Peer Support Advocate

Lutheran Social Services of Southern California•Long Beach, CA

13h•$22 - $24•Hybrid

About The Position

Lutheran Social Services of Southern California began in December 1944 when a group of Lutheran congregations in San Diego came together to discuss how to better assist families in need. They began discussing how to form a Welfare Commission. Their vision expanded when they came together with another group of Lutheran congregations in Los Angeles having the very same conversation. Lutheran Social Services of Southern California was officially incorporated in 1946 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit social service agency. The mission has stayed true to its earliest beginnings, to be a servant to those in need. Today LSSSC serves thousands of individuals and families throughout Southern California with over 40 diverse programs/services at 14 distinct locations. We are part of the Lutheran Services in America (LSA) network and strive to serve those in need with dignity and respect. Lutheran Social Services of Southern California’s Mission: Ignited by faith, we live out God’s Love by embracing, equipping, and empowering vulnerable people in Southern California. Job Summary: The Behavioral Health Program (BHP) Peer Support Advocate is responsible to work with the Program Coordinator to, support, and place Peer Support Specialists (PSS) with mental health and recovery providers in the Inland Empire. The BHP Program was established to address the ongoing workforce development needs for public mental health departments through the recruitment, training, and retention of PSS. The Peer Support Advocate will help place PSS with lived experience in the Public Mental Health System (PMHS) to provide culturally responsive and recovery-oriented support to peers. The Peer Support Advocate functions as the advocate by supporting participants and interacting with partner and community agencies. Day to day operational management of the program includes setting goals and standards for participants, providing support and guidance in the training and placement process, tracking participant and graduate progress, and assisting program participants in finding placements in the PMHS as PSS. The Peer Support Advocate shares a demonstrates commitment to the values and priorities of the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) including: Community Collaboration Cultural Competence & Responsiveness Client/Family-Driven Mental Health System A Wellness, Recovery, and Resilience Focus An Integrated Service Delivery System The Peer Support Advocate also shares the LSS Mission to live out God’s love by embracing, equipping, and empowering vulnerable people and demonstrates compassion, advocacy, respect, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship. The Program Coordinator is a highly collaborative individual with a shared vision.

Requirements

High School Degree or equivalent.
Lived experience as a consumer of mental health and/or recovery services.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Strong organizational skills, with strong attention to detail and task oriented.
Clear California Driver’s License (Must allow DMV check before hire with monitoring throughout employment) a working vehicle and proof of current vehicle insurance as required in the driving policy.
Knowledge of Word Processing software and Spreadsheet software.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual is preferable.

Responsibilities

Active recruitment of potential participants in collaboration with our program partner Health Core Possibilities (HCP).
Conduct online interviews with participants to cover the description of the PSS program, requirements, and commitment.
Facilitate group meetings as needed throughout the recruitment, training, placement in the MH/SUD system, as well as post-graduation period as a PSS.
Support participants through mentorship.
Monitor individual progress, provide encouragement, support, and assistance to ensure every participant is able to meet their goal.
Identify and follow up with participants who would benefit from additional support to complete training.
Collaborate with community partners who have identified as placement sites for program graduates and locate new placement sites throughout the state of California
Collaborate closely with participants to ensure that the program is engaging and successful.
Provide support to graduates in obtaining placements, successfully transition to their PSS roles, and support their continued development.
Participate in events, meetings, and other activities related to program development and implementation.
Address the needs and concerns of participants with support and access to needed resources.
Document all client interactions into the LMS
Utilize and expand the PSS Job Board database as a directory for employment sites in the Inland Empire.
Coordinate live synchronous meetings for participants and graduates to interact and learn from each other on how to become successful PSS.
Maintain familiarity with CalMHSA and support participants through the state certification process.