Vantaggi
Employees generally work here because they want to do something meaningful that benefits the most vulnerable in the community, so they're generally positive, patient and helpful. The work environment is very relaxed, performance targets are relatively low, and it's an enjoyable place to be. They offer 4 hour shifts, which can be great for people with other part time commitments or people with mental health issues. Supervisors are friendly and fair. It's a unionized workplace, so starting pay was pretty high even before the City of Vancouver became a living wage employer.
Svantaggi
Advancement is difficult and not performance based. HR is in charge of even minor promotions and your direct supervisors have very little influence. People have to work part time, often for years, before getting full time work. Getting work involves hustling for shifts and is fairly time consuming and unpredictable. Benefits are almost impossible to actually get. I've heard multiple horror stories about management blacklisting people, even for lateral moves, if they have the union grieve a hiring. The organization is also very top heavy with way too many managers that have to justify their existence by reorganizing everything, and then changing it back once it becomes obvious that they've made it worse.