Peer Supporter - Supportive Addiction and Mental Health Housing (SAMH)

Stonehenge Therapeutic Community; Guelph; On-site; CAD 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Stonehenge Therapeutic Community is seeking a Peer Supporter to work within the SAMH housing program, providing practical and emotional support from a lived experience perspective in Guelph. The role emphasizes harm reduction, recovery-oriented care, and collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams to promote housing stability and quality of life.

The successful candidate will engage with participants to set wellness goals, connect them to local resources, and assist with navigating services.

Qualifications

• Lived experience of substance use disorder and recovery is required or strongly preferred.
• Front line experience providing crisis management, outreach services, and community-based supports is expected.
• Ability to connect participants with local resources and provide service navigation support.

Responsibilities

• Deliver peer support in line with harm-reduction and recovery-oriented care.
• Share lived experience to build trust and connect with program participants.
• Support participants to achieve wellness goals related to housing, budgeting, and life skills.
• Coordinate with community resources and accompany participants to appointments when needed.
• Lead or support group meetings and crisis planning as required.
• Record referrals and participate in program evaluation and improvement.

Skills

Lived experience

Crisis management

Outreach

Service navigation

Community engagement

Documentation

Education

Post-secondary education in addictions or related field

Job description

About the Role:

This role will work with the Supportive Addiction and Mental Health Housing program (SAMH) to provide peer support services to clients/patients. This program is provided through multi-agency collaborations.

SAMH supports individuals living in the community who are dealing with significant addiction 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 play a vital role as a member of our multi-disciplinary teams by offering a range of practical and emotional supports from the perspective of their lived experience and embodying a sense of hope and possibility for the future.

Role Type: Full time, FT Contract

Number of Vacancies: 1

Location of Work: Guelph-Wellington (Office based out of Guelph)

Hours of Work: Monday-Friday (days). Participation in a program rotation is also required, where staff work 1 "evening" shift per week (11am-7pm instead of day hours) and 1 Saturday on rotation (approx. every 5-6 weeks. This is a day shift).

Why Work for Stonehenge?

• Enhanced vacation offered to all staff
• Paid wellness days
• 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
• 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
• 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

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 neighbors, community groups, resources, etc.
• Co-facilitating house meetings, psycho-educational and support groups
• Crisis planning and intervention as required

Collaboration and Capacity Building:

• Working effectively and in collaboration with the broader Supportive Addiction & Mental Health Housing Team including clinical staff of CMHA-WW, and The County of Wellington, 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.
• Make referrals to internal and/or external programs or services, as appropriate
• All other duties as assigned

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.