support worker

mental health technician

construction laborer

cook

housing manager

PHS Community Services Society

PHS is a great starting point to get into social services. You will learn so much and the residents/clients you'll work with are amazing. Coworkers and management are often great as well. Strong union which is absolutely essential. Upper management/decision making from up top leaves a lot to be desired. In general, the attitude is "figure it out on your own" right from day one. It's not the worst thing if you're smart and independent because your co-workers will help you a lot, but as you start to encounter safety issues and stuff like that... the company does not care. Thankfully, the union does. There have been no raises at PHS for something like 8 years, staff are SEVERELY underpaid and overworked, which is the main problem. Because of this, they have a hard time retaining staff and you will often work alone, putting yourself in dangerous situations because no one is available to work with you.

Working at PHS is challenging, meaningful, and deeply human work. Every shift places you on the front line of harm reduction, mental health support, and community care, often with people who have been failed by multiple systems. The work demands situational awareness, empathy, and the ability to stay calm under pressure, especially during medical emergencies or high-stress interactions. What stands out most is the strong sense of purpose—staff aren’t just managing crises, they’re preserving dignity, reducing harm, and creating moments of safety where they matter most. The environment can be intense and emotionally demanding, but it is also highly collaborative, with coworkers who genuinely look out for one another and share a commitment to client-centred care. PHS provides invaluable real-world experience in de-escalation, crisis response, and trauma-informed practice. For anyone motivated by service, resilience, and making a tangible difference in the community, PHS is a place where the work truly matters.

Went to work at PHS because of their reputation in the community, but couldn't have been further from the truth.

A lot of burnt out, unmotivated staff, that seem to be there for the money and seniority. 

Awful experience working at PHS and dealing with the HR department, who, based on my experience, seem to have very little understanding of what the front line workers deal with. Got disciplined for being sick too much, and the senior HR member told me that it's my fault that I got sick. From his stand point, it's not feasible to have me as staff if I get sick too much. Couldn't have been more happy with my decision to quit. They missed out on an experienced staff member that actually is good at their job and helps the clients. 

My advise to new staff: do not speak with HR unless a union member is present with you. You can thank me later.

We work our buts off because we care about these people but we have also been screaming for help and changes because there is never enough staff. There has never been a pay increase in like 7 or 8 years. We used to get paid pretty well but now we make the same or less as other companies doing the same work.  Staff are leaving cause it's becoming not worth it anymore. Everyone is burnt out!! They got rid of great building managers and brought in new managers that everyone dislikes so most regular staff have left. It's chaotic most the time cause casuals don't know what they are doing.I think when they lose all their great staff they will see they need to change something but by then it's too little too late. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The clients are so deserving of care and support.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Leadership and lack respect and support, treated as glorified janitors and no proper education provided to do the job.  Very highschool level pettiness and nepotism.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Extremely toxic and the clients are always the one to suffer.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Cleaning and janitor work, maintenance and snaking toilets.  Very little actual support work.   The organizations image is more important than client care.  Poverty profiteering.

At PHS you can contribute meaningfully. There is a strong sense that you support people who actually need your help. When you put your heart into your work, the feedback is so positive and immediate that you stop second-guessing whether you’re doing the right thing.

I was supporting frontline mental health workers and nurses and they are some of the kindest and nicest people I’ve ever met. The management is promoted from within the company and it shows.

The company is unionized, which comes with excellent benefits and the company also pays well.

If I could, I would have stayed with PHS until I retired from it - PHS just checks all the boxes.

This job isn’t for the faint of heart neither is it for people unaligned with the idea of harm reduction and compassion for the unfortunate. There isn’t a long training course; you either have the personality to do well here or you don’t. 12 hour shifts with a very fair wage allows you to work 3 days a week and be able to live quite comfortably. The pay is good, but what’s best is the impact you can make on people’s lives. Management is very fair with their policies and does a great job balancing staffs needs with the rules and regulations they must follow. 

Complete disconnect between management/leadership, frontline staff and residents. Very poor training. Leadership spends most of their time trying to manage reputations, meanwhile you will be asked to be a custodian, security guard, first responder and social worker all at once. Fine to for a little bit, to gain experience and understanding/compassion for the struggles people face, but you will eventually burn out. if you speak up about poor living and working  conditions, rampant neglect and clueless leadership, you will be ostracized.

Painful to watch the ethics of those in charge,  everyone in senior management come across like evil villains in cartoons, just very hard to watch them make decisions to perpetuate oppression for their own profit. 'Poverty pimps' would actually not be far off. 

Again, I will say that PHS as an organization is pretty rough. The frontline staff are usually amazing though, and the community is a place that will make you laugh and cry, it's a wonderful kind of work, just I don't suggest working for PHS, find another non-profit instead. 

Management can seem a bit disconnected from the realities of frontline work and it can feel challenging to get support. The work is challenging and thankless, but if you are going into this line of work for praise you should seek a different profession. Go into this job with eyes wide open, it's about providing service to vulnerable people - you'll clean bodily fluids and excrement  basically daily but it's part of the job. Overall great place to work, but make sure you take time when you need it and create work life balance

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 7 salaries reported	$30.52 per hour
Mental health technician 14 salaries reported	$30.77 per hour
Construction laborer 7 salaries reported	$31.56 per hour
Cook 2 salaries reported	$25.61 per hour
Housing manager 1 salary reported	$86,778 per year

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