Part-Time Peer Specialist

Housing Works • Brooklyn, NY

1d

About The Position

Housing Works is seeking a Peer Specialist to support the Hepatitis C (Hep C) Care and Treatment Program, funded by the AIDS Institute. The Peer Specialist will use their own lived experience with Hep C, substance use, homelessness, and/or the healthcare system to engage, support, and motivate clients through Hep C testing, treatment initiation, adherence, and cure (SVR). This role is central to closing gaps in engagement and retention, particularly for clients who are unhoused, use drugs, or are otherwise disconnected from consistent care, and works closely with the Hep C care team, harm reduction staff, and outreach workers to bring services directly to clients where they are.

Requirements

• Preferred prior experience as a peer worker, peer navigator, or in a similar peer support role
• Familiarity with Hep C treatment
• Experience working within syringe exchange, harm reduction, or HIV/HCV prevention programs
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus
• Empathy and relationship-building grounded in lived experience
• Non-judgmental, client-centered approach
• Reliability and follow-through with a high-need, sometimes hard-to-reach client population
• Comfort working as part of an interdisciplinary care team
• Flexibility and resilience in outreach and community-based work

Responsibilities

• Provide peer-based outreach, engagement, and support to clients who are Hep C positive or at risk, including those identified through internal primary care testing and community-based outreach
• Build trusting relationships with clients using shared lived experience to reduce stigma and increase comfort engaging with the Hep C program
• Accompany and support clients through the treatment continuum: testing, linkage to care, treatment initiation, adherence, and SVR (cure) testing
• Provide motivational support to clients who are lost to follow-up or hesitant to engage, using harm reduction and client-centered approaches
• Support clients in navigating social determinants of health barriers to treatment
• Work across Housing Works' clinic sites to support Hep C program enrollment and retention goals
• Support integration of Hep C services within harm reduction and syringe exchange program settings, including telehealth-based treatment delivery for clients receiving services in those settings
• Participate in community-based outreach efforts alongside the dedicated outreach worker to identify and engage Hep C positive individuals outside the existing Housing Works client network
• Support annual Hep C Awareness programming, including client presentations, interview-style storytelling from clients who completed treatment, and the annual celebrations for clients in and completed treatment
• Maintain accurate, timely documentation of client contacts, engagement activities, and progress in accordance with program and funder requirements
• Participate in team meetings and case conferencing with the Hep C care team, medical providers, and navigators
• Collaborate with internal programs (harm reduction, adult day health care, youth prevention services) and external community-based organization partners to support client identification and program visibility
• Provide feedback to program leadership on engagement barriers and emerging client needs to inform program improvement

Benefits

• Three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from
• Housing Works covers most of the healthcare plan
• Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year
• Educational benefit available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed