AVI Health & Community Services (AVI) increases health equity by providing highly responsive, harm reduction -based HIV, hepatitis C, substance use, sexual health, mental health, and other community health services, and is informed by the voices of people with living experience. We envision a community where people can experience optimal health and wellness, and be free from stigma, marginalization, and criminalization. For more information see www.avi.org

Our work takes place in Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Coast Salish territorial regions on what is colonially known as Vancouver Island. The rich and beautiful lands and waters of this Island have been home to over 50 First Nations for time immemorial; we respectfully acknowledge their past, present, and future sovereignty.

AVI CRISIS RESPONSE. COMMUNITY LED (CRCL): The AVI CRCL (Crisis Response. Community Led) Team, Victoria is funded by the Province of British Columbia and the Canadian Mental Health Association. CRCL is a peer-assisted care program and a mobile crisis response team, led by persons with lived/living experience and mental health professionals who are able to de-escalate crises and develop community care plans with persons experiencing crisis.

The CRCL Team is an approach to responding to someone in crisis that focuses on health, well-being and community support. Utilizing a community-based, client centered, trauma-informed response, a peer-assisted model of care has been proven to help individuals navigate mental and social care services and reduce engagement with the justice system and emergency services.

The CRCL Victoria Team provides services on the territories of the Ləkʷəŋən peoples (Kosapsum and Songhees nations), as well as the W̱SÁNEĆ Nations.

JOB SUMMARY: The CRCL Victoria Team will provide acute mobile crisis support and de-escalation services for persons 13 years of age and older experiencing mental health and/or substance use related crises.

Working in collaboration with all team members, the Crisis Responder is responsible for providing rapid point of service mental health crisis management and de-escalation, including assessment, suicide intervention and safety planning, as well as acute care planning, referrals to alternative services or escalation to emergency services.

Alongside the team, this role is grounded in person-centered, harm reduction and trauma informed approaches to care, which centers the needs and agency of the service user.

The Crisis Responder position is made up of two streams of applicants ; persons with lived and living knowledge and persons with educational knowledge.

This posting will consider applicants from the lived and living knowledge stream.

Please Refer To The Qualifications Section For Further Details. KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE:

• Emotional Resilience and ability to center the needs of the person in crisis
• Humility, flexibility and conscientiousness
• Ability to critically assess, make ethically informed decisions, and remain grounded in complex and dynamic situations.
• Ability to manage hostile interactions using non-violent communication, situational awareness and diffusing techniques.
• Ability to work mandatory, where and as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS: The following qualifications must be outlined in your application , in order to be eligible:

• This is not an entry level position:

• Minimum 3-5 years relevant experience, including within mental health services, including crisis de-escalation, mobile crisis response and acute mental health services.

• Demonstrated experience utilizing lived/living knowledge in service delivery and advocacy

• Lived/living knowledge of mental health and mental health related crisis, including navigation of mental health and emergency services interventions, experience of victimization and persecution of mental health experiences, and/or criminalization of mental health experiences.

• Additional Education related to crisis support and acute mental health care is an asset and/or Peer Support Work is an asset.

• Demonstrated knowledge and use of crisis intervention and de-escalation best practices, including:

• Situational Awareness, Scene Safety and Risk Mitigation Practices

• Effective nonviolent/non judgemental communication skills, including active listening, high-guidance and assertive communication practices.

• Demonstrated crisis intervention skills, including extensive experience with suicide and homicidal assessments, as well as demonstrated knowledge and experience developing safety plans

• Demonstrated skills, experience, and knowledge of harm reduction and health promotion practices.

• Demonstrated practice of cultural humility and trauma-informed approaches to care.

• Demonstrated commitment to personal development and ethical practice, including:

• Awareness of personal stressors and triggers, with active engagement in selfcare practices

• Demonstrated awareness of personal and implicit biases

• Reflexive practice that supports examination of personal motivations, judgements and feelings that may be activated by crisis work

• Demonstrated capacity to uphold professional boundaries.

• Demonstrated knowledge of the harmful effects of colonization, including relevant or applicable training/knowledge and experience in anti-racism, culturally safer care and decolonization.

• Demonstrated capacity to uphold a collaborative and team-based approach, including:

• Outstanding, strength-based problem-solving skills

• Outstanding trauma informed, direct communication skills

• Capacity to engage in self-reflection and personal accountability.

• Valid Class 5 BC Driver’s License, with “Normal Drivers Status”.

• Employment subject to criminal record check for working with vulnerable populations

• Employment subject to successful completion of CRCL Training Curriculum

• Working on an Emergency Response Team

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: CLCR is an emergency response team, supporting persons and their community/family experiencing mental health and substance use related crises.

As such, all team members are expected to perform the following duties and practices.

At All Times, The Crisis Responder Is Expected To:

• Remain responsive to incoming calls up until the end of shift, and/or when Mandatory Emergency Overtime is in effect
• Remain ready and able to attend back-to-back emergency mental health calls
• Demonstrate emotional resilience, including and especially within complex situations
• Work effectively as a team, including respectful communication throughout and following an emergency crisis response
• Continuously center the needs of the person experiencing crisis
• Effectively and professionally engage other care providers, including when advocating for a person in crisis, and/or when critically assessing and determining the next course of action
• Perform all other job duties, as needed.

Crisis Response At All Times, The Crisis Responder Is Expected To:

• Be ready and able to respond to mental health and substance use related crises

• Perform in-person assessments and adjust responses depending on presenting acuity

• Think critically and respond quickly, especially in critical situations and when deciding the next course of action

• Develop rapport with service users, while appropriately assessing safety, vulnerabilities and presenting needs, and determining the next course of action

• Utilize a range of skill sets to de-escalate, diffuse and establish safety for all persons resent

• Utilize a range of skill sets to effectively provide crisis care, including:

• Active listening

• Co-regulation

• Suicide and Homicide and Vulnerable persons assessments

• High-Guidance and direct communication

• Systems Navigation

• Safety Planning

• Develop comprehensive safety plans and establish post-crisis follow-up care

• Effectively and professionally engage other care providers, including when advocating for a person in crisis, and/or when critically assessing and determining the next course of action

• Perform all other job duties, as needed.

Situational Awareness, Scene Safety and Unpredictable Working Conditions CLCR Works in environments and conditions that may change quickly, including with persons who may be or become escalated.

At All Times, The Crisis Responder Is Expected To:

• Utilize a trauma informed approach, including with persons who are escalated and who use language or express beliefs that could be offensive or triggering for staff

• Decenter themselves to provide care to all persons accessing our services

• Utilize situational awareness, assessment, de-escalation, and mental health training to work safely within changing and unpredictable environments

• Be prepared for and able to adapt to changing work environments, including:

• All kinds of weather

• For extended periods

• Within and around diverse types of substance use

• Within and around respiratory illnesses

• Within potentially hazardous dwellings

• Within unknown and unpredictable environments

• Perform over the phone and in-person assessment to critically assess and determine the next course of action, including in cases where Dispatch was unable to provide detailed information

• Remain on scene and able to critically assess, including when a situation escalates and/or requires a higher level of care

• Professionally engage service providers, including police, ambulance, fire, and healthcare providers, etc.

• Utilize ongoing assessment, rapport building and universal precautions

• Utilize direct questions (open and closed ended), direct feedback and motivational interviewing skills

Screening and Dispatch Where needed, the Crisis Responder is expected to support Screening and Dispatch, including:

• Remain responsive to all incoming calls, utilizing nonviolent communication and trauma informed skill sets
• Develop interim safety measures while dispatching a team, escalating care to emergency services where appropriate
• Triage, assess and adjust responses depending on call acuity, severity and other incoming calls
• Oversee all operational teams, including monitoring for safety and team wellness
• Communicate effectively with all teams, including collaborative and directive styles of communication
• Review client records and perform data collection
• Remain responsive to incoming calls up until the end of shift, and/or when Mandatory Emergency Overtime is in effect
• Demonstrate emotional resilience, including and especially within complex situations
• Work effectively as a team, including respectful communication throughout and following an emergency crisis response
• Effectively and professionally engage all callers, including persons unable to reciprocate nonviolent communication
• Perform all other job duties, as needed.

Program Development and Accountability Community-Led responses to mental health and substance use related crises are a new and evolving approach to care, grounded in living knowledge and accountability to communities and individuals who use the service.

As Such, The Crisis Responder Is Required To:

• Be open to feedback, engage in self reflective practices and humility,
• Understand and practice both collective and personal accountability,
• Be self-directed and able to perform all duties and professional obligations, without prompting or reminding,
• Adhere to all CLCR Program Policies and Practices
• Adhere to AVIs Code of Ethics

POSITION DETAILS:

• Pay: Grid 38 to start with stepped increases based on your seniority with AVI
• Hours and Schedule: Casual shifts calling between Monday-Sundays 7:00am-3:00pm, 12:00pm-8:00pm and 5:00pm-1:00am. Must have availability on weekends. Applicants must have successfully completed the 6-week mandatory CRCL training provided by AVI to be considered for this position or be available for the training period starting on January 29, 2026.
• Afternoon Shift Premium for Some Shifts: Afternoon Shift Premium of an additional $0.25/hour applies to any shifts that have at least 50% of their time scheduled between 4 pm and midnight. As such, some of the shifts of this ad qualify for an additional $0.25/hour premium
• Weekend Shift Premium for Some Shifts: Weekend Shift Premium of an additional $0.50/hour applies to each hour worked between 00:01 hours Saturday and 24:00 hours Sunday. As such, some of the shifts of this ad may qualify for an additional $0.50/hour premium·
• Position: This is a casual position
• Term: January 29, 2026, and ending on March 31, 2026
• Location: 733 AVI Victoria office. Throughout Victoria, including in peoples’ homes, community centers and outside/with folks surviving outside and, in the community, as needed.
• Number of positions available: 2
• Union: AVI is a union environment under the Collective Agreement: HEABC & Health Services & Support Community Subsector Association 2022-2025 and this role is a BCGEU union position.
• Pension: If you are already a member of the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP), you can continue with them at AVI immediately. At this time, AVI contributes an additional 9.31% towards your pension account. If you are not already a member of the Municipal Pension Plan, part time staff may become eligible after 2 years with AVI
• Other Perks: This position gets paid an extra 5% in lieu of vacation 5% in lieu of stats, meaning your hourly rate is actually 10% higher than listed.
• Hours of Work, Days Off and Work Area may be subject to change

TO APPLY: To apply, please submit your Resume and Cover letter by clicking on 'APPLY TO POSITION'. This job posting is open until December 29, 2025, 5pm AVI is committed to equity and diversity and we strongly encourage applications from, but not limited to, folks who identify as Indigenous Persons, persons of colour, racialized, persons living with a disability, persons who use/d drugs, persons with experience of sex work, persons who live with HIV and/or hepatitis C, and persons representing diverse genders and sexualities. It is beneficial to identify in the cover letter if you are Indigenous and/or have lived/living expertise relevant to the position.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

As AVI is a union environment, internal staff will be prioritized in the hiring process. We would like to thank all those that apply but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.