MARIE LAVALLEE
Vancouver
Summary
Indigenous Support Worker with ten years of experience working with vulnerable populations, non-profits, and serving the DTES community. Committed to working with those who are struggling with substance use and their mental well-being.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Housing Intake Worker
Downtown Eastside Women's Centre
10.2023 - Current
- Provide intake, assessment, and referrals to women who access DEWC services, shelters, and drop-in centers
- Provide information, and referral to women in areas such as income assistance, disability, dignified housing, health services, addictions treatment and recovery, counseling, and education and employment
- Establish eligibility for rental subsidy program according to criteria
- Assist women through the referral process to internal and external services such as housing, legal, and advocacy ensuring a successful transfer of service
- Collaborate with other service providers, mental health teams, and emergency responders with a prominent level of professionalism
- Implement appropriate crisis intervention strategies where it is not possible or timely to refer to a crisis service
- Create and maintain client records and statistics within the funder database
- Respond to crisis situations and medical emergencies
Indigenous Cultural Liaison Support Worker
Raincity Housing
10.2023 - Current
- Walk beside Indigenous tenants while connecting them with community and cultural services and events
- Provide a range of supports for chronically homeless individuals in areas such as life skills, daily needs, harm reduction, case management planning, conduct wellness checks. fire watch, and MPR's
- Create and maintain tenant records within established database, communication logs, and email
- Respond to crisis situations such as medical emergencies and overdoses, fires, and provide crisis intervention strategies where needed
Shelter Support Worker
Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
02.2023 - 06.2023
- Supported up to 70 men by checking in clients and assisting with their daily needs, connecting them to community resources, and setting up and serving meals and snacks
- Respond to crisis situations and medical emergencies
Front Desk Worker
Central City Housing
08.2022 - 12.2022
- Ensured the safety of the residents and building by monitoring cameras and the front door; conducted wellness checks and missing person reports
- Supported women with daily needs and goals, and assisted with finding residents permanent housing through B.C. Housing
- Created and implemented fire, safety, and office procedures
- Facilitated in-house meetings and community groups such as Breakfast with Marie
- Administrative duties greeting visitors, signing guests in and out, created tracking tables using Microsoft Office, and collected monthly payment
- Responded to crisis situations such as fires and medical emergencies
Studio Assistant
Osei-Duro
01.2022 - 04.2022
- Awarded three-month contract with local fashioner designer who sought to employ Indigenous women who have lived in the Downtown Eastside
- Assisted in preparation for Osei Duro’s Reruns Buy Back program by repairing clothing, creating sale website, and processing payments and returns
Sewing Instructor/ Peer Leader
Union Gospel Mission
12.2014 - 12.2021
- Taught marginalized women the skills necessary to repair clothing using sewing machines and by hand for community development, and how to make hand made products
- Facilitated daily sewing workshops that allowed women to earn their own sewing machine and a supplementary income
- Dispersed payments, kept track of administrative records, and statistics
- Administrative duties in the UGM Housing Department
Administrative Assistant
Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services
07.2014 - 12.2015
- Provided administrative support to a team of ten guardianship social workers
- Maintained extremely sensitive child service files in accordance with company protocol
- Issued and kept track of weekly and monthly finances, transit passes and gift cards for client; prepare cheque requisitions and process payments
Skills
- First Aid, CPR, HIFIS, MANDT, WHIMIS, Food Safe, and Naloxone certified
- Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, and Power Point and Mac OS
- Professional, confidential, and trauma informed
- Effective communication skills; verbally and written
- Non-judgmental, community minded, cheerful
- Politically, culturally, and socially conscious to other people's experiences
Timeline
Housing Intake Worker
Downtown Eastside Women's Centre
10.2023 - Current
Indigenous Cultural Liaison Support Worker
Raincity Housing
10.2023 - Current
Shelter Support Worker
Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
02.2023 - 06.2023
Front Desk Worker
Central City Housing
08.2022 - 12.2022
Studio Assistant
Osei-Duro
01.2022 - 04.2022
Sewing Instructor/ Peer Leader
Union Gospel Mission
12.2014 - 12.2021
Administrative Assistant
Vancouver Aboriginal Child & Family Services
07.2014 - 12.2015
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