Peer Specialist, Justice Involved Supported Housing Initiative (JISH)

Who We Are: CAMBA is a community of staff, volunteers, clients, donors, neighbors and partners who work together to build an inclusive New York City, where all children and adults have access to the resources and supports they need to thrive. We take a comprehensive approach by offering more than 180 integrated programs in: Education & Youth Development, Family Support, Job Training & Employment Support Services, Health, Housing, and Legal Services. We reach more than 72,000 individuals and families each year at our 100 locations, including 10,000 youth. CAMBA serves a diverse cross section of New Yorkers from new mothers in Brownsville to job seekers in the Rockaways. More than half of our clients are immigrants and refugees from around the globe. Over 85% of our families live in poverty, reflecting the challenges faced by nearly 1.7 million New Yorkers today.

Justice Involved Supported Housing (JISH) provides 30 units of scattered site supportive housing to homeless individuals with a probable mental health illness and/or a substance use disorder, with recent histories of cycling through the NYC criminal justice and shelter system. Program staff provides case management and other supportive services to enable clients to achieve the skills and financial independence necessary for independent living. Clients also receive partial financial assistance with utility costs.

Position: Peer Specialist

Reports To: Program Manager

Location: 19 Winthrop Street, Brooklyn NY 11225

What Does a Peer Specialist Do: 

• Maintain professional relationships with clients and client confidentiality. 
• Practice Universal Precautions/Standard Protocol & Procedures. 
• Comply with any and all Federal, State, City and CAMBA security and privacy polices intended to protect the security and privacy of individually identifiable health information. 
• Prepare marketing materials for the program. 
• Conduct outreach activities to market the program to the community to recruit new clients and re-engage former clients. 
• Follow-up with clients and with referral organizations regarding client contact and progress with referral. organization. 
• Contact clients via telephone, mail and/or face-to-face home and office visits to ensure adherence to program, and document via progress notes. 
• Input client data and client progress information into automated database. 
• Escort clients to appointments (educational, medical, social service, etc.). 
• Provide all required information for weekly/monthly/quarterly/annual reports. 
• Create and maintain client files and make copies of all client documents. 
• Assist in planning, coordinating, and facilitating social/peer support events (i.e., World AIDS Day, AIDS Walk, PRIDE Parade, etc.), including group facilitation for clients. 
• Perform other clerical duties as needed, such as filing, photocopying, and collating. 
• May evaluate actual living conditions of clients through home visits. 
• May prescreen clients over the telephone for eligibility and may schedule intake appointments. 
• May assist clients in completing all CAMBA intake applications and forms. 
• May, in collaboration with the counselors, work with clients to break through barriers to client goals and to assist clients in advocating for themselves and in moving toward self-sufficiency. 
• May schedule appointments for client with referral organizations. 
• May assist clients in completing all CAMBA intake applications and forms. 
• May assist clients in completing applications for benefits and entitlements and may process applications on clients' behalf. 
• May schedule appointments for client with referral organizations. 
• May follow-up with clients for a period after successful completion of their primary goals to assure client stability. 
• May Provide all required information for weekly/monthly/quarterly/annual reports (i.e., client services reports, documentation ticker/ tracking reports, client contact reports). 
• Tasks may be modified, expanded, and/or assigned over time. 

What are the Qualifications for the Position: 

• Sufficient education and technical expertise to comprehend written and oral instructions to accomplish tasks, and to document accomplished tasks. 
• Knowledge about, understanding of, and ability to work closely with, homeless, MICA, justice involved related issues. 
• Lived experience. 

Minimum Experiences and Skills Required:

• Experience as described above, preferably in a mid-sized (250+ employees) organization working with persons with a histories of homelessness, mental illness, and/or substance abuse.
• Good written & verbal communication. 
• Computer literacy in Microsoft Office Suite. 

Compensation : $45,200 annually
When salary ranges are listed, the range would represent the low and high end for the applicable position & program. The salary offered would be based on various factors unique to each program and candidate. This includes but is not limited to experience, education, budget and/or program size, internal equity, skills and other factors that may be required for the position and organization.

Status: Full-time (35 hours per week) 
Benefits : CAMBA offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, dental insurance, 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, paid time off (vacation, personal, and sick time), and paid holidays.

CAMBA and CAMBA Housing Ventures are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse & inclusive workforce and do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), or other applicable legally protected characteristics.