About a week after explaining the Salvation Army Centre of Hope will be taken over by the territory, recruitment for at least one position at the shelter is already underway by the Yukon government.

That’s according to a job ad posted online Thursday for a full-time emergency shelter support worker.

With the listed ending date of June 2019, the position is to last about six months (since the closing date is January).

Its hourly salary is listed at between $32 and $37, and it’s classified as casual full-time, offering multiple casual and temporary assignment positions about 80 hours of work biweekly.

The site will come under the purview of the Department of Health and Social Services (HSS) come Jan. 31.

Julie Menard, a department spokesperson reached this morning, confirmed that the posting is in fact for the same (and sole) Whitehorse shelter.

Menard added it may not necessarily still be named the Centre of Hope – echoing a release issued last week that noted the site would be called Support Services until a new name is chosen.

The just over year-old centre is to shift hands in part because it has not been meeting expectations and needs as they evolved over time, HSS minister Pauline Frost said Dec. 20.

Those needs may include things like a managed alcohol program, which requires being more open and not prescriptive to meet needs of all clients, she said.

Both Frost and Maj. Al Hoeft, with the Sally Ann, were unable to speak directly to the specifics of the redesign of the shelter services at that point, nor the impact it could have on workers currently there. The department was unable to provide clarification in time for this afternoon’s publication.

But Hoeft did say that “every staff position right across the board” is up for debate.

When asked point-blank if there would be any job losses or added, the minister was unable to say definitively last week if and when they may be felt.

“I wouldn’t say that at the immediate we’re going to see a bunch of job losses – we’re going to see a transition evolve in partnership with our community partners and staff that are there right now,” she said.

“We will work with them to ensure we provide services that are currently there like food services, for example – beyond that we need to get (to the) transition.”

As per its 31-month contract, the territory currently provides $1.2 million to the Army per year ($100,000 each month) to operate and maintain the site.

Whether that number will rise or dip still remains unknown.

Posted a week after the announcement, the ad explained that the Housing and Community Outreach Services (HCOS) unit offers a range of supports to vulnerable people living with things like physical and cognitive disabilities, mental health issues and substance use challenges.

The latter is something that was hinted at by Frost, as she explained there would be more of a focus on being less prescriptive.

That would help inform the redesign of shelter services as it comes under the YG banner.

What other exact changes there may be still remains unknown, Menard wrote this morning.

“We do not know at this time,” she wrote when asked how many similar postings there could be in the lead-up to the Jan. 31 date.

“But our staffing complement will ensure operational requirements are being met, and that there is enough staff oversight to ensure shelter guests/residents and staff are safe.”

The department will be speaking with community partners over the remainder of the holidays, Menard added. They include First Nations and the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition, Frost explained last week.

Asked if the recognizable red-and-white Salvation Army logo will be coming down, the minister explained that it wasn’t something top of mind for the government.

“At this point in time, our major priority is not to deface the facility but to look at what can we do to provide essential services” to those that need it, she said.

The incorporation of a managed alcohol program could be a significant difference, given that the Army did not have one because of its abstinence policy.

Agreeing, Hoeft added that was “one example of a program that’s not going to fit the Salvation Army context as we move forward.”

In laying out some of the duties of the support worker, a detailed job description shows that it is to perform regular outreach activities, including harm reduction and providing transportation.

The former is something that was also referenced by Frost last week as she suggested there may have been clients who are living with drug and opioid use who may have approached the shelter over the year it’s been open.

This could be an important difference, given the opioid crisis (which has resulted in 18 deaths in the Yukon since 2016) and the government wanting to focus on harm reduction as part of its opioid action plan.

Meanwhile, the job posting suggests at least one thing will remain intact after shelter services are redesigned by YG: the kitchen.

“The Whitehorse Emergency Shelter provides immediate and safe access to shelter, meals, laundry and other support services,” it reads.

The centre hosts a soup kitchen, 25 shelter beds, 20 transition living units (10 for men and 10 for women) and drop-space along with multi-purpose rooms.

Today, HSS was unable to share details on just how many workers there currently are and would be in places like the kitchen, for example.

As per the qualifications for the job, candidates are encouraged to have experience working with vulnerable people living with complex needs (like substance use and mental or physical health challenges), and in a “fast-paced environment that has a high potential for crisis.”

The ad comes seven days after YG and the army explained there will be a transition period over the (now) five weeks – the final details of which were still being worked out, it said then.

That may be because the agreement to transfer ownership and operation was one made in principle and is subject to approval from the management board, comprised of cabinet ministers and senior officials.

Menard confirmed today that this is still the case, saying it’s still in principle but is expected to be finalized sometime in the new year.

The announcement to transfer the operation and ownership of the building also came just over two months after both the department and the Army’s executive director confirmed that there was a one-year review to assess the centre and its progress.

Menard added today that review will help inform the new delivery model going forward, along with things like the Safe at Home plan.

The closing date as listed online for the posting is Jan. 11, about three weeks before the official takeover on Jan. 31. The position itself is listed to last until about six months, until June 2019.

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