Peer Support Specialist

Peer Support Specialist

The Peer Support Specialist's role is grounded in lived experience often drawing upon their own experiences with homelessness or related challenges to connect with and support clients at NSES who are experiencing a similar situation. The Peer Support Specialist will provide guidance, support and suggest pathways to overcome barriers to housing and accessing resources to facilitate moving out of the shelter quickly and into permanent housing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Offer emotional support and encouragement to people experiencing homelessness.
• Share personal stories and coping strategies to build rapport and trust.
• Use MCCH's Harm Reduction Assessment Tool to better understand the needs of each client and the supports necessary to reduce substance use related emergency calls to police, provide methods for using substances safer, and to engage in possible conversations about recovery.
• Maintain an active caseload of clients who would benefit from peer support interventions.
• Execute all referral documents for external peer support organizations.
• Execute all referrals for treatment programs.
• Responsible for ordering, maintaining, distributing, and training NSES Harm Reduction items (such as Narcan, Fentanyl test strips, Xylazine test strips, condoms, chap stick, etc).
• Utilize a Harm Reduction spreadsheet for tracking/reporting all harm reduction supplies.
• Responsible for tracking and reporting items utilized from Harm Reduction.
• Offer peer support to mentor individuals with substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and trauma often associated with homelessness;
• Empower clients with tools to strengthen life skills that will promote confidence and reduce barriers to accessing support at NSES.
• Help individual clients to see the possible benefits of treatment rather than only seeing the stigmas associated; will meet with identified clients to speak from a place of compassion, empathy, and shared experience;
• Support Housing Case Management to become more aware of challenges faced by clients so that concerns may be addressed before they reach a crisis level;
• Promote a safe, supportive environment in which clients are treated with respect and courtesy in line with trauma informed care;
• Provide emergency intervention in response to crisis situations;
• Support connections to community based, mutual self-help groups and resources (e.g., AA groups, NA groups, Smart Recovery groups, etc.);
• Identify barriers (internal and external) to full participation in community resources and developing strategies to overcome those barriers;
• Provide a "listening ear" for NSES clients and facilitating conflict resolution;
• Establish and maintain positive working relationships while always maintaining professional boundaries;
• Make observations of clients. Report and document any unusual and/or critical incidents on an MCCH Incident Report Form submitted to Supervisor and Program Director;
• Attend Clinical Team meetings, Montgomery County's Coordinated Entry System bi-weekly meeting, NSES staff meetings and other in-house meetings and trainings as necessary;
• Other duties, as assigned

Requirements

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• High school graduate or GED; (will consider an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience)
• Certified as a Peer Specialist in the state of Maryland
• Basic skills in Microsoft Office programs, internet applications and relational database use, including some comfort using online platforms
• Knowledge of Best Practices including Housing First, Harm-Reduction, and Trauma Informed Care along with their methods of service delivery.
• Ability to write routine reports and documents;
• Ability to solve problems, negotiate and deal with a variety of concrete variables;
• Knowledge and experience in administering CPR and minor first aid