Job Description

RAFT is solving youth homelessness by strengthening the bonds of attachment through connecting youth to safe and secure homes, cultivating connections to school and family, and strengthening confidence. RAFT provides an array of services to support homeless, at-risk youth and students in Niagara, including an emergency hostel, community-based interventions to prevent homelessness, family reunification, rent supplements, and after-school and summer camp programs.

MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions is Canada's largest research centre focused on health equity and the social determinants of health. Internationally recognized for groundbreaking science and innovation, MAP develops and implements real-world, evidence-driven program and policy solutions that disrupt cycles of socioeconomic exclusion and poor health. MAP is based at St. Michael's Hospital, a fully affiliated University of Toronto teaching and research-intensive hospital and hub for care in downtown Toronto.

RAFT is collaborating with MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions to hire two coaches to support an innovative research project seeking to understand how to best support young people transitioning out of homelessness. The purpose of the SEED CHANGE (Supporting Social & Economic Equity, Disrupting Cycles of Homelessness, And Nurturing Growth & Empowerment) study, led by MAP researcher Dr. Naomi Thulien, is to pilot an 18-month wrap-around intervention for youth (aged 18-24) who have recently transitioned out of homelessness. Intervention supports include help with rent and grocery payments, a job placement, a Community Connections Worker, individual coaching, and the Tools for Intentional Living program (a curriculum designed to help participants explore and understand their core values, purpose, identity, and mindset in a group setting).

Coaches will support youth in setting pragmatic goals, envisioning their futures with greater clarity, and building their internal resources. Each coach will take on a caseload of six young people and be responsible for meeting with them virtually one-on-one every other week (36 sessions/youth maximum) and in-person as a group to co-facilitate the Tools for Intentional Living Program (two full-days sessions and six half-day sessions) over an 18-month period. One coach will be responsible for clients in the Niagara Region, and the other coach will be responsible for clients in the Greater Toronto Area. Coaches will co-facilitate the Tools for Intentional Living program in collaboration with a Peer Facilitator (a youth facilitator with lived experience of homelessness). Coaches will also work closely with the research team and the community partner agencies collaborating on this project.

These positions are for a two-year term (to provide time for preparation before and wrap-up after the 18-month intervention), with possibility of extension to hours and/or term (dependent on research funding).

Qualifications:

Degree or diploma in a health or social science discipline (e.g., Social Work, Psychology, Child and Youth Care) OR equivalent combination of education and experience International Coaching Federation certification (Associate Certified Coach, at minimum) required At least one year of coaching experience as an Associate Certified Coach (or higher designation) At least one year of experience working with young people who have experienced homelessness (or with other inequitably served populations) Experience providing one-on-one individualized, strengths-based, goal-oriented support to young people Experience facilitating group programming (preferably with young adults) Understanding of systemic power structures and their roles in youth homelessness Awareness and commitment to diverse communities and priority populations (e.g., 2SLGBTQ+, racialized, and youth experiencing homelessness) Outstanding emotional intelligence and communication skills Effective computer skills, including communication (e.g., Zoom) and database (e.g., Excel) software
We are especially interested in meeting with applicants who identify with this population by virtue of their life experience (e.g., history of housing precarity) and/or demographics overrepresented in this population (e.g., members of racialized, Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities).

Interested, but don't meet every requirement? Research suggests that people with marginalized identities are less likely to apply to jobs if their experience doesn't align perfectly with the job posting. We are committed to providing equitable opportunities, so if you're excited about this role but don't meet every single qualification, we still welcome you to apply.

Compensation: $52,000 (total, over 24 months)

Start Date: November 17, 2025

Job Type: Fixed term contract
Contract length: 24 months

Pay: $26,000.00 per year

Work Location: On the road