Steady Ground offers free, lived-experience peer support for adults navigating mental health challenges in Guelph-Wellington. Whatever you're carrying, you don't have to carry it alone.
All Steady Ground programs are free, confidential, and led by trained peer supporters with lived experience of mental health challenges.
Small group sessions facilitated by trained peer supporters. A space to talk openly, hear others' experiences, and build connection. No clinical intake required.
Paired peer support over a walk or a coffee. Sometimes it's easier to talk while moving. Scheduled by request; matched by experience and availability.
Monthly half-day sessions on practical topics: sleep and mood, grounding skills, navigating the mental health system, and more. Led by peers, not clinicians.
For young adults 18–30 navigating their first encounters with the mental health system. Peer navigators help with referrals, wait list management, and advocacy.
"I'd been on a waiting list for nine months. Steady Ground was the first time in a year someone sat with me and just listened. That's not a small thing."
Amara D.
Peer Support Circles participant, Guelph, 2024
There's no waitlist for peer support. No referral required. No intake paperwork. Just contact us and we'll find you the right fit.
Get in Touch TodaySteady Ground was founded in 2014 by a small group of adults in Guelph who found that peer connection — not clinical intervention — was what had actually helped them in their darkest moments.
We're not a substitute for professional mental health care. We're the thing that can keep you grounded while you wait for it, or help you decide whether you need it at all.
Today, with five full-time staff and 35 trained peer supporters working across the Wellington region, we're funded primarily through the Ontario Trillium Foundation and community donations — and every dollar stays local.
Founded in a Guelph church basement by four people who'd met in a hospital waiting room.
First Ontario Trillium Foundation grant. Moved into our first dedicated space on Carden Street.
Pivoted all programs online during COVID-19. Expanded reach to 14 rural communities in Wellington County.
Launched the Youth Navigation program, our fastest-growing service with an 8-month waiting list eliminated in year one.
Steady Ground is funded by people who believe peer support changes lives. Your donation keeps our programs free and accessible to everyone.
One-time or monthly giving through CanadaHelps. Tax receipt issued immediately. Charity reg: 78901 2345 RR0001.
Donate NowWe train new peer supporters each spring and fall. You'll receive 40 hours of paid training before your first session.
Apply for TrainingBring Steady Ground programs into your workplace, housing project, or community organization. Custom arrangements available.
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