Credible Service Provider, Credible Westchester

Job Description

Job Description

About the Organization

Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) supports and builds power with people across New York State who have been affected by mass incarceration, criminalization and community disinvestment. Through a statewide network of direct services, advocacy and organizing, and by supporting the leadership of directly-impacted people, we advance civil and human rights for all New Yorkers. CCA works to build a world where everyone has what they need to thrive. 

Why Join the Team?

At CCA, we are committed to fair transparent pay, and we strive to provide competitive market-informed compensation. The successful candidate's salary is determined by the combination of knowledge, skills, competencies, experience, and geography. Our goal is to continue to make CCA one of the most desirable nonprofit places at which to work, and in part, recognize the importance of work-life balance. 

CCA is launching Credible Westchester (CW) , a new countywide initiative designed to serve Westchester’s most vulnerable and at‑risk residents. CW will function as a community‑rooted hub for individuals navigating homelessness, behavioral‑health challenges, substance dependence, and chronic involvement in the criminal legal and social service systems. The program is entirely supervised and staffed by individuals with lived experience . Credible Service Providers (CSPs) are the frontline relational anchors of the Credible Westchester (CW) initiative. As individuals with lived experience in the criminal legal system, homelessness, behavioral‑health challenges, or chronic system involvement, CSPs bring the trust, insight, and credibility necessary to engage Westchester’s most vulnerable residents. CSPs adapt fluidly to participant needs—serving as navigators, mentors, outreach workers, peers, and social‑service guides. Their work embodies CW’s mission “to increase client engagement and investment” and to “utilize credible messengers to gain trust and improve access to and success with social services. ”CSPs work as part of a five‑person team—Director, Social Worker, and three Credible Service Providers—delivering restorative, trauma‑informed, culturally competent support across Westchester County.

  Job Duties and Responsibilities

Restorative Engagement & Participant Support (40%)  

• Build trusting, dignity‑centered relationships with individuals navigating homelessness, behavioral‑health challenges, substance dependence, and repeated low‑level arrests.
• Engage participants using restorative, trauma‑informed, and non‑punitive approaches grounded in “relational accountability, deep listening, and non‑punitive problem‑solving.”
• Adapt role to participant needs—acting as mentor, navigator, peer, advocate, or crisis companion.
• Provide consistent, reliable presence for individuals who have historically struggled to engage with traditional service systems.
• Support participants in accessing housing, benefits, treatment, legal services, and community resources.

  Navigation, Advocacy & Systems Guidance (20%)  

• Help participants navigate complex county systems, addressing the documented challenge that high‑need individuals “struggle to navigate and effectively engage with these services.”
• Accompany participants to appointments, court dates, and service‑provider meetings.
• Advocate for participant needs in interagency settings, ensuring their voice and lived experience guide decision‑making.
• Support participants in understanding their rights, options, and pathways through social‑service and behavioral‑health systems.

  Outreach, Engagement & Community Presence (20%)  

• Conduct community‑based outreach to individuals who are chronically unhoused, system‑involved, or disconnected from services.
• Serve as a credible, trusted presence in shelters, encampments, courts, community centers, and neighborhoods across Westchester.
• Build rapport with individuals who may be distrustful of institutions, using lived experience as a bridge to engagement.
• Collaborate with partners to identify individuals who would benefit from CW’s relational, trust‑building approach.

  Collaboration with CW Team & Cross‑Sector Partners (10%)

• Participate in restorative supervision circles, reflective practice sessions, and healing‑centered debriefs facilitated by the Director.
• Work closely with the Social Worker to coordinate care, safety planning, and behavioral‑health support.
• Contribute to the cross‑sector planning committee, ensuring at least 50% lived‑experience representation is maintained throughout the pilot.
• Help develop coordinated referral pathways and shared assessment tools that strengthen the county’s reentry and behavioral‑health ecosystem.
• Uphold CW’s commitment that the program is “entirely supervised and staffed by individuals with lived experience.”

  Documentation, Reporting & Learning (10%)

• Complete participant notes, engagement logs, and referral documentation in a timely, accurate manner.
• Contribute qualitative insights and narrative data to CW’s restorative evaluation process, which centers “participant voice, qualitative insight, and lived‑experience expertise.”
• Participate in continuous quality improvement efforts that reflect trauma‑informed and restorative principles.
• Support the Director and Social Worker in identifying emerging trends, gaps in service coordination, and opportunities for systemic improvement.

Required

• Lived experience with the criminal legal system, homelessness, behavioral‑health challenges, or chronic system involvement.
• Deep commitment to restorative justice, trauma‑informed care, and community‑rooted practice.
• Ability to build trust with individuals who have been marginalized or repeatedly failed by traditional systems.
• Strong communication skills, emotional resilience, and capacity for reflective practice.
• Willingness to work in community settings, including shelters, encampments, and public spaces.

  Preferred

• Experience in peer support, outreach, reentry work, harm reduction, or community‑based advocacy.
• Familiarity with Westchester County service systems.
• Ability to collaborate across agencies and navigate complex bureaucratic environments.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT COVER LETTER WITH RESUME.

• 12 paid holidays per year
• 20 days of earned time off (ETO) for full-time staff, with the ability to use it after 90-days of employment. 
• Time off is earned starting on your first day.
• 7 days of paid sick time
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program

CCA Website: HERE