Peer Support Specialist
Why Work for SOAR Community Services
About SOAR Community Services
SOAR Community Services (formerly St. Leonard's Community Services) has been an established part of the community for more than 55 years, and is accredited for our excellence in serving children, youth, adults, and families.
Our Values
These aren’t just “lip-service” to us – we work and live by them. If you do, too, we want to talk to you!
- Inclusive – we value everyone and their unique perspectives and journeys
- Compassionate – we care about our clients, our staff, partners, and the communities we serve
- Collaborative – we work together to support our clients and community
- Integrity – we hold ourselves accountable and are fair, trustworthy, and dedicated to our mission to empower people to achieve their vision of independence, health, and wellbeing
- Innovative – we are open to change and continuous improvement
- Genuine – we are honest, respectful, and authentic with our clients, each other, and our partners
- Optimistic – we believe that everyone can accomplish their goals
22.5 hours per week, primarily Monday to Friday, days.
Duties
As a Peer Support Specialist, you will work within the Brantford Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Clinic’s multi-disciplinary team. Your role will focus on providing support to individuals 16 + who experience addictions and concurrent disorders who are accessing services through the RAAM clinic. You will provide support on site, in person at the clinic and through the Digital Front Door. The Digital Front Door is a virtual clinic that enables individuals seeking care for substance use concerns to virtually access care within the RAAM clinic. This includes access to clinicians including the Addiction and Mental Health Case Manager, Counsellors, a Nurse Practitioner and Physicians.
As a Peer Support Specialist, you will draw on your own personal lived experience with addictions or concurrent disorders to:
- Encourage individuals to be independent, promote individual hope, empowerment and self-determination.
- Assist and mentor others as they consider their unique goals and how to achieve them.
- Provide recovery-oriented, community-based support to individuals living with mental health and/or substance use issues.
- Support individuals by offering hope of recovery for those affected by addictions and/or concurrent disorders.
- Provide support, and linkages with community resources, and instruction in life skills.
- Advocate for individuals when necessary and assist individuals in assertiveness and in developing advocacy skills for themselves.
- Provide insight to other team members from a peer perspective, while working collaboratively with them.
- Maintain effective professional boundaries with peers in the program.
Qualifications
- Lived experience using the substance use and/or mental health system.
- College diploma or certificate in any field
- Able to be a positive role model, sharing what allowed you to recover, while respecting the individual choices of others
- Proficient in MS Office and familiar with databases.
- Access to reliable transportation
- Able to manage frequent exposure to vicarious traumatic stress.
Eligibility
As soon as possible
Benefits
- A Fitness Benefit for gym memberships, exercise equipment and lessons for various physical activities for part-time staff and their families
- An Employee Assistance Plan for all staff and their families
- 24 hours of Personal Leave Time per year for part time staff (pro-rated the first year)
- Fun events for all staff
- Participation in RSP/TFSA plans for all staff, with Agency pension match for Full Time and eligible Part Time staff
- An Agency committed to ensuring your physical and mental health/safety is paramount
How to Apply
Email: dawn.slawter@soarcs.ca or recruit@soarcs.ca
Apply by: July 18, 2025
Reference: Peer Support Specialist
Our Commitment to Job Seekers
St. Leonard’s Community Services Inc. is committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We acknowledge that we live and work on the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wyandot, the Haudenosaunee, and some of the Ojibwa Nation. The territory is mutually covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this community, on this territory. We also acknowledge that the settler population has been able to benefit from this beautiful land. We are all treaty members and will strive to act in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and center their voices.
The Agency values the diverse and intersectional identities of its clients and staff. The Agency regards equity and diversity as an integral part of excellent community service and is committed to accessibility for all staff. The Agency seeks applicants who embrace our values and beliefs around respect for the dignity and diversity of our clients, staff, and community. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit/Inuk, Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.
The Agency encourages applications from all qualified individuals. If you are an applicant with disabilities and require accommodations, please let us know at the time of our contact so that we may arrange for their provision.
Personal information submitted will only be used for the purposes of the competition in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act.