Peer Support Worker

**About the Role**:
The Safe Beds program is a 4-bed 24/7 residential crisis service, providing an alternative to hospitalization or criminal detention for individuals experiencing a crisis related to their substance use and mental health. Safe Beds staff provide de-escalation and stabilization of the immediate crisis and connection to the services needed to enable safe and stable community living that addresses client health and wellbeing longer term. Clients may stay at the Safe Beds for up to 30 consecutive days.

The Peer Support Worker will work as a member of an interdisciplinary team. They will work rotational 10-hour shifts, including 2-weeks of days, evenings, and overnights to provide 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: New Full time, Contract (Approx. 6 months)**

**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
- Rotational 10 hour shifts to provide for extended time off between shifts
- Enhanced compensation when working overnight hours
- Personal and professional development opportunities

**Qualifications**:

- Lived experience of addiction and recovery required (mental health recovery an asset)
- Post-secondary education in addictions, social services, or related field
- Experience providing support to individuals experiencing substance use and/or mental health related crisis
- Front line experience providing crisis management, outreach services, and community-based supports
- CSC Clearance conducted by PWGS Canada
- Standard First Aid/CPR Level C
- Reliable Vehicle, Ontario Driver's license (G2 or G)
- Must provide proof from Insurance provider of 1) at least $2 million in general liability and 2) have declared scope of vehicle use to Insurance provider
- Travel within the Wellington Guelph area (as needed)

**Role Overview**:
**Direct Support**
- Deliver support in a manner that is consistent with emerging best practice and that reflects key principles of the harm reduction and recovery-oriented approaches to care
- Engage in purposeful and deliberate sharing of your own lived experience of substance use/mental health recovery to facilitate the development of strong, peer support connections with program participants
- Support participants in achieving the wellness goals they have identified in relation to substance use, mental health, and other domains of life
- Work alongside participants to support life skills development as identified in their personal goals
- Assist participants to connect to local resources by providing service navigation support and appointment accompaniment when necessary
- Support plans for crisis intervention and risk management
- Support comprehensive and collaborative discharge planning
- Facilitate psycho-education and support groups for participants in the house
- Engage in conflict resolution as necessary
- Maintain appropriate confidentiality and documentation standards as required by the agency

**Program Support**
- Monitor the Safe Beds house
- Conduct bed checks
- Provide medication to clients and complete required documentation
- Monitor withdrawal symptoms as necessary using withdrawal monitoring scales
- Participate in program development as needed
- Some light cooking and housekeeping responsibilities required, including room inspections and turnover upon client discharge, laundry, and sanitization of common spaces
- Provide education to community partners as required

**Administration and Reporting**
- Involvement in program evaluation, data collection/input into CaseWORKS

Applications will be accepted until positions are filled

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._