Peer Support Specialist

Volunteers-of-America; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 30,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Volunteers of America Colorado seeks a Peer Support Specialist to use lived recovery experience from homelessness, addiction, or mental health challenges to support youth (18-24) and promote holistic mind-body recovery. You will connect participants with housing, healthcare, and community resources while upholding trauma-informed care.

This role requires outreach across shelters, service facilities, and other locations.

Qualifications

• Has maintained recovery from identified conditions for at least one year.
• Lived experience of homelessness as a young adult/youth and knowledge of mental health/substance use.
• Colorado driver’s license and state auto insurance.

Responsibilities

• Ensure participant voice is heard with trauma-informed lens.
• Collaborate with staff and partners to connect participants with housing and health resources.
• Assist participants to access Medicaid/SSI/SSDI and other benefits.

Skills

Lived experience

Crisis intervention

Advocacy

Resilience/trauma-informed care

Communication skills

Independent worker

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Word

Excel

Databases

Job description

A Peer Support Specialist leverages and models their individual lived experience of recovery from homelessness, addiction and/or mental health concerns, marginalized youth, along with skills in resiliency and training, to deliver supportive services for youth (18-24) and promotes a wholistic mind-body approach to recovery and resiliency among program participants. This role requires knowledge of homelessness, skills with support and advocacy, crisis intervention, and provides connection to resources and treatment. The Peer Support Specialist embodies a positive spirit of recovery and resilience grounded in hope and optimism and facilitates program participant change through goal setting, education and skills building.

Supervisory Responsibilities: NA

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• Travel throughout the program’s service area is required on a regular basis.
• Must be able to work in diverse and, at times, uncomfortable environments such as homeless shelters, service facilities, streets, offices, and all other locations as necessary to fulfill program objectives.
• Exposure to Indoor and Outdoor environments, Memory/recall, Sitting and tying/documentation of client interactions, Hearing/Listening, Verbal and Electronic (i.e. email and text message) communication.
• Physical movements such as bending, kneeling, walking, and lifting (30 to 50 pounds) may be required.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

Full-Time as indicated in posting

• Work hours may vary but are typically scheduled around a 40-hour workweek designed to fulfill program objectives with occasional overtime requirements.

Location: Bannock Youth and Family Center, 455 Bannock St, Denver, CO 80204

Pay Range: $22.00-23.00/hr

Requirements

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensures that the participant’s voice is heard and incorporated in programming with a trauma informed lens.
• Works in collaboration with Youth Transitions Project (YTP) staff, youth service providers, local mental health providers, and other local partners to provide community resources for individuals experiencing homelessness, advocates for client housing needs, works to resolve system failures to overcome housing barriers.
• Peer Specialists initiate contact with program participants and connect individuals experiencing homelessness to services, including but not limited to housing resources, healthcare including Medicaid and behavioral health treatments, and public benefits including SSI/SSDI while utilizing meetings in community gathering places, coffee meetings, and other spaces as a part of the program intervention.
• Follows up with individuals/households post-housing to check-in on stability and recovery progress (if applicable), assess for needs, and refers to further resources, as needed. Organizes and facilitates group activities to support community involvement, including but not limited to sober activities.
• Leads life skills classes with youth enrolled in services.
• Works independently, exercises good judgment and participates as a member of a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstratable skills in operating computer programs (Word, Excel, databases), office equipment, and telephones.
• Travels to service locations, agency partners, and participant residences to conduct outreach and follow-up.
• Supports individuals in recovery with evidence-based practices associated with participant engagement and care.
• Coordinates with case manager and program staff to foster positive outcomes in housing and behavioral health. Peer Support Specialists are expected to collaborate with case managers and advocate alongside participants for unmet needs.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Competencies

• Models core culture attributes of VOACO that include “AIRS” (Accountability, Integrity, Respect and Service).
• Models and VOACO’s three strategical critical virtues of HHS (Hungry, Humble, People Smart).
• Strong interpersonal skills and collaboration with Keys to Housing team members and community stake holders.

Minimum Qualifications of Position

• Must have maintained recovery from individually identified conditions(s) for a period of at least one year.
• Lived experience of homelessness as a young adult/youth and in-depth knowledge of mental health/substance use.
• Colorado driver’s license and state-mandated automobile insurance.

Preferred Qualifications of Position

• Maintained recovery from their conditions(s) for over a period of one year.
• Lived experience of homelessness and/or marginalized youth
• 1 year of related experience in the field of Peer Recovery support.
• Possesses personal vehicle for transportation related to program needs, including transportation of program participants.

Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to learn and gain knowledge of local housing resources, navigational procedures, housing intervention levels and models.
• Ability to learn and gain knowledge and proficiency with access to community mental health centers and other mental health and/or substance use disorder treatment options and resources.
• Ability to learn and gain knowledge of VOA internal record keeping systems; accesses and documents relevant client housing and other identified goals, as well as other admin duties necessary for program function as identified for this role.
• Understanding of principles and concepts of resiliency, recovery and wellness.
• Demonstrable knowledge of mental health/substance abuse conditions and treatments.
• Demonstrable knowledge of participant rights, fundamentals of HIPAA, confidentiality, ethics, role clarification, and professional boundaries.
• Ability to learn and gain knowledge and skill in the application of Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Informed Care.
• Ability to work and thrive within a diverse, multicultural team environment and to respectfully and professionally serve individuals hailing from diverse backgrounds, cultures, ideologies, and religions.
• Ability to take initiative and work independently.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to apply appropriate self-care in the face of often difficult and/or traumatic situations which commonly present while working with persons in need of services.
• Ability to maintain professional and healthy emotional and physical boundaries.