Webinar Description:

Join us for an engaging 2-hour HSABC webinar created for both those working alongside Persons With Lived and Living Experience (PWLLE) and those who are PWLLE themselves. Together, we’ll explore the foundations of trauma-informed care through the lens of homelessness, substance use, and mental health, and unpack the unique strengths and challenges of peer support work. This session offers practical strategies to foster supportive, empowering environments, recognize and amplify the expertise of PWLLE, and support peer-led initiatives. Whether you’re bringing your own lived experience or supporting others in peer roles, you’ll leave with tools, insights, and confidence to strengthen relationships, build trust, and walk alongside peers with empathy and respect.

 This course is offered in Term 4. 

Instructors: Kevin Parker, Tara Taylor and Rachel Plamondin-Assu

Instructor Bios:

Rachel Plamondin-Assu is a proud Indigenous woman from the We Wai Kai Nation, Cape Mudge, specializes in creating innovative harm reduction programming with a focus on people with lived or living experiences (PWLLE). Rachel disrupts systems with radical love, drawing from over 14 years in non-profit housing and peer harm reduction work. As Senior Manager of Peer and Harm Reduction Services at RainCity Housing, Rachel champions cultural safety and equity, leading initiatives that empower marginalized communities. She collaborates extensively with Indigenous groups and health authorities to ensure inclusive, impactful solutions..

Tara Taylor (She/They) is the Executive Director of SpencerCreo Foundation, working from the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Bringing over 20 years of grassroots experience in the non-profit sector, Tara’s work is rooted in community care, harm reduction, and the belief that systems change must be co-created with the people most impacted.

Grounded in Vancouver’s DTES, Tara has led the development of inclusive employment models, peer-led programming, and social enterprises that prioritize dignity, equity, and sustainability. Their leadership style is collaborative and future-focused, building bridges across disciplines to support long-term, people-centred solutions.
Tara also contributes to provincial and federal advisory committees and collaborates on ethical, community-informed research and policy initiatives with institutions such as the BC Centre on Substance Use and the University of British Columbia.
At SpencerCreo, Tara supports systems-level work that strengthens peer-led employment, advances harm reduction best practices, and builds pathways for community-driven change. 

Kevin Parker (He/Him)

Kevin is a dedicated support worker with over 15 years of experience serving marginalized and underserved communities. As a biracial Black man, he brings a deeply personal and culturally responsive perspective to his work, rooted in his lived experiences and a commitment to equity, justice, and healing.

Throughout his career, Kevin has worked at the intersection of public health, social justice, and community advocacy, supporting people who use substances and those who work in overdose response, as well as those impacted by systemic racism, poverty, homelessness, and incarceration. His approach centers on dignity, autonomy, and practical support, prioritizing relationship-building and non-judgmental care.