Lift Community Services focuses on helping all people thrive in the qathet region by reducing social inequities and by providing support and advocacy for anyone who needs it. Our vision is a welcoming, inclusive, and diversity-affirming community that is free of poverty and full of heart. At Lift, we believe a thriving, sustainable community comes from a collaborative, equitable, future-focused approach.

Our programs and services include employment services, supportive housing and homeless outreach, temporary shelter services, literacy programs and outreach, immigrant services, adult and family on-demand support. We also provide community leadership and development in overdose response planning, poverty reduction planning, and other projects that develop a more connected and resilient community. Lift operates many resource centres in our community, including the local WorkBC Centre, the Community Resource Centre, and Family Place.

Lift Community Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.

The Position

We are seeking a part-time, temporary Peer Advocacy Coordinator to support a weekly peer advocacy group whose goal is to reduce deaths and the overall harms/negative impacts of the illicit supply among people who use illicit substances. This role provides coordination of all meetings, projects, events, and activities related to the provincial peer network.

Overview

• Site: Lift Community House

• Hours: 12 hours per week

• Possible days: Monday-Wednesday

• Shifts: 1:30-5:30 or TBD

• Hourly Wage: $25.05

• Job Type: temporary part-time

• Start Date: ASAP

• Closing Date: September 11, 2025

• Position end date: June 30, 2026

• Reports to: Community Resources Manager

• Questions? Contact Jessica Colasanto at jessica@liftcommunityservices.org

Key Accountabilities

• Focus on and practice capacity building, shared leadership, sharing of tasks, division of labour, skill development, and shared sense of ownership and responsibility, in collaboration with and directed by peers

• Peer Network Development: support the group to make effective decisions that result in cohesive, coherent, and sustainable peer network; listen to ideas and priorities of the group; collaboratively develop decision-making processes, appropriate policies and procedures; contribute to and commit to conflict resolution and accountability framework; uphold policies, procedures, and frameworks, as defined by coordinator and peers

• Coordinate projects and additional grants received, in collaboration with peers and staff (includes hiring process, peer involvement, and achieving outcomes)

• Arrange support training and education opportunities for the group

• Establish and maintain effective links with peers, community members, service agencies, and other partners

• Contribute to the administration, monitoring, evaluation, and development of the group, including record keeping, budgetary considerations, and producing reports

• Identify risk and ensure appropriate risk assessments are carried out, comply with WorkSafeBC and other relevant legislation, in collaboration with the group and Lift staff

Qualifications and Lived Experience

• Familiar with local community resources

• Basic understanding of street culture

• Ethically aligned with Harm-Reduction practices

• Demonstrates excellent communication and active listening skills

• Demonstrates concise and ethical documenting skills

• Ability to handle sensitive information and maintain client confidentiality

• Demonstrates professional boundaries

• Demonstrates understanding of emergency response protocol

• Ability to remain alert and perform tasks in a demanding environment

• Ability to remain calm and responsive during crisis incident response

• Contributes to a culturally safe environment

• Access to a vehicle is recommended

We appreciate all applications, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

As an inclusive employer, we would like to make the recruitment process as accessible as possible. Please contact us to let us know how we can best support you. People with lived & living experience with substance use, substance entrepreneurship, and a variety of education and lived experience that suit this position and the skills required are encouraged to apply.

We live and work on the homelands and territories of the Tla’amin People. We honour the land, the Tla’amin People, and their treaty and continually seek to strengthen our relationship and responsibilities to them as guests in the territory.