HOST Peer Support Specialist

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

The HOST Peer Support Specialist uses their lived experience of recovery from mental illness and/or substance use and addiction, plus skills learned in formal training, to assertively engage HOST participants into intensive services. This position requires a high degree of coordination and collaboration with community housing and service providers. The Peer Support Specialist serves 25 or fewer persons with mental health disorders, substance use disorders, or both.  Services at HOST SnoCo will be provided in Everett, Lynnwood, Marysvile and other Snohomish County areas.  Services at HOST SKIL will be provided in Burlington, Mount Vernon, Concrete, Oak Harbor and other Skagit and Island County areas.  Many services will be provided on the streets, in shelters, in jail, and in other service centers as assigned.  Some evening hours as needed. 

• Participate as a member of a multi-disciplinary team of clinical, outreach, medical, peer support, and intensive case management staff to provide a variety of services focused on stabilization and transition to long-term behavioral health or other appropriate ongoing services. 
• Provide outreach and engagement services as assigned, in clinic, on the streets, shelters, jails, encampments, and other community areas. 
• Identify individuals in need, screen for appropriateness to services, develop rapport and trust while offering support, and assist with immediate and basic needs of individuals who are unhoused. Efforts are balanced between initial outreach and follow-up activity.
• Provide peer recovery support to HOST participants. Integrate relevant and applicable personal experience with mental illness and/or substance use disorders into work with program participants.
  1. Assist participants with voicing and identifying their interests and goals; 
  2. Advocate for participants' access to community resources and services, ensuring that participants’ needs are met and rights maintained; 
  3. Consult and collaborate with community providers to ensure continuity of care, and facilitate linkages to collaborative resources when appropriate.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Interest or experience in working with participants who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health/substance use disorder programs.
• Knowledge of de-escalation skills, crisis intervention & stabilization, and harm reduction strategies, preferred. 
• Ability to work effectively with participants displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behavior.  
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with staff and participants from various backgrounds
• Ability to serve participants engaged in active substance use, with untreated mental illness, with a range of criminal histories that can include Registered Sex Offender status.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• High school diploma or G.E.D., AA or BA preferred.
• Must hold a valid Peer Support Specialist Certification from the WA Dept of Health
• Active Washington State driver’s license and driver’s record acceptable for coverage under Evergreen Recovery Centers’ vehicle insurance.