Peer Specialist

Services For The Underserved, Inc.•New York, NY

52d•$40,000 - $45,000•Onsite

About The Position

S:US is seeking a Peer Specialist for our adult families' shelter in Brooklyn. This position is located at New York, NY 10016. The Peer Specialist will be responsible for outreach, engagement, and bridge building by forging strong connections with participants and families. They will undertake outreach activities to promote community awareness of S:US services, encourage help-seeking, and serve as a bridge between team members and participants when ambivalence about treatment arises. The role involves developing authentic, meaningful relationships through empathy, sharing experiences, listening, and collaborating with genuine curiosity. Peer Specialists must understand and discuss multiple frameworks for life experiences, such as psychosis, with participants and the team, intentionally using language to understand and make space for personal stories of recovery and resilience. They will advocate with and for program participants in the community and on the team. Collaboration with participants to clarify visions and develop wellness toolkits is key, supporting participants in strengthening self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources outside the S:US team. The role also involves positively influencing team culture by advocating for clients, promoting a youth-friendly approach, and encouraging recovery-oriented language, while helping to build an environment that believes in human potential and diversity. Peer Specialists will maintain open and frequent communication with the team, reporting concerns and keeping notes on visits, with co-collaboration on reporting encouraged.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED or 2 years of experience working in a large residential/institutional setting with a special needs population is required.
Strong interpersonal and organizational skills required.
Must have patience, creativity, flexibility, compassion, and sensitivity to persons with mental health and substance abuse issues and criminal court involvement.

Nice To Haves

NYS Driver’s License preferred.

Responsibilities

Outreach/Engagement/Bridge Building: Helping to facilitate engagement with teams by forging strong connections with participants and families, undertaking outreach activities designed to promote community awareness of S:US services, encouraging help-seeking, and at times serving as a bridge between team members and participants when they experience ambivalence about treatment.
Relationship Building: Developing authentic, meaningful relationships with individuals and families through empathy, sharing experiences, listening and collaborating with genuine curiosity and interest.
Embracing Creative Narratives: Peer Specialists need to be able to understand, share and discuss multiple frameworks for understanding life experiences such as psychosis with participants and the rest of the S:US team. Peer Specialists intentionally use language in the service of listening to understand and making space for complex personal stories of recovery and resilience.
Advocacy: Peer Specialists advocate with and for program participants both in the larger community and on the team.
Co-Creating Support and Wellness Tools: Collaborate with participants to clarify their personal visions and develop their wellness toolkit. Along with other team members, Peer Specialists support participants in strengthening their self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources and community outside of the S:US team.
Influencing Team Culture: Whenever possible, positively influencing the team culture by advocating for clients, promoting a youth friendly approach and encouraging the use of recovery-oriented language. S:US Peer Specialists also work actively within the team itself to help build an environment that operates from a belief in the human potential to grow and an understanding of human diversity.
Team Communication: Peer Specialists maintain open and frequent communication with the team. This includes reporting safety and other concerns to the team. Peer Specialists will also keep notes on visits with program participants as required by the provider agency. In the spirit of peer support, co-collaborating on reporting with the program participant is encouraged.