Peer Specialist

Liberty Resources / Liberty POST•Oneida, NY

1d•$20 - $24

About The Position

We are currently seeking a Full-Time Peer Specialist to join our Supportive Apartments Program in Madison County. Our employees have passion around the services they provide and our corporate values of excellence and staff support. We pride ourselves on high quality, integrated, community-based services that meet the evolving needs of our communities. We’re committed to building a diverse workforce that values contributions of all team members and work to recognize cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and how they apply to provision of positive health outcomes. Peer Support Specialist Position Summary: The Peer Support Specialist will work with individuals with serious mental illness, or co-occurring disorders who are homeless to be successful in recovery and in maintaining stable housing across Madison County.

Requirements

HS Diploma required, and must identify self as a current or former recipient of mental health services with a willingness to share personal experience appropriately and respectfully.
Must possess cultural competence, be sensitive to cultural differences, and be able to incorporate that understanding into staff development and service delivery.
Strong organizational and interpersonal skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills required.

Nice To Haves

Although not a requirement, work experience in a behavioral health or related setting, preferably using the recovery model with one to two years of personal recovery experience, is preferred.
It is preferred that the individual is a graduate of the core peer specialist training program and has a respect for, and high level of comfort around people experiencing medical, psychiatric, or substance-related crises.

Responsibilities

Provides on-site and community-based peer support for participants of the program at the time of initial engagement and throughout the participant’s time in this program
Provides mental health promotion coaching through lived experience and ongoing support, linkage to community (other peer-to-peer supports) and crisis support to all residents.
Draws on knowledge and skills acquired from personal experience with the mental health, medical, and substance abuse systems with a focus on the residents’ personal recovery process
Utilizes their own lived shared experience with addiction, homelessness and/or mental health, their long-term sustained recovery expertise and peer training to serve as a support and resource for the participant’s own recovery.
Provides support guided by the values of the Peer Model by providing information about recovery support services in the community and support linkage to the participant’s chosen supports.
Coordinates services and develops relationships in the community to improve individuals' ability to access and/or maintain health care, insurance and housing.
Provides advocacy, supportive counseling and referral and linkage services for participants as needed and as assigned by the Program Supervisor.
Supports the person to develop their own person centered goal plan and provides participant identified supports that are needed to accomplish their goals.
Works in cooperation with a multi-disciplinary team and assures continuity of participant services.
Required to participate in training developed for peer specialists on an ongoing basis as it is made available.
Increases the capacity of the behavioral health and homeless systems to identify and engage persons with mental health issues who are homeless and not engaged in service.
Responds to and effectively handles crises, which may require flexibility of time and area of assignment. Shares on-call responsibility and takes necessary action to ensure staff coverage, appropriate crisis interventions, and untoward incident notification.
Completes all required documentation, in timelines in accordance with the program, OMH, and agency standards.