Peer Recovery Coach for Drop-In Center

Samaritan-Health-Care; Muskegon (MI); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Samaritan Way is seeking a Drop-In Center Recovery Care Coordinator to provide peer-based recovery support, foster a safe and welcoming drop-in environment, and help participants achieve individualized recovery goals. The role emphasizes lived experience, supports all recovery pathways, including MAT, and requires diligent documentation and coordination with community services.

Responsibilities include engaging participants, coordinating services, leading groups, and maintaining center

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Lived experience with recovery, re-entry, behavioral health, or related systems is strongly valued when used ethically and appropriately.
• Recovery Coach or Peer Support certification preferred; willingness and ability to complete required credentialing and training may be accepted.

Responsibilities

• Welcome participants, families, visitors, and community partners with dignity, warmth, professionalism, and a participant-first approach.
• Build supportive peer relationships through active listening, encouragement, practical problem solving, appropriate self-disclosure, and recovery-focused accountability.
• Help participants identify strengths, needs, barriers, recovery goals, and realistic next steps while respecting self-determination and all legitimate pathways of recovery.
• Provide one-on-one recovery coaching and regular follow-up based on participant need, assigned caseload, and organizational workflow.
• Support participants with life skills, appointment preparation, resumes, employment readiness, benefits, identification documents, transportation planning, housing referrals, and other recovery-support needs within scope.
• Remain visible and available in the drop-in center, engage participants proactively, and help create a family-living-room atmosphere that is safe, hopeful, respectful, and free from stigma.
• Assist participants with sign-in and service navigation, explain available programs, and make warm handoffs to recovery coaching, groups, IOP, therapy, primary care, MAT, housing, re-entry, transportation, food, hygiene, and other supports.
• Observe participant flow and the condition of shared spaces; help keep participant areas orderly, stocked, and ready for use, and notify the appropriate staff member when supplies or facility needs arise.
• Encourage compliance with center expectations, address concerns calmly, use de-escalation skills, and seek supervisory or emergency support when a situation exceeds the role.
• Provide appropriate coverage and operational assistance during high-volume periods, staff absences, events, outreach activities, or other assigned needs.
• Maintain an assigned caseload with a standard target of 50 active participants unless leadership approves a different assignment based on drop-in center coverage or program needs.
• Know the current status, goals, needs, appointments, referrals, barriers, and follow-up priorities of assigned participants.
• Complete consistent outreach and follow-up, respond to participant needs within reasonable timeframes, and communicate urgent concerns through the chain of command.
• Coordinate with office staff, providers, facilitators, therapists, transportation staff, housing staff, re-entry staff, and community partners to reduce gaps in care and support continuity.
• Advocate for participants while maintaining professional boundaries, confidentiality, and the participant’s right to make informed choices.
• Facilitate or co-facilitate recovery groups, life-skills activities, community-building activities, and special events as assigned.
• Prepare group content when required, promote respectful participation, maintain a recovery-focused tone, and complete attendance and group documentation on time.
• Encourage participants to engage in healthy recovery supports, mutual-aid options, community activities, and positive social connection without promoting only one pathway.
• Document services accurately, factually, and promptly in the approved system using the actual encounter date and the required note format.
• Complete assigned DAP, BIRP, SOAP, CCM, BHI, screening, group, referral, and follow-up documentation according to the current Samaritan Way schedule, payer requirements, and supervisor direction.
• Record the participant’s need, support provided, response, progress, barriers, referrals, and next steps; correct returned notes promptly through the approved process.
• Never fabricate, copy, backdate, duplicate, or bill for services that did not occur, and never document diagnoses, clinical conclusions, or medication recommendations outside the role’s scope.
• Participate in supervision, staff meetings, chart review, caseload review, training, quality improvement, and performance feedback.
• Protect participant information and follow HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2, Michigan law, organizational policy, and minimum-necessary access standards.
• Maintain healthy professional boundaries and avoid exploitation, favoritism, loans, business arrangements, romantic or sexual relationships, and inappropriate social-media contact with participants.
• Respond within training to overdose, medical emergencies, behavioral crises, threats, suspected abuse or neglect, and other safety concerns; contact emergency services when necessary and complete incident reporting promptly.
• Carry or maintain access to naloxone as directed, support harm-reduction education within organizational policy, and treat participants using MAT or other recovery pathways without stigma.
• Report suspected privacy breaches, fraud, abuse, exploitation, impairment, workplace violence, theft, or serious policy violations immediately through the proper chain of command.

Skills

Communication

De-escalation

Documentation

Relationship-building

Education

High school diploma or GED

Recovery Coach or Peer Support certification

Job description

Samaritan Way is seeking a Drop-In Center Recovery Care Coordinator to provide peer-based recovery support, foster a safe and welcoming drop-in environment, and help participants achieve individualized recovery goals. The role emphasizes lived experience, supports all recovery pathways, including MAT, and requires diligent documentation and coordination with community services.

Responsibilities include engaging participants, coordinating services, leading groups, and maintaining center