SOAR Community Services·Brantford, Ontario
The Peer Support Specialist provides direct support to individuals aged 16+ navigating substance use and mental health challenges by sharing lived recovery experiences. They facilitate peer-led groups and collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to foster hope and independence in clients.
Full time peer support specialist - Wmts
Location: Brantford, ON
Start Date: ASAP (Vacant Position)
Apply by: August 31st, 2026
recruit@soarcs.ca [recruit@soarcs.ca]
At SOAR, we believe in lifting communities through compassionate, inclusive, and innovative care. Serving the communities of Brantford, Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk since 1968, we are accredited in Children and Youth Mental Health, Community Mental Health and Addictions Services and Youth Justice Services through the Canadian Centre for Accreditation. Our departments include Employment, Justice, Mental Health and Addictions, and Housing. Join a team that’s committed to making a difference – every day.
We are recruiting for a Peer Support Specialist. This role is a vital part of our Withdrawal Management and Treatment Services program. As a Peer Support Specialist, you will be supporting individuals aged 16+ experiencing substance use and concurrent mental health challenges by drawing on your own lived or living experience of recovery.
Peer Support Specialists are not counsellors. Their role is grounded in shared lived experience — building connection, offering encouragement, and helping others feel hopeful about recovery. This position is based within our Withdrawal Management and Treatment programs, where you will support clients as they begin their recovery journey by fostering connection, comfort, and engagement within the program. Peer Support Specialists also collaborate with peers across the agency and participate in SOAR’s broader peer support initiatives, contributing to the development and growth of peer programming across services.
Starting at $24.25 per hour.
Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and travel insurance, with options fully paid for Full Time staff.
Time off: 3 weeks’ vacation, 60 hours of personal leave, and 15 hours of wellness time (pro-rated first year).
Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) for staff and their families.
RSP/TFSA matching for eligible staff.
A supportive, values-driven workplace that prioritizes your well-being.
Ready to make an impact?
We’re looking for someone passionate about empowering client voices, connection in community care and inclusion in action! If that’s you, we want to hear from you.
SOAR Community Services is committed to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging within our workplace and across the communities we serve. We welcome applications from individuals with lived and living experience and from members of equity-deserving groups, including Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, and persons with disabilities. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals. If you require accommodations as part of the hiring process, please let us know 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 Protection of Privacy Act.
Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Full Time – Sunday-Thursday 2: 30pm-10:00pm
Candidates must have lived or living experience with substance use or mental health recovery and possess a college diploma or certificate. Strong communication skills and the ability to maintain professional boundaries in a trauma-informed environment are required.
Market context
In Ontario, behavioral-health roles are typically driven by ongoing need in community, outpatient, and support settings serving people with mental health or substance use challenges. These positions can be competitive because employers often look for experience with diverse populations plus a high school diploma or GED, with a bachelor’s in social work or a related field preferred. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits here to save time, then tailor your application to show relevant client-facing experience and readiness to work with varied needs.