Certified Peer Support Specialist

La Familia; San Leandro (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits package

Hybrid work arrangements

Mentorship and professional training

Competitive SEIU 1021 wage increases

Job summary

La Familia in San Leandro, CA is seeking a Certified Peer Support Specialist to work in the Peer Respite program. This 6-bed short-term home supports adults reentering the community and focuses on mental health recovery and independence.

You will provide housing care, one-on-one coaching, link residents to services, document progress, and participate in weekly meetings. A High School diploma and bilingual Spanish/English are preferred; shifts include nights and weekends.

Qualifications

• Must be certified as a Mental Health Peer Support Specialist or be able to provide evidence of certification in progress.
• High school diploma or GED required.
• 2+ years experience working with adults of diverse cultural backgrounds.
• 1+ years experience providing peer mentoring or coaching.
• Lived experience with mental illness, homelessness, and/or substance use recovery.
• Bilingual Spanish/English is highly desired but not required.
• Experience in non-profit and community-based organizations preferred.
• Demonstrates customer service orientation and ability to work with diverse populations.
• Exercises discretion with confidential information per agency policies.

Responsibilities

• Provide outreach, engagement, linkage, and follow-up services to residents.
• Serve as role model and coach to inspire, engage, and advocate for residents and their family members.
• Accompany residents to appointments and other services to promote independence.
• Collaborate with Peer Advocate and Peer Director in weekly case management and training sessions.
• Create and implement daily program schedules including activities to promote mental wellness.
• Facilitate appropriate supportive groups and assist with housing chores and food preparation.
• Maintain thorough documentation, e.g. progress notes and end-of-shift reports.
• Respond to work-related calls and emails in accordance with agency policies.
• Utilize motivational interviewing and culturally appropriate interventions.
• Maintain confidentiality of PHI in line with HIPAA regulations.

Skills

Bilingual Spanish/English

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Job Details

Job DetailsJob Location: Safe Harbor - San Leandro, CA 94577Position Type: Full TimeEducation Level: High SchoolSalary Range: $24.35 - $24.97 HourlyTravel Percentage: Up to 25%Job Shift: AnyJob Category: Nonprofit - Social ServicesExcept in the case of an undue hardship, La Familia provides reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities when the accommodations are necessary to enable the persons to perform the essential functions of the job. The Agency also provides reasonable accommodations when necessary based on religious needs. Individuals requiring workplace accommodations must discuss their needs with La Familia Human Resources. Individuals seeking accommodations for disabilities are typically required to provide medical documentation supporting the existence of a disability, the need for the accommodation, and what workplace modifications will enable the employee to perform the essential functions of the employee.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Peer Respite Program is a pilot project of La Familia. This program is designed to support individuals reentering the community from various access points, including locked facilities, to address their mental health needs and assist in avoiding future forensic involvement.

La Familia’s Peer Respite is 6-bed short-term respite home, run by and for adult participants,with lived experience of mental health and/ or substance use disorders and aims to increase the quality of mental health services for these individuals, and support their reentry and recovery.

The Certified Peer Support Specialist will provide housing care and programming to the Peer Respite residents. This could include accompanying clients to appointments and ensuring they receive the necessary services. The Peer Support Specialist will also provide one-on-one coaching and life skills groups to the residents, link them to housing, as well as health-related resources in the community. This position will provide peer support to participants through: participation in orientation and welcoming participants; serving as role model and credible messenger; providing understanding and validation through a shared perspective; providing mentoring, coaching, motivating and/or teaching as participants progress through respite services, education and employment goals; facilitation of direct linkage to community resources with focus on Behavioral Health and Mental Health services; facilitation of groups, workshops, activities; providing feedback for Quality Assurance and strategic planning; complement work of other staff through thoughtful teamwork. The Certified Peer Support Specialist will deliver services that address and improve the quality of resident’s a mental wellness through increasing access to services that support independence. The Peer Support Specialist aims to reduce further justice involvement through their work.

Persons with lived experience of recovery from a behavioral or mental health challenge are encouraged to apply.

This role will uphold and champion the agency’s mission, vision, and values and contribute to a collaborative and inclusive work culture.

We are looking to fill the following shift:

Monday to Wednesday 11:30 p.m. - 7:30 a.m., and Sunday 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Shifts include weekend 12-hour shifts and weekday overnight and evening shifts.

This position is covered under the SEIU 1021 Collective Bargaining Agreement. In addition to the established base pay, members will receive negotiated annual increases as follows:

• January 2027: 3% base pay increase

Future increases will be subject to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities

• Provide outreach, engagement, linkage, and follow-up services to residents
• Serve as role model and coach to inspire, engage, and advocate for residents and their family member’s/caregiver’s rights
• Accompany residents to appointments and other services with the goal of coaching and promoting sustained independence
• Collaborate with the Peer Advocate and Peer Director in weekly case management and peer review meetings, as well as monthly training sessions
• Participate in the creation and implementation of the daily program and schedule for residents that shall include a variety of activities, educational opportunities, promote mental wellness, and decrease future justice involvement
• Facilitate appropriate supportive groups
• Assist with housing chores and food preparation
• Provide complete and thorough documentation, e.g. progress notes, end of shift reports, and any other documentation related to general flow of shift.
• Timely respond to work-related calls and emails in accordance with La Familia policies
• Utilize motivational interviewing and other culturally appropriate interventions to assist residents
• Must maintain confidentiality concerning the resident’s protected health information (PHI) in accordance with HIPPA in both the physical and electronic resident records or files
• Maintain compliance with all quality improvement measures and County requirements
• Work with team around assessments and individual case management plans for each resident

Other

• Attend trainings and participate in events relevant to key responsibilities
• Track and regularly report on key metrics for performance indicators
• Leads and collaborate on special projects related to agency objectives as appropriate

CORE COMPETENCIES

Leading the self

• Demonstrates ethics and integrity
• Displays drive and purpose
• Manages self and adapts to change
• Exhibiting leadership stature
• Practice self-awareness and continuous learning

INCLUSION, RESPECT, AND COLLABORATION

• Practices cultural humility and cultural responsiveness when engaging with individuals from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, while practicing appropriate boundaries.
• Develop relationships with their teams and across the organization to foster cultural humility and cultural responsiveness, teamwork, and collaboration, ensuring positive outcomes for the organization both internally and externally.
• Utilize effective communication skills to listen and respond with empathy, while adopting a proactive and collaborative approach to drive innovative change. This approach should be sensitive to the organization's culture and its role within the community.

QualificationsQUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Must be certified as a Mental Health Peer Support Specialist or be able to provide evidence of certification in progress.
• High school diploma or GED required
• 2+ years experience working with adults of diverse cultural backgrounds.
• 1+ years experience providing peer mentoring or coaching.
• Lived experience working with mental illness, homelessness, and/or substance use recovery
• Experience working with adults of diverse cultural backgrounds
• Bilingual Spanish/English is highly desired but not required.
• Experience in non-profit and community-based organizations preferred.
• Demonstrates and models excellent “customer service” orientation and ability to work with diverse populations.
• Exercises extreme discretion with the ability to hold, balance, and transmit public and confidential information needed by various parties.
• Proficient in MS Office and Google Workspace products.
• Valid CA Driver’s license required.
• Auto insurance: If your vehicle is used for business-related purposes, it is recommended that you inform your auto insurance carrier.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Demonstrates cultural awareness and provides respectful, client-centered care.
• Maintains knowledge of community resources for client referrals
• Attend work regularly, adhering to policies and absences and tardiness.
• Understands and applies legal requirements, including confidentiality and risk management.

Timekeeping & Attendance Responsibilities

• Accurately record work hours each day by clocking in/out at scheduled start, break, lunch, and end times.
• Take all required meal and rest breaks in compliance with state, federal, and agency policies.
• Review and submit timesheets by established deadlines to ensure timely payroll processing.
• Notify supervisor promptly of any scheduling conflicts, absences, tardiness, or timekeeping issues.
• Maintain consistent and reliable attendance to support team and program operations.
• Follow organizational policies and procedures related to overtime, schedule changes, and paid/unpaid leave.
• Correct and/or report any timekeeping discrepancies immediately to the supervisor for resolution.

TEAM COMMITMENT

• Viewed by others as an effective team member who is flexible, cooperative, and willing to assist others, and acts as a resource to team members and clients, where appropriate.
• Handles difficult or conflict situations constructively and seeks appropriate assistance.
• Accepts accountability and constructive feedback.
• Attends all mandatory meetings and staff meetings as required, and actively participates in other departmental professional development, including providing training and consultation.
• Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with fellow employees, supervisors, managers in other departments, senior management, executive staff, and community stakeholders.
• Handles requests, suggestions, and complaints from other departments and individuals in a tactful and effective manner to maintain goodwill within the agency.

WORKING CONDITIONS and JOB SETTING

• Ability to occasionally or frequently stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms above the shoulders
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is routinely required to sit, walk, talk, and hear, use hands to keyboard, fingers, handle, and feel, stoop, kneel, crouch, twist, crawl, reach and stretch.
• The employee is occasionally required to move in the office
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus
• May require travel, dependent on agency needs
• Could work under deadlines
• Perform general physical activities such as picking up, moving, and using objects, tools, or controls
• The noise level in the work environment is usually low, moderate.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle
• Ability to push, pull, and lift up to 50 pounds frequently.
• Ability to stand and move from one location to another daily.
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods
• Ability to visually focus on near and far items, and to be able to switch between the and
• Ability to reliablyis and .?too????

BENEFITS

• Excellent Health benefits package for you and your family, including:
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits with 95% employee and 80% dependent employer premium contributions, and employer-paid life insurance.
• Vacation 15 paid holidays, 12 paid sick days upon accrual
• Employee Assistance Plan to support you and your family’s well-being and finances
• Pet Plan Benefit:
• PetPlus Product and Prescription Discounts, Pet Assure Veterinary Discounts, AskVet 24/7 Pet Telehealth, and ThePetTag Lost Pet Recovery Service
• 403(b) retirement plan
• Work-life wellbeing & excellent work hours
• La Familia understands the importance of work-life balance! Our therapists enjoy flexible scheduling options, including hybrid work arrangements, to ensure high-quality client care while maintaining their well-being.
• License and Certification renewals reimbursed.
• Supportive/Collaborative work environment
• Opportunities for Growth and Professional Development
• We believe in growing together. As a team member, you’ll have access to structured mentorship and ongoing training. Whether you’re pursuing licensure or looking to specialize in clinical psychology, we support your growth every step of the way.
• This position is covered under the SEIU 1021 Collective Bargaining Agreement. In addition to the established base pay, members will receive negotiated annual increases as follows:
• January 2027: 3% base pay increase
• Future increases will be subject to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.