L’Arche Daybreak
Role Posting: Support Assistant
L’Arche Daybreak is seeking an energetic, compassionate individual who will work and live alongside individuals with and without developmental disabilities. Successful applicants will belong to a community setting, learn new skills, and develop meaningful relationships. Assistants gain opportunities for personal growth and leadership. Click on the link below to apply.
Role Posting: Assistant
Assistants come to L’Arche Daybreak from around the world and around the corner, so our community includes Canadians as well as people from many other countries. The key life in L’Arche – for everyone – is being open to relationship. Assistants and core members (people with intellectual disabilities) create home together in households of six to eight people. Days are filled with the ordinary tasks of daily living – meals, bathing, cleaning and household chores, laundry, shopping, accompanying people to the doctor or the dentist – and regular community meetings and events. Home life is the cornerstone of L’Arche. The evening meal, birthdays and times of prayer are small but cherished celebrations that strengthen the bonds between people who live and work together.
Most people come with an initial commitment of one year. Assistants come with a broad range of backgrounds and qualifications. All new assistants participate in a program of orientation and training. Compensation and benefits are provided. Please continue reading below for more details on becoming an assistant in our community or visit the L’Arche Canada Recruitment website to read more about applying to any L’Arche community in Canada.
Our Community Make-up
Our community consists of eight homes in Richmond Hill, Ontario. All of our homes are within five minutes walking distance of other L’Arche homes and close to public transportation, libraries, restaurants and gyms. Richmond Hill is located about an hour north of Toronto. There are 37 core members (persons with intellectual disabilities) who have a home at Daybreak, living along with 32-34 assistants in our homes. Today, about half of our assistants come from other countries.
We also have five Day Programs where core members engage in a wide range of activities: making craft products, developing social skills, producing surveyor stakes and expressive arts. Recruitment for positions in the Day Programs occurs less frequently than for the Homes.
As part of a team of 4-5 assistants, House Assistants co-ordinate and participate in caring for the members of the home, ensuring adherence with the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services Guidelines and L’Arche Daybreak’s policies and procedures.
Ideal community members possess the following:
- Warm and friendly nature
- Easy to work with
- Initiative
- Effective communication skills – a good sense of humour is always appreciated in our homes!
- Creative problem solving skills
- Strong team-oriented perspective.
Our recruitment for assistants interested in sharing life in one of our homes continues throughout the year. If you are a caring, compassionate person looking to make a difference — and ready for a challenge — we invite you to contact us or apply! L’Arche continues to be a place of formation and growth for many people. Please continue reading below to get a sense of the make-up of our community.
Interview Process and Training
You do not need to have previous experience or training. We require proven ability and aptitude to carry out the responsibilities of a house assistant before an offer of employment is given. We conduct an interview, criminal reference check (Vulnerable Sector Screening), personal reference checks, and co-ordinate a trial visit in one of our homes. All training is provided within three months of joining the community and includes dispensing medication, personal care and hygiene, first aid, CPR, and safe management, etc.
Each year, we welcome assistants to join our community usually for a one-year commitment.
All applications must be done online on the L’Arche Canada Recruitment website
If you are located in the Greater Toronto Area, you can also send a resume and cover letter to [email protected].
Please note: We are only able to directly process applications and resumes from Canadian citizens or landed immigrants. All international applicants, including persons who are presently in Canada on a visitor’s visa, need to start the application process by visiting the L’Arche Canada Recruitment website which will direct applicants to L’Arche Daybreak if there are present needs.
We continue to welcome many assistants from many different cultures. The application process for foreign applicants to come to Daybreak involves four steps which could take 4-6 months or more:
- Apply through the L’Arche Canada Recruitment website
- Indicate on the application whether you would want to come to Daybreak or you are open to going to any other community. There are 31 L’Arche communities across Canada.
- Wait to hear for confirmation from L’Arche Canada.
- If your application is accepted for processing you will then be contacted by Daybreak or another community who has received your application. We will then go through our normal hiring process.
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