Peer Recovery Specialist

City of Suffolk•Suffolk, VA

About The Position

Under general supervision, the Peer Recovery Specialist leads community engagement and guides individuals toward recovery, housing, and support resources. Using lived experience, the specialist builds trust with hard-to-reach populations, coordinates field outreach, and connects clients with internal teams and external partners. The role provides direct peer-to-peer field engagement and supports collective impact strategies through administrative tracking, referrals, and program data. The specialist facilitates and coordinates assistance for individuals seeking basic physical, financial, personal, and recovery support. They identify and link people to appropriate community and agency resources, and develop procedures to track needs and monitor progress. The position also provides recovery support, helps clients create individualized goals and plans, and assists with accessing services, employment support, and community resources. The role includes assessing eligibility for benefit programs, maintaining client contact and confidential records, organizing a caseload, and performing data entry and related administrative duties. The employee must be willing to perform disaster-related assignments, including emergency shelter duty, during a natural disaster or emergency. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Personal, direct experience with a substance use disorder and at least two years of demonstrated sustained recovery.
Ability to prepare for and become certified as a Peer Recovery Specialist.
Valid driver's license.
Knowledge of recovery concepts, hope, wellness principles, coping skills, triggers, and local behavioral health resources.
Skills in active listening, motivational interviewing, peer coaching, and helping clients create recovery and wellness plans.
Ability to model stable recovery and share lived experience appropriately.
Knowledge of client rights, community systems, professional boundaries, confidentiality laws such as HIPAA, and codes of conduct.
Ability to navigate dual relationships, maintain safe and respectful interactions, recognize personal limitations, and practice self-care.
Knowledge of crisis de-escalation, safety planning, and harm-reduction strategies.
Ability to identify emergency warning signs, make appropriate referrals, and respond safely and calmly during urgent client crises.
Ability to communicate on behalf of clients to reduce stigma and address barriers, and to empower individuals to advocate for their needs.

Nice To Haves

Certification as a Peer Recovery Specialist.

Responsibilities

Build trusting relationships with community members and provide peer support based on shared life experiences.
Help individuals identify personal recovery goals through individual and group sessions.
Support individuals in creating goals and developing recovery plans using their skills, strengths, supports, and resources.
Teach recovery information and tools to help individuals develop individualized wellness and recovery plans.
Model personal responsibility, self-advocacy, and wellness by sharing personal recovery experiences.
Support vocational choices, including matching jobs to individual strengths and assisting with job applications, interview preparation, and resumes.
Help individuals obtain services that meet their needs, desires, and recovery goals.
Assist individuals with accessing community resources and identifying natural supports.
Help individuals establish and sustain mutual-support groups and find and join existing groups.
Collaborate with treatment team members, service providers, and significant others as necessary.
Interview applicants, explain benefit programs, and determine eligibility for assistance.
Secure and verify applicants’ financial, social, and employment information.
Assist applicants with required forms and evaluate submitted information for consistency, accuracy, and completeness.
Identify client needs, explain available programs and related rights and responsibilities, and explore other possible sources of income.
Plan and conduct street-based outreach, community events, and digital campaigns to reach target populations.
Perform mathematical computations and determine the amount and type of assistance clients may be eligible or ineligible to receive.
Maintain contact with clients and visit their homes as necessary.
Respond to inquiries about benefit programs or refer inquiries to appropriate personnel.
Compose and type correspondence and forms, ensuring correctness of spelling, punctuation, format, and grammar.
Organize caseloads, establish priorities, and schedule appointments.
Use computer-driven data-entry and file-maintenance programs to retrieve information needed to determine assistance eligibility.
Perform data entry and maintain confidential records and files.
Provide support to the Behavioral Health Multi-Disciplinary Team and related bodies.
Perform other related duties as required.
Work disaster-related assignments, including emergency shelter duty, during a natural disaster or emergency.