Veteran Peer Support Specialist

The Transition House•Kissimmee, FL

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Your military service gave you perspective no classroom can teach. Are you ready to use it to help another Veteran feel seen, connected, and hopeful? The Transition House, Inc. is seeking a Veteran Peer Support Specialist for our community-based Veteran Connection and Suicide Prevention Program. This is a Veteran-to-Veteran, non-clinical role centered on trust, hope, practical support, and authentic human connection. You will engage Veterans who may be facing suicide risk, isolation, homelessness, justice involvement, behavioral-health or substance-use challenges, financial instability, or disconnection from traditional service systems. This position requires lived experience as a Veteran. If you know how powerful it can be when one Veteran says to another, ‘I understand,’ and you can pair that connection with boundaries, follow-through, and sound judgment, we would like to meet you.

Requirements

Lived experience as a Veteran is required for this Veteran-to-Veteran peer-support role.
Ability to use lived experience appropriately and professionally to support other Veterans.
Strong interpersonal, communication, engagement, relationship-building, and follow-through skills.
Ability to work independently in community settings while maintaining appropriate peer boundaries.
Ability to recognize concerns that require escalation to case-management, supervisory, VA, crisis, or emergency resources.
Ability and willingness to complete required training and demonstrate competency in VA-required suicide-prevention screening and related program tools.
Sound judgment and respect for participant choice, consent, confidentiality, and professional conduct.
Valid driver's license and ability to travel regularly throughout Orange and Osceola Counties and the surrounding service area.
The selected candidate must complete required training and demonstrate competency in: TTHI onboarding and SSG Fox SPGP requirements, including confidentiality, documentation, participant safety, trauma-informed care, Veteran-specific service delivery, VA coordination, warm handoffs, crisis escalation, and family or support-system engagement.
Administering, scoring, documenting, and responding to VA-required suicide-risk screening, baseline mental-health or wellbeing screening, and other assigned SSG Fox tools.
Immediate escalation, referral, warm-handoff, and emergency-response procedures whenever elevated or imminent suicide risk is identified.
Applicable VA training and ongoing professional development are required.

Nice To Haves

We especially welcome Veterans who are Certified Peer Specialists or are eligible and willing to pursue peer certification.
Experience in Veteran peer support, Veteran-serving programs, behavioral-health or substance-use recovery, homelessness, housing, reentry, family or caregiver support, or community outreach is strongly valued.
Familiarity with VA and Central Florida Veteran resources is also preferred.
Peer certification is preferred, not required at hire.

Responsibilities

Build Trust Through Peer Connection: Engage Veterans through one-to-one outreach, relationship building, and Veteran-to-Veteran peer support. Use lived experience thoughtfully and professionally to promote hope, trust, recovery, connection, and continued engagement. Maintain appropriate peer boundaries, honor participant choice, protect confidentiality, and model professional conduct.
Connect Veterans to Support: Help Veterans understand available VA, TTHI, and community resources and encourage participation in individualized service plans. Assist Veterans in overcoming practical or emotional barriers to services and accompany or support them during service linkage when appropriate. Conduct follow-up after referrals, crisis events, emergency-department visits, release from incarceration, housing transitions, missed appointments, or other periods of increased risk when assigned. Promote social connection by linking Veterans with Veteran-serving organizations, community activities, family supports, caregiver resources, and other positive natural supports.
Support Participant Safety: After required training and demonstrated competency, administer assigned VA-required suicide-risk, baseline mental-health or wellbeing, and other SSG Fox screening or outcome tools within the approved non-clinical scope of the role. Recognize and document suicide warning signs, changes in risk, participant statements, or circumstances that may indicate increased risk, and immediately initiate established escalation procedures. Coordinate immediately with the Program Director, a Case Manager or Veteran Navigator, VA, or crisis-response resources whenever screening or participant contact identifies elevated or imminent risk. Support suicide-prevention education, Veterans Crisis Line and 988 awareness, and approved lethal-means safety education within the peer role's scope.
Engage Families and Natural Supports: With participant consent, engage family members, caregivers, and other Veteran-identified natural supports to strengthen connection, reduce isolation, and reinforce recovery or wellness goals. Provide non-clinical peer education on suicide warning signs, Veterans Crisis Line and 988 resources, help-seeking, stigma reduction, supportive communication, and approved lethal-means safety information. Help families and caregivers understand available VA and community supports, and coordinate with the Case Manager or Veteran Navigator when additional service coordination is needed.
Collaborate, Document and Grow: Work closely with Case Managers and Veteran Navigators to identify additional needs and communicate concerns requiring case-management, supervisory, VA, or crisis intervention. Document peer and family contacts, assigned screenings, referrals, follow-up, safety concerns, education, and services in accordance with grant, consent, and confidentiality requirements. Participate in community outreach, Veteran engagement activities, case reviews, supervision, team meetings, and required training.