Peer Supporter - Permanent Supportive Housing

Stonehenge Therapeutic Community; Guelph; On-site; CAD 52,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced vacation

Paid wellness days

RRSP Matching Incentive

Health and dental benefits (no co-pay)

Employee and Family Assistance Plan

Enhanced overnight compensation

Personal and professional development

Job summary

Stonehenge Therapeutic Community seeks a dedicated Peer Supporter to provide recovery-focused, lived-experience guidance to tenants in a Permanent Supportive Housing setting. You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver practical and emotional support, navigate resources, and promote housing stability for individuals facing substance use and mental health challenges.

The role requires on-call duties on a rotational basis, afternoon shifts (1pm-11pm), and travel within the local

Qualifications

• Lived experience of substance use disorder and recovery required (mental health recovery an asset)
• Post-secondary education in addictions, social services or related field
• Certification with Peer Support Canada an asset
• Minimum one year of progressive experience in addictions or mental health; trauma-informed practice an asset
• Experience providing support in community-based programs
• Front line experience delivering crisis management and outreach services
• Food Handlers Certification an asset
• Knowledge of services in Waterloo Wellington and Guelph Wellington Region preferred
• CSC clearance conducted by PWGS Canada
• Standard First Aid/CPR, Level C
• Valid G Driver’s License (G2 or G) and satisfactory motor vehicle record
• Reliable vehicle and willingness to transport participants
• Proof of insurance: at least $2 million liability and scope of vehicle use acknowledged
• Mandatory on-call duty on a rotational basis
• Must attend work within an hour of notification when on call

Responsibilities

• Deliver peer support consistent with harm-reduction and recovery-oriented care
• Share lived experience to build peer connections with participants
• Assist participants to achieve wellness goals related to substance use and mental health
• Provide service navigation and accompaniment to local resources
• Foster community connections within Wellington and Guelph regions
• Co-facilitate house meetings and support groups
• Engage in crisis planning and intervention as needed
• Participate in on-call services during evenings and weekends
• Collaborate with clinical teams and external partners
• Contribute to program development, documentation, and evaluations

Skills

Lived experience

Crisis management

Outreach

Community-based supports

On-call readiness

Education

Post-secondary education in addictions or social services

Peer Support Canada certification

First Aid/CPR certification

G driver’s license

Tools

PWGS Canada CSC clearance

Vehicle use insurance proof

Job description

About the Role

The Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Program provides a long-term, affordable housing solution with flexible and voluntary support services offered to support high-acuity individuals who are homeless with housing retention and independent living.

This program is provided through multi-agency collaborations to support individuals living in the PSH building who are dealing with significant substance use and mental health issues (as well as other complexities) to gain housing stability and enhance their quality of life by providing housing, practical support, counselling, advocacy, landlord mediation, and eviction prevention.

The Peer Supporter will provide important peer support services to tenants and will play a vital role as a member of our multi-disciplinary teams by offering a range of practical and emotional support from the perspective of their lived experience, embodying a sense of hope and possibility for the future.

Role Type

Full time, Permanent

Hours of Work

Full Time Afternoons - 1 Vacancy:

• Afternoons (1pm-11pm)
• Hours are scheduled on a two (2) week rotational basis which includes working every second weekend, and occasional holidays (Statutory holidays)
• Participation in an on call rotation is a requirement of this role, in addition to the regular hours of work
  

Why Work for Stonehenge?

• Enhanced vacation offered to all staff
• Paid wellness days
• RRSP Matching Incentive
• Health and dental benefits (no employee co-pay)
• Employee and Family Assistance Plan available to all staff
  
• Enhanced compensation when working overnight hours
• Personal and professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Lived experience of substance use disorder and recovery required (mental health recovery an asset)
• Post-secondary education in addictions, social services or related field
• Certification with Peer Support Canada an asset
• Minimum one year of progressive experience in addictions or mental health; experience in concurrent disorders or trauma informed practice an asset
• Experience providing support to individuals experiencing addiction / concurrent disorders in a community-based program
• Front line experience providing crisis management, outreach services, and community-based supports
• Food Handlers Certification an asset
• In depth knowledge and understanding of services available in the Waterloo Wellington and Guelph Wellington Region preferred
• CSC Clearance conducted by PWGS Canada
• Standard First Aid/CPR, Level C
• Valid G Driver’s License (G2 or G) and Satisfactory Motor Vehicle Record
• Reliable vehicle and willing to transport program participants
• Must provide proof from Insurance provider of 1) at least $2 million in general liability and 2) acknowledgement of scope of vehicle use by Insurance provide
• Mandatory on call duty, on a rotational basis
• Must be able to attend work (travel to PSH building) within an hour of notification, when on call

Role Overview

Direct Peer Support

• Delivering support in a manner that is consistent with a peer scope of practice and emerging best practice and that reflects key principles of the harm reduction and recovery-oriented approaches to care
• Engaging in purposeful and deliberate sharing of your own lived experience of homelessness and/or addiction/mental health recovery to facilitate the development of strong, peer support connections with program participants
• Partnering with program participants in achieving the wellness goals they have identified for themselves in relation to substance use, mental health, and other domains of life (may include maintaining housing, life skills, budgeting, etc.)
• Partnering with participants to connect to local resources by providing service navigation support and appointment accompaniment where necessary
• Partnering with participants to develop meaningful connections to their community, and facilitating community building with program participants and the Wellington and Guelph communities including neighbours, community groups, resources, etc.
• Co-facilitating house meetings, psycho-educational and support groups
• Crisis planning and intervention as required
• On a rotational basis, provide on-call services during evenings and weekends

Collaboration and Capacity Building

• Working effectively and in collaboration with the broader Permanent Supportive Housing Team including clinical staff of Guelph Community Health Centre as well as external service providers, the family / support networks of participants, and other stakeholders

Documentation and Administration

• Participating in program development activities as required including program evaluation, data collection and input, process improvement, etc.
• Complete tenant documentation and other required documentation (example: program summary documents, Incident Reports, etc.)
• Make referrals to internal and/or external programs or services, as appropriate
  

We look forward to meeting you!

Stonehenge Therapeutic Community accommodates the needs of applicants throughout the recruitment process in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and Human Rights legislation. Should you require it, accommodation can be made at any point, upon request.

Stonehenge Therapeutic Community recognizes that diversity strengthens our community. We are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce. We believe in equitable opportunities for all and encourage cultural diversity as part of the recruitment and selection processes. We welcome applications from qualified individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives to enrich our collective growth and learning.