Peer Recovery Specialist

The City of Virginia Beach Department of Human Services is eagerly seeking to hire an experienced Peer Recovery Specialist to provide a peer-based service for the Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Program in the Behavioral Health division. This is a strength-based service that provides and cultivates hope for people in psychiatric facilities or who have experienced homelessness. The candidate will use their own lived experience to support clients interested in PSH housing and are transitioning to the community from jails and state inpatient facilities and connecting with the essential resources desired and provide ongoing short-term support when discharged. This position will also inspire and support individuals who have mental health and substance use disorders with stabilizing in housing of their choice.  This position will provide advocacy, conduct recovery-oriented service planning, and individual goal implementation to include training/coaching in daily living skills, facilitating social/recreational activities, recovery education, and fostering client advocacy and responsibility. The program can support, with funding, to pay for the cost of obtaining the Peer Recovery Support certification.

Hospital based Activities

• Visit the state hospital one day a week to engage with potential participants.
• Educate participants on PSH program and assist with referral coordination and assessment should they agree to program admission.
• Provide education to hospital staff, on recovery, peer support, and recovery supports.
• Assist the participant in finding housing in the community as part of the discharge plan.
• Facilitate transportation back to their community for visits and housing searches. 
• Support participants during 48 hour or overnight passes.

Community-based post-discharge activities

• Facilitate a “warm hand-off “to the community mental health provider chosen by the participant.
• Support with the development of a Wellness and Recovery Action Plan (WRAP).
• Participate in treatment activities at the behavioral health agency with the participant as requested.
• Sit in on and function as an advocate during appointments with the primary clinician, prescriber, etc.
• Connect participants with natural support resources and the local recovery community.
• Assist the participant in developing a new life structure, including developing and refining skills for daily living.
• Act as a change agent to include that recovery is possible to co-workers and model recovery, through professionalism, spreading recovery principles, and state hospitals.
•  Participate in DBHDS and Virginia Beach sponsored Peer Bridger training activities.
• Coordinate activities with the Hospital Liaison and attend internal and external discharge planning and treatment team meetings.

A $3,000 hiring bonus is being offered for this position.  Hiring bonuses shall only be for new hires of original employment or re-employment as defined in Human Resources Policy No. 5.0. 

•  $500 will be awarded in the first paycheck. 
• $1,000 will be awarded upon completion of the six (6) month interim performance evaluation with an overall rating of “Meets Expectations”. 
• $1,500 will be awarded upon completion of the employee’s one (1) year probationary period and a performance evaluation with an overall rating of “Meets Expectations”.

The City offers a generous benefits package, which includes health, dental and life insurance, retirement and savings plans, maternity/paternity and parental leave, holidays and paid leave.