Peer Support Specialist

About Radius Community Health & Healing (formerly Boyle McCauley Health Centre)

Radius Community Health & Healing provides interdisciplinary, team based, integrated, comprehensive, and person-centered primary health care for vulnerable Edmontonians with complex needs. Through primary care and health promotion, Radius improves the quality of life and well-being of populations and individuals who face multiple barriers to accessing health services. Radius achieves this by providing the highest standard of evidence-informed and client-focused inter-professional care.

We collaborate with our clients to address the broad determinants of health.

Radius’ Pathways to Housing Program is designed with the goal of ending homelessness for people who suffer from complex psychiatric illnesses, usually co-occurring with substance use issues, along with significant medical and social challenges. The program aims to:

• Provide immediate access to permanent independent housing without requiring treatment or sobriety as a precondition for housing.
• Offer community-based outreach support and treatment, founded on harm reduction principles and client choice.
• Deliver services based on evidence-informed best practices and contributing to such evidence

The Peer Support Specialist is part of an inter-disciplinary Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team that:

• Provides comprehensive wrap-around treatment, support and recovery services.
• Uses a team case management model - all team members are required to remain current with all clients, their situation, recovery program and goals, and all treatment/recovery plans are developed as a team, with clients directing their care.
• Spends approximately half of their time providing generalized supports that may not be part of their professional discipline, such as providing assistance with housing, life skills and tasks of daily living.

The belief that recovery is possible for all who experience psychiatric, traumatic and/or substance use challenges is fundamental to the practice of peer support. In addition to the team case management role shared by all members of the ACT Team, as the Peer Support Specialist you will:

• Work with Clients to provide emotional, social and practical supports, using your own personal lived experience with mental illness, addictions and/or homelessness/poverty as a reference.
• Willing to share your relevant personal experience with Clients, in a manner tailored to build rapport and relationships, further Clients’ treatment plans, and to demonstrate that there is hope for recovery.

• Personal lived experience with sustained recovery regarding mental illness, addictions, and/or homelessness/poverty, is a requirement of this position
• Experience in one of more of following areas:
  • Mental health services in a community treatment setting.
  • Assertive Community Treatment or other inter-disciplinary teamwork.
  • Working in addictions, concurrent disorders and/or Housing First; and/or
  • Providing outreach services in a ‘street/inner city/chronic homelessness’ environment or equivalent.
• Knowledge of best practices in:
  • Working with people with complex co-occurring serious mental illness, addiction and medical issues.
  • Client centered, strength-based recovery treatments/rehabilitation strategies.
  • Housing First/Pathway to Housing models.
  • Harm Reduction philosophy; and
  • Peer Support.
• Knowledge and practice in integrating cultural contexts into practice and service delivery.
• Responsible, organized and efficient; solid communication/literacy skills (written, oral, computer/technology)
• A continuous learner
• Valid driver’s license and use of personal car are a must for this position.

At Radius, we’re committed to enhancing our employees' well-being with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support both personal and professional growth. Radius offers:

• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP):
  All employees have access to confidential counseling and access to a wide range of resources for personal and professional challenges. Our EAP is here to support your overall well-being.
• Benefits available to all permanent, full-time employees after…