INTERNAL/EXTERNAL

Position Type: Non-Bargaining Unit, Relief (Casual), 6-Month Contract – Training Placement

Number of Positions: 4

Reason for Posting: New Position

Rate: $22.21

Vacation: 7% Vacation

Hours: On Call/Casual, 24/7 Roster Availability

Supervisor: Peer Workforce Coordinator

Posting Date: August 17, 2026

Application Deadline: Open until filled

Location: Various Fred Victor Locations

Why Fred Victor?

For over 130 years, Fred Victor has been a leader in helping people rebuild their lives in Toronto. Our mission is to improve the health, income and housing stability of people experiencing poverty and homelessness. We are committed to ending homelessness, one person at a time.

We work in partnership with women and men from diverse backgrounds who face poverty, homelessness, mental health issues, addictions, and social isolation to address their needs and hopes and advocate for a more equitable society.

The Community Services (CS) department at Fred Victor is a multi-service, multi-site structure that encompasses the

40 Oak Community HUB and community programs, Employment and Training Services, Drop-Ins, Keep Cool

Programs, and Food Services. Additionally, it operates a social purpose enterprise with catering services and spearheads a significant Peer Training Initiative that prioritizes the involvement of individuals with lived experience.

Peer Training Associates are graduates of Fred Victor's social service training program, delivered through Employment and

Training Services, or Community Services Peer Training Program (CSPT). They complete classroom instruction before joining the roster and arrive with certification and grounding in the core competencies of our sector – CPR and first aid,

CPI and crisis de-escalation, harm reduction and overdose response, professional boundaries, trauma-informed practice,

and the values that shape service delivery at Fred Victor.

They also bring lived and living experience of homelessness, substance use, mental health, and poverty – a form of knowledge that classroom training cannot replicate and that our programs are stronger for having in the room.

This roster is the applied phase of that training pathway. Associates put classroom learning into practice in live program environments across Fred Victor's drop-in, housing, and shelter programs, extending their skills and building the experience that leads to permanent employment. Placement is offered as a supported practicum experience; Associates work alongside and with direction from the program team and do not carry independent responsibility for program operations, client caseloads, or service decisions.

Throughout the placement, Associates are coached, debriefed, and supported on site by the Peer Workforce

Coordinator.

Does this sound like work you want to be a part of?





We offer a supportive and collaborative environment, an opportunity to join a diverse team of caring professionals and a chance to make a difference. With over 75 programs and 25 sites, there are lots of opportunities to grow your career with us. Many members of the management team started in relief and front-line roles.

What You Will Do:

Working with direction from site supervisors, site managers, and the Peer Workforce Coordinator, and alongside program staff, Associates put their training into practice through:

Welcoming and Presence

- Greeting people as they arrive and supporting a warm, low-barrier atmosphere consistent with Fred Victor's

approach to service.
- Monitoring drop-in, shelter, or housing common spaces in line with the protocols of the specific site and reporting

anything requiring follow-up to program staff.
- Answering the door and directing people to the appropriate staff member.
- Answering phones and taking messages for program staff.
- Applying de-escalation and hospitality skills in everyday interaction.

Basic Needs Support

- Assisting with food service – setup, serving, and cleanup.
- Distributing basic needs items including hygiene supplies, clothing, and water.
- Supporting bathroom and washroom access.
- Helping maintain a clean, welcoming common space.

Harm Reduction Practice

- Assembling and distributing harm reduction kits.
- Applying overdose recognition and response training as part of a staff-led team, including naloxone

administration.
- Putting harm reduction principles into practice in day-to-day interactions.
- Participating in post-incident debriefs.

Trauma-Informed and Client-Centered Approach

- Applying trauma-informed communication in real service settings.
- Practicing anti-oppressive, dignity-first engagement.
- Holding the professional boundaries covered in training while drawing on lived experience.
- Modelling the low-barrier, non-judgmental approach that defines Fred Victor service delivery.

Documentation

- Recording straightforward counts such as meals served and people accessing the space, under staff direction.
- Familiarization with program logs and record-keeping practices.

What You Bring to the Team:

- Graduate of Fred Victor's social service training program through Employment and Training Services or the

Community Services Peer Training Program (CSPT)
- Lived or living experience of homelessness, substance use,



mental health, poverty, and/or the shelter and drop-

in system.
- Current certification in CPR and first aid, CPI and non-violent crisis intervention, and naloxone administration,

obtained through the program.
- Grounding in harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and professional boundaries.
- Availability for short-notice placements across a 24/7 schedule; Associates confirm their own availability and there

is no minimum commitment.
- Comfort working in busy, unpredictable environments.
- Strong sense of community and collaboration, and the ability to take direction and receive coaching.
- Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and the promotion of a positive learning and working environment.

Terms:

- Six (6) month training placement, with the potential for extension by a further six (6) months
- Training placements are offered across a 24/7 schedule and may be scheduled on short notice. Associates are

placed where the site can provide the supervision and coaching the placement requires; placement decisions are made by the Peer Workforce Coordinator in consultation with program managers
- Associates may accept or decline any offered placement.
- The goal of the placement is transition to permanent employment opportunities.

Working Conditions:

- Associates work on site in drop-in, housing, and shelter environments across Fred Victor locations. It is an

emotionally challenging placement, and at times a physically demanding one.

Compensation and Benefits:

- For the Peer Training Associate – Emergency Staffing Roster, Fred Victor offers an hourly rate of $22.21
- 7% vacation pay
- Access to employee and family assistance plan

How You Can Apply: Send your resume and an email describing why you want to be part of the Fred Victor Team to

[email protected] with ‘Peer Training Associate – Emergency Staffing Roster’ in the subject line.

A Police Record Check is required by the final candidate prior to hiring.

Accessibility & Accommodation

Fred Victor is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible environment where employees feel valued and respected, and where every employee has the opportunity to realize their potential. As such, we welcome and encourage applicants who identify as racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons across the spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identities and have lived-experience.

If you are a person with a disability and require accommodation and/or assistance during the application process, please contact us in advance. We strive to provide reasonable accommodations whenever requested. Information received relating to accommodation requests will be treated with confidentiality.

📌 Peer Training Associate – Emergency Staffing Roster (Victor)
🏢 Fred Victor
📍 Victor