COC Peer Coordinator

Job Summary: The COC Peer Coordinator is an active member in the FLACRA team and provides peer support services to clients/families with serious mental illness and or substance abuse. Under the supervision of the Sr. Director of Crisis Services and Mobile Clinic and support from the Housing and Employment Manager and Connections Regional Coordinator, the Peer Provider will function as a peer outreach worker by engaging with individuals who are homeless, on the coordinated entry list, and continuing engagement until housing placement is confirmed. The Peer Provider will function as a role model to peers; exhibiting competency in personal recovery and use of coping skills; serve as a consumer advocate, providing consumer information and peer support for clients/families in outpatient and inpatient settings. The Peer Provider performs a wide range of tasks to assist peers of all ages in regaining independence within the community and mastery over their own recovery process. Recovery resources such as booklets, tapes, pamphlets and other written materials will be utilized by the Peer Provider in the provision of services.

The Peer Provider will also conduct street outreach to identify and engage individuals in unsheltered settings, providing immediate support, harm reduction resources, and connection to services. They will serve as a role model to peers, exhibit competency in personal recovery, and offer peer support in various settings, including outreach, inpatient, and outpatient services.

Schedule: Monday – Friday Days as to align with DSS office hours - (Evenings and Weekends hours on an as needed basis)

Duties

• Coordinates with CoC, DSS, and Coordinated entry to engage individuals who are homeless that are also struggling with mental health or substance use, to assist with securing housing to support recovery.
• Conducts street outreach to unsheltered individuals, providing immediate peer support, harm reduction education, and referrals to crisis services, shelters, and treatment programs.
• Builds trusting relationships with individuals living on the streets, in encampments, or other unstable living situations, offering ongoing engagement and support.
• Distributes basic needs supplies such as food, hygiene kits, and weather-appropriate items while providing information on available resources.
• Acts as a liaison between individuals experiencing homelessness and service providers, assisting with navigation through the housing, healthcare, and recovery systems.
• Serves as an active member of the client’s treatment team, including participation in team meetings and treatment planning meetings.
• Assists clients in development of recovery plan, including psychiatric advance directives and crisis plan.
• Provides psycho-education with focus on illness management and peer support.
• Implements and coordinates recovery plans with individual clients in assigned population group, including evaluation, consultation, and education, and follow-up services.
• Serves as role model for clients/families by sharing own recovery process and teaching effective coping techniques and self-help strategies.
• Assists in developing of the recovery plan
• Helps to initiate and sustain an individual/family in their recovery from substance use or addiction
• Promotes recovery by removing barriers and obstacles to recovery
• Serves as a personal guide and mentor for people seeking, or already in recovery.
• Helps clients/families find resources for harm reduction, detox, treatment, family support and education, local or online support groups; or help client/family create a change plan to recover on their own.
• Assists in finding ways to stop using or reduce harm associated with addictive behaviors.
• Provides case management, resourcing, service collaboration for individual clients as extension of case management services.
• Maintains accurate, thorough records on all assigned cases and uses documentation to assist clients in evaluating progress.
• Provides advocacy services on behalf of clients/families.
• Informs supervisor, and other members of treatment team as indicated, of issues/concerns related to individual clients/families.
• Participates in required trainings to maintain certification.
• Knowledge of Crisis Intervention and Early Engagement.
• Other duties as assigned.

LIVED EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED

Minimum Qualifications: Completion of NY state-certified peer support specialist training through OMH and OASAS. CRPA-P/CRPA and/or NYCPS Certifications.

Other Skills/Knowledge and Experience

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Eighteen years of age or older.
• Good interpersonal skills and written and oral communication skills.
• Knowledge of applicable population group and principles/philosophy of recovery.
• Ability to multi-task, have good problem solving and time management skills and the ability to remain calm in a crisis
• Must have NY state driver license.