Housing at Home Peer Reference Group Report on Peer Support for Homelessness and Mental Health - Mental Health Commission of Canada At Home/Chez Soi Project - March 2013

Aug 28, 2026

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The report documents how the Mental Health Commission of Canada established the Vancouver Peer Reference Group (PRG) within the At Home/Chez Soi project to advise decision-making and guide meaningful involvement of people with lived experience of mental health issues, addiction, and/or homelessness. It summarizes the PRG’s focus on peer support in recovery-based care, clarifies definitions and best practices for peer support work, reviews existing formal training, and examines peer support availability for high-risk populations in Vancouver. It concludes with recommendations to better align training and services with participants’ complex histories of homelessness, trauma, and health needs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages35

Reading Time1 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Vancouver Peer Reference Group

Identifying Our Role

What is Peer Support?

Examining Existing Formal Peer Support Worker Training

Other Vancouver Agencies Offering Peer Support

Survey of Peer Support for High Risk Populations in Vancouver

Summary of Survey Results

Recommendations

Appendices

Vancouver Peer Reference Group Terms of Reference

Peer Support Workers Communities of Practice Discipline Summary of Peer Support Work

Review and Comparison of Recognized Formal Mental Health Peer Training done by Vancouver Coastal Health and Coast Mental Health

Survey of Peer Support for High Risk Populations in Vancouver

Summary of Survey Results

Vancouver Peer Reference Group Report on Peer Support for Homelessness and Mental Health Mental Health Commission of Canada At Home/Chez Soi Project [www.mentalhealthcommission.ca](www.mentalhealthcommission.ca) March 2013 VANCOUVER PEER REFERENCE GROUP | TABLE OF CONTENTS | | --- | | Contributors......................................................................................................3
Executive Summary ............................................................................................. 4
Vancouver Peer Reference Group ............................................................................... 8
Identifying Our Role ......................................................................................... 8
What is Peer Support? ....................................................................................... 9
Examining Existing Formal Peer Support Worker Training................................................... 9
Other Vancouver Agencies Offering Peer Support.......................................................... 10
Survey of Peer Support for High Risk Populations in Vancouver............................................. 11
Summary of Survey Results ................................................................................. 11
Recommendations ..............................................................................................14
Appendices
I – Vancouver Peer Reference Group Terms of Reference ....................................................15
II-Peer Support Workers Communities of Practice Discipline Summary of Peer Support Work .............18
III-Review and Comparison of Recognized Formal Mental Health Peer Training done by Vancouver Coastal Health and Coast Mental Health .................................................... 22
IV-Survey of Peer Support for High Risk Populations in Vancouver ........................................ 24
V-Summary of Survey Results ............................................................................. 32 | Production of this document is made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views represented herein solely represent the views of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Vancouver Peer Reference Group Report on Peer Support for Homelessness and Mental Health 2 CONTRIBUTORS Peer Reference Group members: Barb Bawlf, Debbie Sesula, Arianna Kennedy, Jeff Ashborn, Sandra Dawson, John Massam Report authors: Sandra Dawson, John Massam and Melissa Stephens on behalf of the Vancouver PRG Peer Coordinator: Althea Crawford (until May 2012) Past members of the Peer Reference Group or Working Group for PWLE: Mike Pratt, Ron Warbrick, Julia Weisser, Branwen Willow Vancouver Site Coordinator: Catharine Hume Administrative Assistant: Melissa Stephens Thankyou to all the participants who took the survey. Vancouver Peer Reference Group Report on Peer Support for Homelessness and Mental Health 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2009, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) invited a number of people who identified as People with Lived Experience (PWLE) of mental health issues, addiction, and/or homelessness, to join a working group to develop a Peer Reference Group (PRG) for the Vancouver site of the MHCC’s At Home/Chez Soi (At Home) project. The main role of the PRG would be to inform and advise the local Project Team (decision-making body) about issues of importance to people with lived experience, and to guide the involvement of people with lived experience across the Vancouver project. Shortly into the process, the Site Coordinator, with the help of the working group, developed a Peer Coordinator job description and hiring process, and hired a part-time Peer Coordinator. The working group became the PRG in July 2010. After developing a Terms of Reference (TOR) (see Appendix I), the PRG had initial discussions about areas of importance

FAQs

What was the purpose of the Vancouver Peer Reference Group (PRG) in the At Home/Chez Soi project?

The PRG was created to inform and advise the local Project Team about issues important to people with lived experience, and to guide the involvement of people with lived experience across the Vancouver project.

How did the PRG define peer support work and the criteria for peer support workers?

The PRG used definitions and best practices from the Peer Support Workers Communities of Practice, emphasizing lived experience related to mental health and wellness/recovery, knowledge of peer support and recovery movements, experiential knowledge of community mental health services, and person-directed advocacy.

What areas did the PRG examine regarding peer support for high-risk populations in Vancouver?

The PRG reviewed existing formal training available for peer support workers, assessed how well that training fit the specific needs of At Home participants, and conducted a survey to gauge the depth and breadth of peer support training and availability for high-risk people.

Aug 28, 2026

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