Peer Specialist - Scattered Site

Overview

The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. The Coalition advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being, and stability of those it serves.

The Peer Specialist has experience as a recipient of mental health, substance treatment or homeless services and is willing to use and share his or her personal, practical experience, knowledge, and first hand insight to benefit the team and its clients. The Peer Specialist will provide assistance, peer support, case management, and advocacy for program Residents, identifying life choices and helping them overcome obstacles to achieving their goals.

Focusing on the Residents’ strengths, the Peer Specialist will promote personal growth, development, and recovery. The Fort Lyon Supportive Residential Community is designed to provide transitional housing, addiction recovery, education and vocational training, case management and basic supportive services to those who are formally homeless and have an expressed desire to live in a drug and alcohol-free community in an effort to end their cycle of homelessness and promote health, wellbeing and active citizenship.

Note: In order to ensure that our consumers receive the best possible care the candidate chosen to fill this position will be required to complete our internal credentialing and privileging process prior to a start date. The credentialing and privileging timeline is dependent on the selected candidate s submission of documents necessary for clearance. A start date will be scheduled once credentialing and privileging is complete.

• Maintains current and complete COVID‑19 vaccination(s), as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities.
• Provides individual and group peer support, drawing on common experiences as a peer, to validate residents’ experiences and to provide guidance and encouragement to residents to take responsibility and actively participate in their own recovery.
• Conducts routine room checks and submits report to case management. Also works with residents on any room concerns such as cleanliness.
• If assigned to building 8, coordinates with building 5 staff as residents move from 5 to building 8.
• Provides transportation for needs not met by local transit. This may include transporting residents to outside recovery meetings.
• Actively participates, collaborates, and contributes to the Supportive Residential Community program to promote a team culture in which each resident’s point of view, experiences, and preferences are recognized, understood and respected, and in which Resident self-determination and decision-making in service planning are maximized and supported.
• Helps residents identify, understand, and combat stigma and discrimination associated with addiction, mental illness and homelessness and develop strategies to reduce self-stigma. Helps other team members to identify and understand culture-wide stigma and discrimination against people with substance use disorders, mental illness and homelessness and works to develop strategies to address stigma within the team.
• Serves as a liaison between team and consumer-run programs such as self-help groups and drop in centers.
• Maintains and ensures confidentiality of all resident information.
• Solicits, listens, and responds to client feedback about services.
• Attends and participates in formal and informal staff meetings, and addresses resident and program issues.
• Completes all necessary documentation including HMIS in a timely manner.
• Participates in performance assessment activities through data collection and by facilitating access to program residents.
• Monitors residents’ needs through regular contact and assists team in crisis intervention.
• Organizes and facilitates social activities including creating and distributing event flyers to clients and staff. Social activities include office-based client gatherings/potlucks,…