Toronto Shelter Networks peer health promotion project will focus on health promotion across many sites including, the shelter sector, respites, 24 hour women's drop-in, and COVID hotel program sites.
TSN Community Health Ambassadors will be engaged in activities which include:
providing education and raising awareness to peers about disease prevention and health improvement.
speaking with peers to address fears, questions and misconceptions about certain health misconceptions.
work alongside shelter staff and Toronto Shelter Network to plan and provide health promotion and education at their shelter sites.
What is a Community Health Ambassador?
The Toronto Shelter Network launched a campaign in efforts focusing on health promotion across many sites including: shelter sector, respites, 24-hour women’s drop-in and COVID-hotel program sites. Community Health Ambassadors are individuals with lived experience who work with vaccine leads and staff at shelter sites to support and improve vaccination efforts, and engage in health promotion.
Community Health Ambassador
Stories
Edward’s Story
Meet Edward P, our Peer Champion Lead for Campaign Vaccination Toronto. For the last 20 years, Edward has worked in security and life safety, in a healthcare setting. In 2020, Edward lost his apartment due to complications with COVID-19, resulting in him becoming homeless. Edward reached out to a friend of his who was an outreach worker and was able to support him secure a spot at one of the Hotel Shelter Programs. While residing at the hotel, one of the staff had asked Edward if he would be interested in talking with other hotel residents about getting the vaccine and becoming a Peer Champion. “Yeah, I'll talk to people about vaccines like I'm all over that. That's my jam. That's right up my alley. That's what I do.”
Edward shares that he has only had positive experiences while doing the Peer Champion work and valued listening to the different stories. He shared that not two stories were ever alike and it was interesting to learn and hear about everybody's different stories.
“I wasn't aware of how varied people's stories were, you know? - why they're hesitant or why they're a little bit scared of the vaccine. No two situations were really ever alike. So when I get asked what, what message would you like to tell everyone? There isn't one message, you have to tailor it to the group that you're talking to. There's no other way around that. That was probably my best thing, learning everyone's stories and how to respond to that- in a positive way, too.”
Melissa’s Story
Meet Melissa, one of our Youth Peer Champions for Campaign Vaccination Toronto. Melissa is currently a student at Centennial College majoring in Addictions and Mental Health.
Over the past 3 years, Melissa has experienced homelessness/precarious housing, until recently, she was able to find stable housing. While speaking about her experiences at a shelter, Melissa shared the needs for more support in the youth sector.
“I would definitely have more harm reduction workers, I think, especially now during these times, it's extremely necessary to have that, especially when people are in their rooms alone. Even giving the youth Naloxone training, or just having Naloxone kits in the room readily available, just in case anything happens. In regards to housing, I definitely think more housing is needed. Youth are constantly overlooked, and they're not incorporated, such as in the city's Rapid Rehousing initiative. I see it all the time. I just think that youth should be given a chance because they are the future. So it all starts with a home.”
Melissa also shared that while residing at the shelter she was at, her worker recommended her for the role of becoming a Peer Champion. Melissa shared that she has had a great experience overall as a peer champion and hopes that more shelters have peer champions in their programs.
“ It’s been a great experience. I feel really proud of myself. Just to have this role, where I see the other side and how the other side operates, it just brings positivity, because eventually I will be working there on that side once I graduate from school…. It’s nice to also have a positive impact on people around me”
Harriet’s Story
Meet Harriet, one of our Peer Champions for Campaign Vaccination Toronto. Harriet is a refugee who came from Uganda two and a half years ago. When arriving in Canada, Harriet worked many different precarious jobs while residing in a shelter. During her stay at a shelter, her experiences there made her want to pursue a career in the social services sector and make a positive change in somebody's life.
“I just wanted to make a change in somebody’s life…because I lived in a shelter, I saw what shelter people were going through, that trauma they had, the problems they had, many people were so isolated…so I just wanted to make a change in somebody's life by joining social work.”
Harriet began working through different agencies as a frontline shelter worker, and later on was hired as a relief staff at a shelter. While on shift, Harriet saw an email where peer champions were being recruited and she had expressed interest to her supervisor. Harriet shares that she always felt prepared to tackle any vaccine hesitancies or misconceptions, and that this opportunity had helped her gain more confidence when speaking to others.
“Becoming a peer champion has really helped me gain confidence and help me talk to more people. Before becoming a peer champion, I wouldn't speak to people who did not look like me. I would always question myself when speaking with someone “how can I talk to them?” “What kind of English am I going to use?” “Will they understand me?” So this has helped me so much to gain confidence.”
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Kimberly’s Story
Meet Kimberly, one of our Peer Champions for Campaign Vaccination Toronto. Kimberly is a mother of two from Jamaica. She shared that her dream is to become a social worker and work in a shelter to support others and uplift them. Kimberly shared that she wanted to become a peer champion as she knew that she would be able to educate people as well as wanting to try something new, and help her experience, socialize and learn from others as well. While doing vaccine promotion work at different shelters, she shared that it had really helped her with her mental health as she was able to go out and socialize with others, as well as help her build confidence and speak with people she usually would not have spoken with.
“ Doing this with the Toronto Shelter Network, going to different shelters, the peer champion work, and going out even 3 days a week to do the work…it makes you feel good, it takes away a level of depression when being isolated at home.”
Kimberly shared that she was able to be an example for other mothers as she had taken her first vaccine dose when she was 37 weeks pregnant and was able to debunk any vaccine hesitancies and misconceptions.
“I took my vaccine when I was 37 weeks pregnant. I got Pfizer…It didn’t affect me, it didn’t affect the baby, so it was great”
Kimberly shares that overall she has had a great experience as a peer champion and is glad to be able to make a positive change.
Lynn’s Story
Meet Lynn, one of our Peer Champions for Campaign Vaccination Toronto. Lynn had entered the shelter system 3 years ago and shared that when she entered the system, she never knew anything about shelters. While sharing her experiences in the shelter she was residing at, she shared that since then, she had built some strong connections with her younger peers and would support and advocate for them.
“I came into the shelter system when I was quite old, actually, almost three years ago. Never knew about shelters. So since I've been here, at the shelter system. I just kind of became the motherly type of person, I guess you would say. A lot of young people would come to me… I find that very comforting now. But in the beginning, it was very stressful, because of not knowing all the different kinds of people that could be in the shelter system. I was never around that. So like, I couldn't quite understand. But as time went on, I was being helpful, I would be a spotter. Just to make sure that the young people were looked after properly.”
Lynn shared that while residing at the shelter she was at, one of the supervisors informed her that she was recommended by many staff to become a peer champion when the site she was staying at was looking to identify peers to support with vaccine promotion. Lynn shared that she wanted to become a Peer Champion because it was about talking to her peers and building connections, and shared that this experience has felt so rewarding to her.
“I wanted to become a Peer Champion because it was about talking to people, talking to the people that live here….It was knowing I could talk to someone or have that ability to make a difference. It was also just so rewarding, being able to support people… It made me want to do more, I think that’s why I’m getting into different things, whether it's helping out with vaccine clinics, learning about vaccines, etc. ”
Sandra’s Story
Meet Sandra, one of our Community Health Ambassadors for the TSN Peer Health Promotion Project. Sandra is a refugee who came to Canada from Uganda a few months ago. Sandra shared that coming to Canada was a leap of faith for her, and when arriving here, she did not know what she was going to do, where she was going to stay or what was going to happen.
When Sandra arrived at the airport, she was given phone numbers to contact Red Cross and Central Intake, and shared that through the kindness of individuals in the airport, she was able to use their phones to call different organizations to try to find a shelter space to stay in. Although she was unsuccessful with finding a shelter, Sandra decided to leave the airport and go to a shelter to ask in person. When she found out there was no space available, she waited outside of a shelter until a staff member informed her that there was a bed available. From there, while staying in a shelter she saw the opportunity to work with Toronto Shelter Network as a Community Health Ambassador.
“I was very interested in knowing what it looked like to work or to talk to people in Canada because it was very different from back home. We don't have facilities like shelters and places where people that are homeless are placed. So it was very new to me and it was something I wanted to experience, because although I live in a shelter, I don't really understand exactly what happens behind the scenes. So I saw this as an opportunity to understand how people are brought into the shelter, and how exactly they are helped.”
Sandra also shared her experiences while staying in a shelter and the effects of social isolation while staying in a shelter and how tough and lonely it can be, especially as a newcomer in Canada.
“I left a child at home. So while I started settling, I started, you know, thinking about the people, I had left at home, and then what that does is, it makes you feel very, very lonely, and you don't have anyone to talk to, because everyone here is, in a way, struggling with their own life. So they're here for one reason or another. You don't know if they were thrown out of their home, of their job or place, or if they are refugees. So it's very hard to go in there and interact with these people, and even though you may find people to say hello to, you're not going to start telling them how lonely you feel.”
Sandra shares that although the effects of social isolation, and being in a new country is tough, she shares that she is glad that she has had the opportunity to be able to become a peer health ambassador, and be able to go out and meet new people and do meaningful work.
“I was very grateful for this opportunity, because it helped me get out of this place and get outside and find new places. I think this particular opportunity as a peer health ambassador has helped me a lot with that, because I did not have the confidence at first to find a place on my own… Being able to go out to different shelters and meet different people and learn how to navigate the city has really helped me get out and gain more confidence”
Sandra shared some recommendations to reduce the impacts of social isolation and explained that there needs to be more available programs, and community specific programs, as well as possibly group up people in shelters to check in on one another and find ways to build a sense of community and connection.
Peer Champion Resources
For Peer Champion vaccine promotion resources, please click the links below:
Vaccine Promotion Resources
COVID-19 Resources for Peer Champions
Youth Vaccine Strategy Playbook