Peer Specialist - IMT

Community Access; New York (NY); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Community Access seeks a dedicated Peer Specialist to join its Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT) team in New York City. You will work with mental health service participants, leveraging lived experience to support recovery, housing goals, and personal safety plans.

The role requires engagement across disciplines and flexible scheduling to meet participant needs. The position emphasizes trauma-informed care, collaboration with housing and health services, and a commitment to person-centered

Qualifications

• Lived experience in the mental health system required.
• Minimum of two years’ experience working with individuals with mental health conditions, substance use, or trauma.
• NYCPS/Provisional/CRPA certification required.
• Bilingual Spanish-speaking preferred.

Responsibilities

• Engage and build trusting relationships with program participants and their networks.
• Collaborate within a multi-disciplinary team to support participants’ recovery goals.

Skills

Lived experience mental health

Two years experience

Conflict mediation

Community-based work

Education

NYCPS/CRPA certification

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

Windows

Job description

Community Access was founded in 1974 to provide housing and support for people being discharged from psychiatric institutions. Today, we are one of the leading providers of supportive and affordable housing in New York City, and the originators of an integrated housing model which has become a best practice nationally: affordable housing where families live alongside people living with mental health concerns. Our staff work daily to support thousands of New Yorkers through supportive and affordable housing, peer-driven residential crisis support programs, training, advocacy, supported education, mobile treatment and other healing-focused services.

Program/Department Description

Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT) is an innovative, creative, trauma-informed mobile practice model designed to provide treatment, rehabilitation and support services to individuals whose needs have not been met by traditional services. IMT participants interact with homeless services, criminal justice, and behavioral health service systems. IMT teams are hired, trained and funded to maximize flexibility and continuity of care for persons who historically have been poorly served.

Community Access’ IMT Teams serve individuals who are street homeless or living between institutional settings and housing. Team members work collaboratively with settings in which the participant is living and use assertive engagement strategies to proactively engage individuals in services. IMT team members share responsibility for the people they serve, helping individuals attain housing and other personal and safety goals that may be of a health, social, work or education nature.

IMT teams are multi-disciplinary and include psychiatry, nursing, social work, peer specialists and other staff members offering rehabilitation, treatment and recovery support services. The team provides expertise in the areas of housing, substance use and harm reduction, criminal justice, peer support and behavioral health recovery. Based on their area of expertise, team members collaborate to deliver comprehensive, integrated and flexible services that are responsive to a participant’s choices, needs and goals. With a small staff to participant ratio, services are brought to the participant and offered in natural settings, 24 hours a day and seven days a week

Position Overview

The Peer Specialist is an integral part of a multi-disciplinary team of mental health clinicians. The Peer Specialist is a resource to participants and other team members in issues related to integrating wellness goals. The Peer Specialist is an individual with the lived experience within the mental health system who has a willingness to share personal and practical experience, knowledge, and first-hand insight to benefit IMT program participants; recovery experience related to substance use services or criminal justice system preferred. The Peer Specialist engages and builds trusting relationships with program participants and their networks to support the person’s recovery.

Key Performance Indicators

All key performance indicators below are expected to be met fully.

• Complete assessments and service plans as needed; assigned assessments are completed on time.
• Complete progress notes for all contacts, collaterals, and engagement attempts within 2 business days.

Job Qualifications

• Have an understanding, appreciation, and commitment to the philosophy and mission of Community Access.
• Commitment to person-centered treatment strategies, upholding participants’ rights, and self-determination in service provision.
• New York Certified Peer Specialist (NYCPS) or Provisional, or Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA) required.
• Lived experience within the mental health system required, and a history of homelessness, involvement with the criminal justice system, and experience with substance use services, preferred.
• Minimum of two (2) years’ experience working with individuals with a mental health condition, substance use disorder, and / or history of trauma.
• Available to work a flexible schedule, mornings, evenings and weekends in response to participant needs.
• Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Be creative and flexible.
• Able to show initiative and be responsible for follow-through.
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Be skilled in conflict mediation/negotiation and have an assertive approach to problem solving.
• Must be able to work in the community, including use of public transportation across the boroughs
• Computer proficiency in Windows operating systems and programs, such as MS Word and Excel, as well as comfort with learning new electronic systems.
• Bilingual Spanish-speaking, preferred
• Must be fingerprinted and cleared by the New York State Justice Center.

Bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.

Community Access is an Equal Opportunity Employer. M/F/D/V.

Women, People of Color and Members of the LGBT community are strongly encouraged to apply.

We are dedicated to a workforce where at least 51% of our employees identify as having a personal experience using mental health services.