Job Description

Peer Support Specialist

The Road Home was founded in 1923 and has been a leader in the endeavor to end homelessness for over 100 years. We provide low-barrier emergency shelters, supportive services, and housing-first-minded rental assistance that helps individuals and families step out of homelessness and back into the community. We are seeking compassionate and empathetic individuals who are interested in making a difference in the lives of others and their community. The Road Home is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Our mission to help people experiencing homelessness is strengthened by a highly qualified team with a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. We are committed to fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique strengths.

The Road Home is a 501c3 non-profit social services agency whose mission is to help people step out of homelessness and back into our community. Come be part of the solution. We have a robust, reasonably-priced, and inclusive benefits plan for full and part-time employees (25-40 hours/week).

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• HSA, FSA, HRA (We reimburse part of your deductible!)
• Retirement Plan (403B with TRH contribution and match)
• FREE Life Insurance for employees
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & 12 Public Holidays)
• One Floating Holiday Per Year
• Free Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Free Training & Development
• Tuition Assistance for a wide variety of classes!
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) qualifying agency

The mission of a Peer Support Specialist is to empower and uplift Peers, clients and individuals to identify their own pathway in recovery, create and execute safety and lifestyle management plans and build a life grounded in success and forward momentum.

The Road Home is seeking a highly motivated individual who is committed, compassionate, willing to be challenged, and who wants to make a difference in the lives of others. We are seeking a Certified Peer Support Specialist to work at The Road Home. The certified Peer Support Specialist will provide peer support and mentorship to guests that are interested in behavioral health treatment. The Peer Support Specialist will engage in relationship building with guests who may exhibit a need for additional services.

*Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions, so please still apply.

*Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Location Magnolia

165 S 300 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Position Status Full-Time

Reports To Supportive Services Supervisor

Shift 40 hours

Grade, Starting Rate Grade 6, $18.90/hour

FLSA Status Non-Exempt

Key Job Functions

1. Serve as a peer mentor to individuals experiencing homelessness. Offer a positive example of a person with lived experience who has been successful at managing his/her own recovery from mental health and/or substance-use disorders or homelessness.

2. Collaborate with Road Home staff and community partners to meet client needs and coordinate support.

• Attend weekly meetings with Utah Community Action to ensure guests arriving at shelter are orientated into the facility, shelter expectations, and resources available.
• Ensure all welcome brochures are up to date.
• Attend weekly meetings with First Step House and offer support to guests who are interested in treatment.
• Attend weekly client staffing meetings.
• Attend weekly updates meetings.
• Attend shift change with Housing Advocate teams.
• Scheduled Housing Resource Desk shifts.

3. Case Management support

• Accept referrals and co-case manage a case load of 30 guests who fall under the following categories:
• Service adverse
• Substance use
• Housing barrier
• Mental health
• Behaviors resulting in multiple Incident Reports
• High utilizer
• Maintain accurate and detailed case notes in HMIS in accordance with OHS and other regulations
• Assisting Case Management with completing housing related paperwork in a timely manner.
• Transporting clients for housing related appointments or scheduled move in days.
• Supporting Case Management/ clients with moving into housing.
• Creative and forward thinking to motivate guests towards housing.

4. Housing Advocate Support

• Assist with de-escalations and crisis intervention.
• Maintain an updated list of individuals in shelter that have not engaged with Case Management.
• Be present at the front desk when the lobby opens after shift change as available.

5. Guest Support

• Increase awareness of and support guest participation in consumer self-help and advocacy organizations.
• Assist guests in identifying and engaging/re-engaging with family, friends, and other natural supports.
• Provide ongoing assessment, problem-solving, skill teaching, support, and environmental adaptations to assist guests with self-sufficiency and housing progress.
• Offer harm reduction resources.
• Suicide assessment.
• Create and follow up on all individual guest safety plans.
• Refer clients expressing a desire to receive substance abuse treatment to community partners.
• Utilize Motivational Interviewing skills to encourage clients to set housing goals and make progress towards those goals.
• Assist guests in the computer lab as needed, including setting up relevant accounts, resume building, etc.
• Be the point of contact for the Housing Survival class currently provided by Rocky Cordray, including gathering individuals and transporting them to attend the class.

6. Outreach

• Engage with guests outside of shelter who have a pending housing opportunity to assist with signing leases, vouchers or various paperwork related to housing
• Jail
• Hospitals
• Places not meant for human habitation
• Conduct a follow up call/visit to guests who have moved into housing, providing them with locations of local support groups, AA, NA and any other affiliations supporting recovery or housing stability

Other duties as assigned

Promoting Best Practice

• Demonstrates awareness and desire to understand diverse populations
• Ability to contribute to the Agency's commitment to enhancing awareness and appreciation
• Willingness to understand that housing first, harm reduction, low barrier access to resources is best practice and essential to our mission at The Road Home.
• Ability to set and maintain good boundaries, using Trauma-Informed Care as a guideline

Education and Experience

1. Experience working with diverse populations preferred.

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse populations.
2. Excellent writing and documentation skills.
3. Willing to be a proactive member of a team.
4. Ability to work from a Trauma-Informed Care framework.
5. Familiarity with the Housing First philosophy.
6. Ability to work with community partners.
7. Self-starter and self-directed.
8. Ability to accept direction from Supervisor.
9. Excellent organizational skills and strong computer skills.
10. Demonstrated awareness of and sensitivity to diverse populations. Ability to contribute to the agency's commitment to enhancing awareness and appreciation of diverse ethnic and cultural heritages.
11. Must pass a pre-employment background check and drug screen.

Physical and Equipment Requirements

• Ability to lift 25 pounds.
• Ability to stand and walk for at

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