For many job seekers, job fairs can be overwhelming. Large crowds, long lineups, and rushed conversations with recruiters can make it difficult to build meaningful connections — especially for people who may already be navigating anxiety or other mental health challenges. 

Yet we also know that employment can be an important factor in recovery. Not only does it provide financial stress relief, but it can also offer structure and social support that contribute to longer term well-being and mental health stability. 

That’s why the recent job fair held at Routes community centre on March 11, 2026, was important.  

Organized and hosted by staff from CMHA Toronto’s Employment Program, the event brought together a select number of employers and approximately 60 CMHA Toronto clients. 

The goal was to offer participants the chance to practise the employment search skills they’ve been learning in a supportive environment where they could find out about opportunities, ask questions, and build confidence at their own pace. 

Behind the event was a team with a broad range of professional and lived experience.  

Employment Program Team Lead Alana Webber brings more than 14 years of experience supporting people on their employment journeys. Employment Support Worker Zobia Hassan combines a background in social work and employment services. Khaliq Jabbar, also an Employment Support Worker, brings three decades of experience in vocational rehabilitation and return-to-work support, along with his own lived experience navigating mental health challenges. 

Together, the team's varied backgrounds help them support clients with a wide range of employment goals, experiences, and interests. 

The work they do — and the context in which the job fair was designed — is founded on the evidence-based Individual Placement Support model of supported employment. This model, considered the ‘gold standard’ in employment programming for people with severe mental illness and addictions, is what truly sets CMHA Toronto's Employment Program apart from others.

Alana explains that the goal for the job fair was to have five or six employers attend. She says, “We didn't really know what to expect" but was pleased that they hit that target.

The result was a very different experience from a traditional job fair.  

"It was a nice, intimate job fair," says Alana. "The people who came could really sit one-on-one, talk about the positions, talk about the candidates' experience, and it was a more comfortable, relaxed environment for everyone." 

Representatives from the University of Toronto, the City of Toronto, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), A-Way Express, and Cannabis Training Canada attended. Staff from CMHA Toronto’s peer support program and the Extreme Cleaning Program were on hand to explain their roles and the employment opportunities that are available in the Extreme Cleaning area. 

By hosting the event at Routes, participants started off on the right foot because they were already familiar with the space. In addition, employment support workers were available to their clients to welcome them, introduce them to the set-up and the employers, and provide encouragement.  

Alana says that this went a long way to calming people’s anxieties. "Coming to such a small, supported environment made a big difference. Their employment workers met them at the door, directed them to tables, and the vendors were so supportive and engaging." 

For some participants, that support translated directly into increased confidence. 

Alana recalls one client who experienced significant anxiety around interviews and was hesitant to attend the fair at all. Alana encouraged her client to attend and says that, at the end of the event, her client came back and said, “‘yeah, that wasn’t so bad after all!’” Alana says the interview practice sessions held with this client afterwards went more smoothly because she had that experience under her belt. 

And that experience wasn't unique to one participant. 

Another attendee, who asked to remain anonymous, said they decided to attend because they felt safe and welcomed at Routes. They described the event as helpful, informative, and well-organized, and said it gave them practice “communicating with other people, making first impressions, and learning how to improve my interview skills,” even learning how to dress to make a good first impression. They said they appreciated the opportunity to “get out of my comfort zone.” 

The event also offered opportunities beyond direct hiring. Cannabis Training Canada (CTC), for example, does not offer employment directly, but they do offer a certification that is recognized by many Toronto-area employers. They shared information about CTC training and provided people with discount codes for those interested in pursuing it. 

Recruiters from CAMH and the City of Toronto — both of which have programs designed specifically to support candidates with lived experience of mental health challenges — went above and beyond due, in part, to the more intimate format of the job fair. 

For example, John Fernandes, who attended from CAMH’s Employment Works! program, reviewed résumés during the event, and was able to pinpoint people’s strengths and make suggestions. Khaliq reported that clients said that John’s feedback had been very helpful.  

Beyond that, meeting John can give job seekers an advantage if they apply for a position at CAMH. Once clients have an application in process, John will connect with the CAMH recruiter for that job to let them know someone with lived experience has applied, “giving that little extra oomph to their application,” says Alana. 

Zobia highlights that the City of Toronto is currently running a special program directed towards employing Black youth for administrative positions, which includes a three- to four-month skills and training follow-up program. TerriLynn Hulett, who represented the City of Toronto at the job fair, introduced that program to potential candidates.   

TerriLynn was able to connect with a CMHA Toronto client who had applied for a position through the program and expedite her interview. While it did not lead to a job offer, Zobia says that “it was fantastic getting that experience for [that client] because she hadn't been on an interview, and one of her biggest barriers was anxiety around interviews.”

While the job fair was created with CMHA Toronto clients in mind, employers also benefited from the experience. 

The smaller format allowed employers to gain a deeper understanding of the people and communities CMHA Toronto serves. 

Zobia says employers had an opportunity to see the community behind the résumés. By visiting Routes, employers could get a firsthand view of the welcoming environment, meet clients as they interacted naturally with each other and with Routes staff, and learn more about the supports available through CMHA Toronto. 

"This job fair was a really good way of building these partnerships and for employers and training companies to learn more about what CMHA Toronto does," Zobia says. "Having them understand exactly what we do gives them a bigger picture of where we fit in the broader sector and the population that we're working with."  

Melina Dimson of A-Way Express, a foot courier company, said she appreciated the ability to have “a lot of one-on-one time with the candidates” without the pressure to “give the spiel fast” or rushing to answer questions. 

The success of the first Routes job fair has already sparked discussions about future events.  

“We definitely want to do it again," says Alana. She and the team hope to expand the range of employers represented and incorporate feedback from participants such as including a job board at the event that features current employment opportunities from attending employers and others. 

Although no direct hires have resulted from the fair so far, participants have already gained follow-up opportunities and formed new relationships that will, no doubt, serve them well in the future.  

Those relationships may prove to be one of the most important outcomes of the day — and one the team intends to build on.  

"The job fair is an opportunity for us to secure these types of connections for our clients," says Alana. "And now our job is to continue to build on them and turn them into more opportunities for our program participants." 

For now, however, the biggest success may be something less tangible than a job offer: It was the opportunity for CMHA Toronto clients to put into practice what they have been learning through the Employment Program and find out that the job search process is manageable — even positive.  

Sometimes the first step toward employment is simply realizing that walking into the room isn't as intimidating as it might seem.