Community Rights Advisor – Housing and Homelessness Focus
Three Months Contract
Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS) one of Legal Aid Ontario’s network of community legal clinics providing poverty law services. PCLS is also a teaching clinic for Osgoode Hall Law School and law students are our primary caseworkers, supervised by PCLS staff. We serve low income clients in a culturally diverse community on the west side, particularly in the areas of housing and homelessness, immigration and migrant rights law, workers’ rights issues, and social assistance, violence and health issues, in conjunction with community development work to address systemic issues of poverty and social exclusion.
PCLS seeks a skilled legal worker with experience in housing law. You will be working closely with PCLS’ Housing Rights lawyer and law students.
The position is a three months, full-time contract position, to fill in for a person on leave, and we are seeking someone who can start immediately or as soon as possible. This is a unionized position.
For more information or apply with letter of application and CV, contact Parkdale Community Legal Services at: hiring@parkdalelegal.org
Qualifications
- A paralegal (or lawyer) in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario
- At least one year of experience of litigating housing and homelessness related issues.
- Strong familiarity with the Residential Tenancies Act.
- Experience representing tenants before the Landlord and Tenant Board and courts.
- Strong legal and advocacy skills, written and oral communications
- Demonstrated commitment to working from an anti-oppression and social justice framework
- Experience working with a diverse range of clients from low income and marginalized groups, in particular clients with mental health challenges
- Computer skills related to online casefile management systems and a digital practice
- Appreciation of the nature and role of community organizing and systemic community work
- Ability to identify legal issues and community legal needs relating to the housing and homelessness related activities and to express and explain these to others
- Ability to diffuse tense situations and to assist people in crisis in a calming and helpful manner
Assets
- Familiarity with resources in the community.
- Familiarity with Municipal Licensing & Standards bylaws.
- Understanding of the Osgoode Intensive Program in Poverty Law Program
- Advanced online casefile management skills and related IT skills. Familiarity with the Legal Aid Ontario Clinic Information Management System (CIMS)
- Knowledge of a second language pertinent to serving the Parkdale-Swansea community
- Experience in other community clinic areas of law
Compensation
The collective agreement applies to his position, and the salary will be based on an annual salary of approximately $67,746 (pro-rated for a 3-month contract).
Application
Please send your application by email, with “Community Rights Advisor Application” in the subject line, to the hiring committee at: hiring@parkdalelegal.org
Please apply with a resume and a cover-letter by 5:00 PM on Wednesday November 3, 2021. We regret that only those selected for an interview will be contacted. If you have any questions, please contact John No, Interim Clinic Director/Workers’ Rights staff lawyer, at noj@lao.on.ca.
As an employer, PCLS is dedicated to building an organization that reflects the diversity of our clients and the communities we serve. This includes diversity in languages spoken, culture, race, sexual orientation and gender identity. We encourage applications from individuals from diverse, marginalized and racialized communities and backgrounds. PCLS promotes the principles of anti-oppression and adheres to the tenets of Ontario’s Human Rights Code. Please advise if you have any accommodation needs regarding the submission of your application.