Peer Support Workers Help Struggling Members at Central Library    

HAMILTON – Wed Jan 22, 2025 - Hamilton Public Library (HPL) recently welcomed four new Peer Support Workers, Misty Thaler, Mike Lavelle, Paul Dolhun and Harrison Wheeler to Central Library.    

The workers from Canadian Mental Health Association Hamilton (CMHA) began their work of helping Members with mental illness and addiction struggles on Jan 13.     

Misty, Mike, Paul and Harrison will support Members in many ways, including counselling, helping them connect with local financial, housing and food resources and completing referral forms as needed.    

The Peer Support program is a one-year pilot. Getting to this launch date took a year. Throughout the year, HPL and CMHA will measure the success of this partnership through testimony and data to determine potential expansion.    

Peer support is an evidence-based, essential core service for addressing the complex needs of people with mental health and addictions concerns in community spaces like libraries.    

“This partnership is an example of how HPL is working with partners to support residents in our spaces, while we focus on providing public library service. A special thank you to Dr. James Gillet from McMaster University and his team. Our research partnerships with them resulted in facilitating this shared effort between HPL and CMHA Hamilton,” said HPL CEO Paul Takala.    

“CMHA Peer Support Workers leverage their lived experience, deep empathy and expertise in navigating Hamilton’s health and social services and will provide easily accessible support to people in need at Central Library,” said CMHA Hamilton CEO Sue Phipps.     

HPL and CMHA are grateful to McMaster University’s Community Research Platform for facilitating the partnership and their evaluation of this innovative collaboration.