Peer Supporter - Permanent Supportive Housing

Stonehenge Therapeutic Community•Guelph, ON

1d•CA$21 - CA$26•Onsite

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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
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

Nice To Haves

mental health recovery an asset
Certification with Peer Support Canada an asset
experience in concurrent disorders or trauma informed practice an asset
Food Handlers Certification an asset
In depth knowledge and understanding of services available in the Waterloo Wellington and Guelph Wellington Region preferred

Responsibilities

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
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
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