Peer Health Navigator

ApplicantPool; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 40,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Chicago House seeks a Peer Health Navigator to support clients facing health and housing challenges by using peer support, motivational interviewing, and a strengths-based approach. You will work with a Health & Housing Case Manager to engage clients in care within their communities and promote retention in services.

Ideal candidates bring lived experience with housing instability or HIV, strong communication skills, and the ability to collaborate in a team.

Qualifications

• Lived experience with housing instability, HIV, or related health challenges.
• Willingness to disclose life challenges when clinically relevant to support clients.
• Bilingual Spanish strongly preferred.
• 6+ months experience assisting vulnerable populations:** preferred
• CRSS licensure preferred
• Knowledge of harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and motivational interviewing preferred
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and data entry skills

Responsibilities

• Share lived experience to support client participation in services and engagement in care.
• Collaborate with Health & Housing Case Manager to engage clients in communities where they live/work.
• Assess progress toward goals on individual service plans and coordinate services.
• Assist clients in accessing healthcare resources and navigate complex systems.
• Provide referrals for additional support services as needed.
• Coordinate services with housing staff to promote engagement in care.
• Support crisis intervention and de-escalation through peer support.
• Maintain client charts per funder and agency policies.
• Enter data into applicable databases.
• Attend trainings, supervision, and staff meetings as required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Lived experience

Motivational interviewing

Harm reduction

Team collaboration

Multitasking

Written & oral communication

Spanish bilingual

Office software

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Chicago House empowers persons living with or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS to lead healthy and dignified lives, through housing and compassionate, client-centered support services. Chicago House recognizes that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ individuals, and/or People with Disabilities are systemically limited in their practice, opportunity, and exposure to develop learned expertise. Chicago House values both learned expertise and lived experience. We take a holistic review of applicants, and we strongly encourage marginalized individuals to apply.

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION TITLE: Peer Health Navigator

CLASSIFICATION STATUS: Exempt

POSITION DESCRIPTION

• Ability to assist clients with health, income, housing, and other applicable goals

• Ability to collaborate as part of a team approach with a client's assigned Health & Housing Case Manager to promote client engagement in care

• Ability to use and discuss lived experiences, when applicable, when providing services to promote client retention in services

• Ability to respectfully interact with clients, colleagues, and community partners

• Ability to work cooperatively as part of a dynamic team

• Ability to learn and use database systems

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• With a willingness to share lived experience as part of engagement, support client participation in services through peer support while relying on relationship-building, selective self-disclosure, motivational interviewing, and a strengths-based approach.

• Utilize a team approach with assigned Health & Housing Case Manager (CM) to engage with and meet clients in the communities where they live and/or work.

• Routinely navigate with clients and assigned CM's on assessing clients' progress toward meeting goals identified on individual service plans related to health, income, housing, case management, and other applicable goals.

• Assist clients in accessing healthcare resources, especially via navigating complex systems, to include scheduling appointments, accompanying clients to appointments, reviewing test results, monitoring medication refills, connecting to healthcare portals, and other relevant activities.

• Assess clients' evolving needs, and provide appropriate referrals as applicable for additional support services that either the agency provides or are community-based.

• Coordinate individual client services with associated housing staff to promote client engagement in care - particularly with individuals who may be experiencing complex barriers to engagement.

• Collaborate with associated housing staff to support clients whose circumstances may benefit from crisis intervention and/or de-escalation through the lens of peer support.

• Maintain client charts according to funder and agency policies.

• Complete data entry into applicable databases.

• Attend selected trainings identified and assigned as part of providing peer support.

• Attend weekly supervision, internal trainings, and staff meetings as required.

• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma or equivalent required

• Lived experience with life challenges from housing instability or homelessness, living with HIV, and/or living with other chronic physical or behavioral health needs

• 6+ months of previous experience preferred in providing support for vulnerable populations, especially individuals experiencing housing instability or homelessness

• Willingness to disclose life challenges when clinically relevant to support clients

• Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) licensure preferred

• Working knowledge of and experience practicing harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and motivational interviewing strongly preferred

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products

• Ability to work both independently as well as part of a team

• Ability to endure periods of heavy workload stress

• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing

• Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively

• Bilingual in Spanish strongly preferred

Chicago House is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, sex assigned at birth, arrest record, HIV status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.