Outreach Certified Peer-Per Diem

ACCES Employment; City of Middletown (NY); On-site; USD 34,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Colonial Group is seeking an Outreach Certified Peer in the Orange, Ulster and Dutchess County area. The role involves engaging individuals who are disconnected from services, offering support based on lived experience, and guiding recovery through trust and empowerment.

As a field-based outreach peer, you will connect with people where they are, help navigate behavioral health systems, and link clients to clinical care, housing, and community supports.

Qualifications

• Lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery and willingness to share your journey.
• Experience navigating behavioral health systems or overcoming life challenges related to mental health or addiction.
• Valid New York State Peer Certification (Provisional or Full) such as CP, YPA, FPA, CRPA or other.
• Strong interpersonal, active listening, and communication skills.
• Comfort working independently in field-based or community environments.
• Flexibility to work non-traditional hours (evenings, weekends, or early mornings as needed).
• Collaborative mindset and ability to work within multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Engage and inspire hope in community settings with empathy and belief in recovery.
• Foster empowerment by helping individuals define goals and strengths.
• Model recovery by sharing your own journey.
• Initiate and sustain connection with consistent, nonjudgmental support.
• Reduce barriers to care by helping navigate systems.
• Facilitate linkage to services including housing, benefits, and community supports.
• Support community integration through participation in meaningful activities.

Skills

Lived experience

Peer support experience

Active listening

Independence in field

Willingness to share journey

Education

New York State Peer Certification (Provisional or Full)

Tools

Mobile documentation tools

Job description

Location: Orange, Ulster and Dutchess County

Hours: Per Diem (current need on Saturdays)

Rate of Pay: $25 Provisional Peer Certification and $28 (Full Certification)

OVERVIEW OF PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITES:

As an Outreach Certified Peer within a CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) model, you will play a critical role in engaging individuals who are disconnected from services or at risk of falling through the cracks. Drawing from your lived experience, you will meet people where they are — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — to offer support, connection, and the belief that recovery is possible. Your efforts will help bring individuals into care and guide them along their recovery journey through trust, compassion, and empowerment.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS:

As an Outreach Certified Peer, you will:

• Engage and Inspire Hope: Proactively connect with individuals in community settings (e.g., streets, shelters, homes, hospitals) with empathy and belief in their potential for recovery.
• Foster Empowerment and Trust: Encourage individuals to define their goals, identify strengths, and take steps toward self-determined wellness.
• Model Recovery: Use your own recovery story to show that healing and progress are achievable.
• Initiate and Sustain Connection: Build trust through consistency, nonjudgmental support, and authentic presence in the field.
• Reduce Barriers to Care: Help individuals navigate systems and overcome obstacles that prevent access to behavioral health and social services.
• Facilitate Linkage to Services: Guide individuals toward clinical care, housing, benefits, and community-based supports.
• Support Community Integration: Encourage participation in meaningful activities, social networks, and recovery-oriented resources.

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL / ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT:

• Field-Based Resource Navigator: Deliver information and connect individuals to services during outreach encounters.
• Trusted Guide & Supportive Listener: Offer emotional support grounded in empathy and shared experience.
• Recovery Ally: Serve as a mentor and motivator, walking alongside individuals through initial and ongoing stages of recovery.
• Flexible Problem Solver: Identify and troubleshoot challenges that interfere with engagement or stability.
• Cultural Broker: Bridge gaps in understanding between individuals and systems using language and lived perspective.

QUALIFICATIONS AND ATTRIBUTES:

Lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery, and willingness to share your journey to inspire others.

• Experience navigating behavioral health systems or overcoming life challenges related to mental health or addiction.
• Valid New York State Peer Certification (Provisional or Full) such as CP, YPA, FPA, CRPA or other.
• Strong interpersonal, active listening, and communication skills.
• Comfort working independently in field-based or community environments.
• Flexibility to work non-traditional hours (evenings, weekends, or early mornings as needed).
• Collaborative mindset and ability to work within multidisciplinary teams.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Experience providing peer support in outreach, street-based, or community settings strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and recovery-oriented practices.
• Understanding of local systems (e.g., shelters, clinics, hospitals, crisis services).
• Basic proficiency in documentation and mobile communication tools.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

These physical demands reflect what is necessary to perform the role effectively. Reasonable accommodations may be made to support individuals with disabilities:

• Able to navigate various outdoor and indoor environments (streets, homes, multi-level buildings).
• Comfort with prolonged periods of walking or standing in the field.
• Ability to work in diverse and unpredictable community settings.
• Occasional lifting or transporting of supplies (25+ lbs).

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