Peer Support Specialist - Street Outreach

Peer Support Specialist - Street Outreach

Central City Concern's Homeless Enhanced Outreach And Retention Team (HEART) meets people where they are at by providing proactive street outreach and care coordination services. This multidisciplinary team engages folks on the streets, providing basic resources and information, explores interest and barriers to engaging in more formalized supports and can enroll someone in short term (1-3 months) transitional care services to facilitate access and engagement in longer term supports. This team can assist people in connecting to shelter/housing resources, primary care, mental health, substance use services, harm reduction services, employment and other more traditional service models.

The Peer Support Specialist provides support through leading with lived experience. This role is part of a multidisciplinary team and is responsible for advocating and supporting the behavioral health needs of clients including providing peer to peer engagement, and outreach and on-site service delivery.

Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Location: Old Town Recovery Center (33 NW Broadway, Portland, OR 97209)

Compensation: Starting at $23.36 per hour

Minimum Qualifications:

• Requires high school diploma, GED, or demonstrated ability to read and write at a sufficient level.
• Must be registered, prior to start, as a Certified Recovery Mentor (CRM) with MHACBO; OR be a certified Peer Support Specialist (PSS) or Peer Wellness Specialist (PWS) AND registered as a Traditional Health Worker (THW) on the THW Registry.
• Must meet CCC privileging requirements as required by FTCA.
• Must have current CPR certification at time of hire.
• Must possess a current driver's license, qualify as an Acceptable Driver as designated in Central City Concern's Fleet Safety policy. Must pass an initial driver training within 60 days of being an approved driver and continued recertification training. If driving a personal vehicle, you must maintain vehicle insurance coverage of a minimum of $100,000/$300,000 personal auto liability coverage.
• Preferred: lived experience with houselessness.
• Knowledge of system navigation, working with unhoused community and with SUD
• Must generally have the ability to bend, stoop, kneel, squat, twist, reach, pull and lift heavy objects and climb stairs, with reasonable or no accommodation.
• Central City Concern is committed to a drug-free workplace that encourages a safe, healthy and productive work environment and strictly complies with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988. An employee shall not, in the workplace, unlawfully manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess or use a controlled substance or alcohol.
• Must pass a pre-employment drug screen, TB Test, and background check. This includes clearance by the DHS Background Check Unit.
• Must adhere to agency's non-discrimination policies.
• Ability to effectively interact with co-workers and clients with diverse ethnic backgrounds, religious views, political affiliation, cultural backgrounds, life-styles and sexual orientations, and treat individuals with respect and dignity.

Responsibilities:

• Provide direct peer support in encampments, shelters and other community-based locations in designated service areas. Provide proactive outreach and enrolled trauma-informed and peer-delivered services.
• Assist participants in exploring interest in, barriers to and engagement in a full spectrum recovery-oriented services.
• Promote greater independence and choice for participants engaging in offered supports and services.
• Provide support to navigate into and engage in formal and informal services.
• Exemplify and share recovery principles. Lead with own recovery to build rapport and trust as appropriate and walk alongside service recipients when requested and available.
• Support clients in establishing communities of support and opportunities for recovery focused activities, including, but not limited to accessing harm reduction services, recovery meetings, faith-based support, sober recreation, etc.
• Collaborate with community resource agencies to remove barriers, provide intervention and make referrals for issues facing clients in various areas.
• Cultivate and maintain positive working relationships with clients, staff, and other community resources.
• Coordinate and consult with other team members to keep team informed of participant issues and progress.
• Work to increase level of cultural sensitivity, awareness and competency regarding person Centered and peer delivered services.
• Assist with registration completion, scheduling or other operational needs.
• Assist with daily HEART operations, including supporting any on-site participant drop-in visits that occur.
• Assist with any requested data collection and coordination with outside organizations (PSU, TIO, SAMSHA) for any part of the research evaluation and analysis of this pilot.
• Participate in outreach activities necessary to offer services and engage participation in a non-coercive manner. Escort clients to meetings and appointments as indicated and available.
• Participate in community care conferences in support of participants to facilitate longer term connections to and engagement in care.
• Complete all documentation and billing needs within timely manner. Maintain an understanding of all requirements of billing and follow all requirements.
• Document all encounters according to organizational policies and procedures.
• Participate in regular supervision from the Clinical Supervisor, seeking additional supervision whenever necessary. Minimum requirement two hours of documented supervision per month.
• Adhere to all state and federal privacy regulations, including HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, and to CCC policies and agreements regarding confidentiality, privacy, and security. Support compliance with all privacy and security requirements pursuant to community partners' and outside providers' patient confidentiality agreements, including privacy and security requirements for EMR access. This includes immediately reporting any breach of protected health information or personal identification information of any person receiving CCC services by CCC or an outside provider to the CCC Compliance Department, as well as to your supervisor or their designee.
• Attend all mandatory CCC trainings in a timely manner.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Abilities:

• Ability to consider impacts of oppression, structural racism, and individual bias on participant outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to establish rapport quickly with a wide range of people.
• Demonstrated ability to provide peer-delivered services, especially team-based care for people with mental health conditions.
• Knowledge of evidence-based behavioral health interventions.
• Demonstrated knowledge of community and social service agencies.
• Knowledge of de-escalation skills and techniques.
• Interest in supporting a participant population with trauma and chronic pain.
• Ability to work effectively with peers, individual participants, and groups.
• Ability to work as a team member and to establish priorities.
• Sufficient manual dexterity and physical ability to perform assigned tasks.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work in an environment where patients may be hostile or abusive.
• Ability to manage time and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work courteously and effectively communicate with the public, participants, medical personnel, social service agency personnel, corrections personnel, police, and co-workers.

Benefits:

Central City Concern offers incredible benefits to our employees. We offer an extensive total rewards package that includes base wages, medical, dental, vision, and voluntary plans. Central City Concern also takes employees' financial wellness into consideration and provides a rich retirement match.

• Generous paid time off plan beginning at 4 weeks of PTO accrual per year! Accrual amount/rate increases with longevity.
• Amazing 403(b) Retirement Savings plan with an employer match of 4.25% in your 1st year, 6% in the 2nd year, and 8% in your 3rd year!
• 11 recognized Holidays + 2 Personal Holidays
• Comprehensive Medical, Vision, and Dental insurance coverage.
• Employer Paid Life, Short-Term Disability, AND Long-Term Disability Insurance!

This description is intended to provide a snapshot of the work performed and is not designed to contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of the position.

As an agency deeply rooted in recovery, part of our policy and commitment to a drug and alcohol-free workplace includes post-offer, pre-employment drug screens. Please note we follow Federal Guidelines