsides to the job are systemic restraints (lack of funding, stigma against houseless teens etc.). The worst part of the job is enforcing rules. I felt more like a warden than a support person. Some employees are burnt out and they take it out on the youth- management has little they can do about this because filling the positions and keeping workers is so hard. Police are regularly on site and have little respect for staff or the youth, EMS isn't much better. The food we served them was sometimes great and other times pretty abysmal. 

the day to day work was comfortable in the administration office. 
 It was relaxed and the work life balance was very good.  However it was clear the direction of the organization was continually being driven without the proper planning necessary to make smooth changes.  This caused a fair amount of confusion and a drain on financial resources.  Considering it is a non profit organization relying on funds from the government and donors from the community, you cannot be sure that your job will be guaranteed.  If they are required to cut costs in order to make budget, they will not hesitate to lay off employees.

What I learned last is how to take care of myself.  I learned alot at Good Shepherd. Spent many hrs on the computer taking courses, gaining Certificates and learning about many health problems. Not only about others but mostly about my mental health at the time.  

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Case manager 5 salaries reported	$24.42 per hour
Case worker 5 salaries reported	$24.55 per hour
Support worker 10 salaries reported	$21.80 per hour
Youth worker 5 salaries reported	$25.14 per hour
Family support worker 1 salary reported	$24.05 per hour

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