Peer Support Specialist

City of Durham•Durham, NC

66d•Onsite

About The Position

The City of Durham's Community Safety Department (DCSD) is expanding its services with a new division focused on Stabilization Services, building upon its existing HEART (Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams) programs. This expansion offers an exciting opportunity to integrate alternative response programs with stabilization services to better support the community. The Peer Support Specialist role is a full-time, benefits-eligible position that provides person-centered case management and peer support. Drawing upon lived experience, this role involves building trusting relationships, identifying needs and goals, and connecting individuals to community resources such as behavioral health care, housing, and benefits. The specialist will provide ongoing follow-up, advocacy, and resource navigation, while maintaining documentation and coordinating with various service providers. The role emphasizes a trauma-informed, strengths-based, and equitable approach promoting individual choice and connection to care. The Familiar Neighbors program, part of Stabilization Services, supports individuals facing housing insecurity, reentry challenges, behavioral health needs, and other complex issues. DCSD also leads Durham’s Continuum of Care (CoC) to address homelessness. The Community Response Team (CRT) dispatches multi-person teams (Clinician, Peer Support Specialist, EMT) to 911 calls related to behavioral health and quality of life concerns, operating without law enforcement and maintaining a high safety rating.

Requirements

Minimum of a high school diploma or GED, with 2 years of direct lived experience related to substance use, behavioral health, or the criminal justice system.
Peer Support Specialist Certification
Strong understanding of behavioral health symptoms and crisis intervention strategies, with the ability to connect individuals to appropriate resources.
Must be able to travel within Durham, walk or stand for up to 75% of a shift, and have basic computer proficiency.
Demonstrated commitment to the department’s mission and values.
Must have a valid, unrestricted, North Carolina driver's license or if you currently have another state driver's license, must be willing and able to obtain a valid NC driver's license within 60 days of hire.

Nice To Haves

At least two years of experience in peer counseling or related work with diverse populations.
Prior professional experience in crisis response or intervention is preferred.
Experience engaging with individuals under high stress, including those impacted by mental illness, substance use, intellectual and developmental disabilities, justice involvement, or homelessness. Lived experience in these areas strongly valued.
Knowledge of service delivery systems including counseling, treatment planning, documentation, utilization review, and NC clinical policies (e.g., ACT, CST, IOP, SACOT, Innovations Waiver).
Skilled in data management and maintaining HIPAA compliance.
Bilingual abilities, especially in Spanish, are highly preferred.
Familiarity with Durham’s health systems and community resources is a plus.
Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with a demonstrated commitment to community advancement and advocacy—particularly within Durham.

Responsibilities

Respond to referrals involving mental health, substance use, housing instability, and other psychosocial needs using trauma-informed, person-centered strategies informed by lived experience.
Provide case management or crisis support, resource navigation, and advocacy to identify goals, address barriers, and connect neighbors with appropriate community services and supports.
Coordinate warm handoffs and ongoing follow-up with clinicians, DCSD teams, community partners, and service providers to promote continuity of care.
Build trusting, strengths-based relationships that promote self-determination, recovery, wellness, and meaningful engagement in services.
Maintain timely, accurate, and confidential documentation of referrals, services, follow-up activities, outcomes, and resource connections.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and community agencies to coordinate services and strengthen access to behavioral health and community resources.
Participate in supervision, team meetings, professional development, and program improvement while incorporating lived experience and peer perspectives.
Maintain professional boundaries, intentional self-disclosure, effective communication, and personal wellness practices to sustain resilience and effective peer support.