Peer Advocate

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What is the Peer Advocate Program:

SDA has a long history of supporting our community members using the peer support, empowerment approach. The meaning of "peer" can vary - you might be a peer in terms of gender, race, cultural background, age or disability. In this context, Peer Advocates use their own experiences to support other seniors and people with disabilities in navigating the systems of support that we need to live safely and with dignity and be a vital part of our communities. Peer support has long been understood to be a very empowering approach, since people tend to identify with and trust other people who have struggled with similar issues, especially when discrimination is involved. Therefore, we don’t view people who come to our office as our "clients" but as community members. They either call or come into our office seeking support around issues such as food, housing, healthcare, and legal. The Peer Advocate Program is part of the Consumer Rights for Community Living (CRCL) and was created to train and support Peer Advocates to assist consumers in such situations.

Position description:

• Conduct interviews with people who call or come into the office
• Provide referrals and advocacy when needed
• Support front office operations by answering phones and greeting people
• Helpe with data entrying and mailing when needed