FIRST UNITED is a registered charity that has been serving Vancouver's Downtown Eastside community for 140 years. We offer responsive, low-barrier services to individuals who are low income, underhoused or homeless. We pursue dignity, belonging, and justice to meet the daily needs of community members while engaging in systems change work to reduce homelessness and break cycles of poverty. If you're looking for purpose-filled work and want to make a difference in the community, this might be the opportunity for you.
Each job within the FIRST UNITED CHURCH Community Ministry Society should promote our accomplishment of our vision, mission, and values.
WHAT WE OFFER
Wage: $27.85 per hour (increased as we are a Living Wage employer)
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Comprehensive and 100% employer-paid health benefits including extended health and dental plan for regular staff, spouses and dependents
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Life insurance, Long-term Disability, and AD&D benefits
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15 days of paid annual vacation
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13 statutory paid days off every year and 12 days of paid sick leave
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The Community Connection Coordinator is essential as the first touch point for the community/visitors while the building is open to the public. The CC Coordinator will actively greet and connect with individuals from the community and ensure the maintenance of a secure and safe environment. Working in close collaboration with the Community Services Team and volunteers to ensure the community members who access our services and building feel connected and are treated with dignity. This position assists with the oversight of building activities and ensures the safety and support of all community members, staff and volunteers. The aim is to have this position start May 4, 2026. This position will start as hybrid to be planned with manager, then transition to onsite at the redeveloped building located at 320 E. Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC.
SPECIFIC DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Ensuring all safety and emergency procedures are followed; guarding against theft, vandalism and fire.
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Liaising with emergency services personnel when they enter the building, assisting them with the location of the person in distress, and any other information they require to administer emergency services.
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Remaining consistently on site and in radio contact. If required to leave the building or go off the floor, communication with other staff and the Associate Director of Community Connection & Safety or designate is required.
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On a pre-determined schedule, making rounds of the building perimeter and premises, doing bathroom and shower room safety checks, and noting the entry and exit of employees, visitors, and other individuals.
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Monitoring and limiting access to employee-only areas, including but not limited to, offices, meeting rooms, the parking garage, loading dock, kitchen, cafe areas not being actively supervised by other staff or volunteers, multi-purpose rooms, library, and/or outdoor amenity space on the second floor.
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Ensuring areas/rooms are clear of people and locked when not in use.
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Responding to overdoses and performing CPR, first aid, and/or naloxone/Narcan administration when necessary.
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Directing visitors to the Community Services desk or other areas of the building, including but not limited to, the second and third floor services.
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Monitoring video surveillance system and reviewing and saving camera footage if necessary.
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Responding to radio calls for health and safety emergencies, by answering the radio call for assistance, ensuring naloxone/Narcan administration kit on hand at all times, physically attending the location of emergencies and giving first aid, CPR, administering naloxone/Narcan and/or calling emergency services if necessary.
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Reporting any breaches of building guidelines to the appropriate level of management
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Assisting emergency services when on site to the area of emergency and providing any other information they may require to administer emergency services.
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Maintaining documentation and doing administrative tasks related to the work such as keeping daily logs of activities, incident reports and any issues addressed.
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Collaborating with the Community Services team in related services (mental health and emergency services) to ensure a coordinated and streamlined approach with community, other staff members and volunteers.
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Light cleaning duties, including but not limited to, sanitizing high touch surfaces, disposing of garbage, safely disposing of needles and other drug paraphernalia.
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Distributing harm reduction supplies, clothing, food and other items, as necessary.
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:
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Knowledge of the historical and ongoing impacts of colonialism and indigenous specific racism on indigenous peoples.
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Ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups of individuals using a trauma informed approach.
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Ability to maintain calm, welcoming, empathetic, and professional demeanor with vulnerable and/or marginalized individuals.
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Ability to de-escalate challenging situations with community and maintain safety in the environment with escalated individuals and groups.
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Friendly, attentive, observant and alert.
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De-escalation training certificate
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First Aid, CPR, and naloxone/Narcan administration training.
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All positions at First United require an ongoing satisfaction of a criminal record check.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
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Minimum three (3) years’ of experience working in frontline social services delivery is required.
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Post secondary diploma in a relevant field or a combination of relevant education and experience.
SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY:
Supervisory Responsibility:
Community members, volunteers
Latitude:
The Community Connections Coordinator reports to the Associate Director of Community Connection & Safety to ensure adequate coverage of public use program areas on a daily basis, and to ensure a safe and dignified environment for community members, volunteers and staff.
INTERNAL/EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS:
Define any relationship accountability and communication needs with peers, management, leadership, Board of Directors, or external partners.
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Regular communication is maintained with all levels of staff and community members.
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Communication is maintained with outside partner organizations when they are guests in the building.
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Communication is also maintained with management and co-workers as work is assigned and completed, and information is exchanged on an ongoing basis.
JOB CLASSIFICATION:
Bargaining Unit
Job Classification: CSSEA Provincial Agreement JJEP Classification 11
We are committed to becoming a more just, equitable, inclusive, and diverse workplace, which extends to how we hire. We are continually learning new and unlearning old practices while examining systemic causes of inequity, including colonialism. We aim to be representative of the communities that we serve. We welcome everyone to apply, and we strongly encourage applications from members of communities that have been marginalized based on Indigeneity, race, colour, religion, nationality, social or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression. In order to achieve a representative team, preference may be given to people who are members of one or more of these groups.
