Peer Support Specialist

Position Summary

The mission of Hope the Mission (HTM) is to prevent, reduce, and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions. Our mission is to meet our participants’ needs through an individualized and non-judgmental approach that will ultimately lead to long term housing stability.

Under the supervision of the clinical supervisor, the Peer Support Specialist will provide a myriad of supportive services including outreach and engagement, case management, crisis management support, provide psychoeducation and facilitate psychoeducation groups, conduct wellness and life skills groups, provide linkage support, and function as a role model to clients.

The Peer Support Specialist will utilize a trauma informed care, harm-reduction, low barrier, culturally responsive, and person-centered approach when assisting clients in their recovery journey and regaining independence and housing within their community.

Specific Duties

● Outreach and engagement with clients in a variety of different settings at various shelter

locations, meeting clients where they are at.

● Conduct enrollments and create individualized wellness, safety, and care plans in

collaboration with participants.

●Foster a supportive, safe, and motivational environment.

●Facilitate psychoeducation groups, wellness groups, skill building groups, and leisure and

recreational activities related to improving clients’ mental wellbeing and recovery.

● Utilize a person-centered, seeking safety, crisis management, motivational interviewing,

harm-reduction, trauma-informed care, and housing first approach with clients.

●Ability to create and maintain boundaries with clients and understand the limitations of

a professional working relationship only within the work setting.

●Completes and maintains all documentation of services delivered.

●Work in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team consisted of clinical supervisors,

clinicians, SUD counselors, peers, case managers, and external providers to ensure effective

delivery of a full spectrum of clinical, social, and Peer Support services.

●Assist clients with scheduling, coordinating, and attending medical, behavioral, and

mental health appointments, and transportation.

●Participates in all staff meetings with HTM when appropriate.

● Conduct risk assessments and support with requesting the Psychiatric Mobile Response

Team and emergency personnel for 5150 holds as appropriate.

● Strong group facilitation skills, ability to plan and execute onsite activities for clients.

● Expected to participate in care coordination meetings, treatment team meetings, and trainings.

● Collaborating and connecting with resources outside of the organization when necessary.

● Expected to participate in individual and group supervision meetings.

Other Duties

● Communicate effectively and respond to correspondences in a timely manner.

● Identify potentially unsafe systems/processes/situations and takes initiative to report to

supervisor.

● Perform any other duties, projects and responsibilities as assigned by supervisor.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must have lived experience.

•High school diploma or GED required.

•Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required.

• Bilingual Spanish Preferred but not required.

• Experience working with culturally diverse, chronically homeless, severely mentally ill clients

and clients with co-occurring substance use diagnoses preferred.

• Experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness highly preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and conduct in-service training to staff/interns on related

topics as needed.

•Must be able to accurately document all services provided to clients.

• Drug screen, Background, Motor Vehicle record (MVR), Live Scan, TB test required

• A valid CA Driver’s License is required.

Knowledge

● Willing and able to work well with no or low-income homeless individuals

● Demonstrate courtesy, mutual respect and compassion in dealing

with others

● Initiate and present positive solutions to problems

● Demonstrate effective working relations and works effectively as part of the team

● Demonstrate a willingness and flexibility to accommodate requirements or changing

priorities in the workplace

Skills

• Ability to develop excellent rapport with clients.

• Must be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

• Must have the ability to coordinate a continuum of treatment / services for clients

• Excellent verbal, oral and presentation skills

• Strong interpersonal skills

• Problem solving and strategizing capabilities

• Ability in decision-making and problem-solving

EEO: HOTV (Hope of the Valley) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, HOTV complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, placement, promotion, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.