Mission Community Services Society is getting ready to open a brand new housing complex.

We have a unique opportunity for a Peer Support Worker. In this role, you will support to individuals from diverse backgrounds who share similar experiences of mental illness, substance use, or both.

What you’ll do

· Establish and maintain relationships with clients.

· Provide emotional support to clients and their families.

· Provide information and resources with clients.

· Help clients, families, and caregivers to navigate other community services.

· Share own consumer knowledge and lived experience of substance use and mental illness to support clients to achieve their identified goals.

· Engage in daily living activities such as healthy eating and physical activity together, giving reminders for medicine adherence, alternative medicine, or health care appointments, and providing support in coping with day-to-day stressors dealing with community resources or services.

· Assist in developing problem-solving, decision-making, and coping skills.

· Collaborate with the assigned team to ensure the client’s self-identified goals for recovery and community connection are supported by appropriate services and practices and are consistent with the values of self-determination /choice and harm reduction.

What you bring

· Training in Peer Support, completion of a Substance Use Counselling or Social Services certificate, and one year of recent related work/peer support experience in substance use, mental health, homelessness or health services navigation, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

· Two years of lived experience in recovery from substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental illness.

· Ability to establish and maintain rapport with clients and their families.

· Knowledge of harm reduction principles and activities.

· Ability to work with a culturally diverse population.

· Knowledge of available programs and community resources.

· Knowledge of substance use/mental illness recovery approaches.

· Basic computer literacy and working knowledge of Word, Excel, Internet, Outlook.

· First Aid certification and training in conflict resolution, non-violent crisis intervention or MANDT.

· Must be able to obtain and maintain a clear Criminal Record Check for the vulnerable sector.

This position is open to all applicants and Union membership (BCGEU) is required. Find out more about us at: www.missioncommunityservices.com