S

Services for the Underserved

Offers services to underserved New Yorkers

Peer Specialist

Full-TimeDeadline 4/6/27
$40k - $50k/yr
Mid
New York, NY, USA
In PersonSignificant travel to shelters, participants' communities, and other settings is required; approximately 75%.
Social & Community ServicesCommunity Outreach & Programs

About the job

Requirements
  • Certified Recovery Peer Advocate or Provisional Certification is required.
  • The Peer Specialist should have made positive and productive progress toward their own recovery.
  • The candidate must demonstrate interpersonal communication skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to, and effectively work with participants receiving mental health services.
  • Two years of active participation in substance use or mental health self-help activities, peer support or peer advocacy programs, participant-run organizations, or similar experiences or programs are required.
  • The candidate must be able and willing to disclose their recovery story, where appropriate, for empowerment purposes.
  • The candidate must demonstrate sound judgment and understand boundaries when working with participants receiving substance use or mental health services.
  • The candidate must adhere to the on-call cell phone system to facilitate crisis intervention, emergencies, and other situations requiring immediate action.
  • Significant travel to engage clients at shelters, in their community, and in other settings is required; approximately 75%.
Responsibilities
  • Help facilitate engagement by forging strong connections with participants and families residing in Harlem, the Bronx, and surrounding communities.
  • Undertake outreach activities to promote community awareness of S:US services, encourage help-seeking, and sometimes bridge treatment team members and participants experiencing ambivalence about substance use treatment, including Medication-Assisted Treatment and outpatient Substance Use Disorder treatment.
  • Become certified to train and distribute Naloxone kits to individuals and their family members.
  • Develop authentic, meaningful relationships with individuals and families through empathy, sharing experiences, listening, and collaboration.
  • Understand, share, and discuss multiple frameworks for understanding life experiences such as substance use and psychosis with participants and the S:US team.
  • Use language to listen for understanding and make space for complex personal stories of recovery and resilience.
  • Advocate with and for program participants in the larger community and on the team.
  • Collaborate with participants to clarify their personal visions and develop their wellness toolkit.
  • Support participants, along with other team members, in strengthening self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources and community outside the S:US team.
  • Influence team culture by advocating for clients, promoting a youth-friendly approach, and encouraging recovery-oriented language.
  • Help build an environment based on belief in human potential for growth and understanding of human diversity.
  • Maintain open and frequent communication with the team, including reporting safety and other concerns.
  • Keep notes on visits with program participants as required by the provider agency and, when appropriate, co-collaborate on reporting with the program participant.
Desired Qualifications
  • Ideally, the Peer Specialist is a young adult or relates well to young people.
  • The Peer Specialist should have an understanding of the community in which the team is based and awareness of available community resources.

About the company

S

Services for the Underserved

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S:US helps New Yorkers who face homelessness, disability, behavioral health and addiction challenges, poverty, criminal justice involvement, and trauma access a wide range of supports across New York City and Long Island. It coordinates services such as case management, housing and stabilization, behavioral health treatment, recovery supports, rehabilitation, advocacy, and community-based programs tailored to each person’s needs. By linking housing, health, justice, and community resources, S:US delivers integrated, place-based services that address multiple barriers at once rather than focusing on a single issue. The goal is to help people lead purposeful lives, improve neighborhoods, and break the cycle of poverty for current and future generations of New Yorkers.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

1978

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What believers are saying

  • The April 2026 crisis center adds recurring operating funding through 2031.
  • Urban Farms and bed-stuy food programs deepen neighborhood visibility and referrals.
  • TD's 2026 grant expands Homebase staffing during acute eviction pressure.

What critics are saying

  • S:US depends heavily on New York public funding and contract renewals.
  • Aerosolized political attacks on supportive housing threaten S:US's core Brooklyn model.
  • If state reimbursement tightens, its housing-and-behavioral-health network faces existential contraction.

What makes Services for the Underserved unique

  • S:US opened Brooklyn's sixth state-funded Crisis Stabilization Center in April 2026.
  • S:US won a $250,000 TD Charitable Foundation grant for eviction prevention.
  • S:US secured a $894,050 Truxton SRO contract through 2032.

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Benefits

  • Wellness Program
  • Professional Development Budget

Company News

Hep Free NYC
Oct 19th, 2023
NYC Hep C Task Force Meeting Highlights | 09-27-2023

In partnership with Services for the Underserved, NYC Health Dept launched the city's first Public Health Vending Machine located at 1676 Broadway, Brooklyn (corner of Decatur and Broadway).