Frontier Behavioral Health’s presence in Spokane is more than 100 years strong, allowing our non-profit organization to understand the varied needs of our clients and the larger community. Our programs are designed to provide evidence-based treatment to adults, youth and seniors who are dealing with a wide range of behavioral health issues. As a Trauma-Informed Care Organization, we firmly believe in recovery and that our clients can lead fulfilling and meaningful lives, and we consider it an honor and a privilege to assist them in their journey. If you want to have a positive impact in the lives of others come join us!

WHY CHOOSE FRONTIER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH?

At Frontier Behavioral Health, we value our employees and recognize the importance of EVERY employee’s contribution to our mission.
Our behavioral health services make a positive difference in the lives of those we serve and contribute to the health, safety, and quality of life for everyone in Spokane County.
At FBH we have a variety of client services, including outpatient, inpatient, community outreach, crisis services, partnerships with schools, law enforcement and more.
Our evidence-based, culturally appropriate, trauma informed behavioral health services address the diverse needs of those we serve.

Peers will work within both programs as outlined below:

FORENSIC PROJECTS FOR ASSISTANCE IN TRANSITION FROM HOMELESSNESS (FPATH)

The Forensic PATH team works with individuals who have been involved with the forensic mental health system and assists them with identifying, locating and accessing resources within their community. This team works with persons in Region 1 of Washington State (Spokane, Stevens, Ferry, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, and Adams counties).

Work with individuals who have been identified by the Health Care Authority as eligible for the program
Assess needs of individuals and provide case management and assistance in connection to resources
Assist with access to employment and educational services
Staff are SOAR-trained and assist with Social Security benefits application
Utilize Client Support Funds for basic needs or to assist with engagement to resources

FORENSIC HOUSING & RECOVERY THROUGH PEER SERVICES (FHARPS)

The Forensic Housing and Recovery through Peer Services (HARPS) Team uses the Permanent Supportive Housing and Housing First model to offer housing assistance to individuals who meet the definition of Trueblood Class Members. Participants are provided with meaningful choice and control of housing and support services. The team provides case management to participants with an emphasis on enhancing access to and retention in permanent supportive housing.

Services include:

Person-driven housing exploration
Landlord outreach and engagement
Employment services
Activities of daily living services
Social and interpersonal relationships and leisure time

Participants have access to short-term housing bridge subsidies to reduce barriers and increase access to housing options. The team links participants to long term providers including mental health and substance use treatment providers, foundational community supports, and other providers as appropriate.

Peer Support Specialists promote community integration, resiliency and quality of life objectives with clients and/or family members. When appropriate and helpful to the client, Peer Support Specialists share relevant personal experiences that foster hope, resiliency and decrease stigmatization of mental illness. Peer Support Services are provided to individuals and families of all ages. These services may be provided on an individual or group basis.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following.

As a member of a multi-disciplinary team, assist other FBH team members in the development of treatment objectives and interventions for clients enrolled in mental health services.
Provide peer counseling and support, drawing on common experiences as a peer, to clients, parents, caregivers, and natural/community supports by encouraging them to regain hope in, and control over, their own lives.
Identify services and activities that promote recovery and resilience, assisting clients to identify strengths, recognize successes, and to build hope.
Mentor clients to build self-advocacy skills, navigate health systems, build natural supports, and find meaningful activities that promote a sense of purpose, structure and inclusion in the community.
Promote personal responsibility for recovery as the individual client and/or mental health service provider defines recovery.
Mentor clients to explore networking through existing advisory groups and client-run organizations; if applicable, help clients become involved as an advocate for others.
Provide individual and group services (appropriate to scope) for enrolled clients including facilitating recovery groups
Mentor clients to build and maintain community living skills and access community resources;
Support clients who are pursuing educational, vocational, or volunteer services;
Engage with assigned clients prior to discharge from inpatient psychiatric care, participate in discharge planning, as directed and assigned, and accompany clients as they transition into the community as appropriate.
Assist clients in need or in times of personal crisis with finding appropriate resources for stabilization in the least restrictive environment appropriate.
Contact clients referred by a clinician that are not attending scheduled appointments in order to identify barriers and problem solve solutions to client attendance.
Work with clients in preparation of graduating from services.
Engage with various community partners as stipulated in contracts and within the program design.
Partner with team members to review cases, gain consultation and co-facilitate groups.
Maintain client records and all other required documentation in a timely and confidential manner, in accordance with agency policies and practices.
Provide after-hours coverage on a schedule rotation, if applicable.
Requires travel to see clients in the community and travel between work sites either via FBH owned Vehicles and/or personal vehicle.
Other duties as assigned.

FORENSIC HARPS:

Create a Care Plan that is specific to acquiring and maintaining housing.
Contact the individual no later than one calendar day, utilizing mobile crisis teams when FHARPS is not available.
Develop a collaborative individualized, strengths-based housing plan inclusive of action steps for housing-related issues. The individual would set goals and develop a housing plan with the assistance of the peer.
Assist with completion of required paperwork for tenancy.
Share lived experiences to support the individual in the housing process.
Complete the Enhanced Certified Peer Counselor training offered through the Health Care Authority.

QUALIFIED CANDIDATES WILL HAVE:

REQUIRED:

1. Self-identify as having one or more years in recovery from a mental health condition, substance use disorder or both.

2. Certified Peer Support Specialist or Certified Peer Support Specialist Trainee Credential from the WA State Department of Health OR:

If an Applicant does not have an active or pending Certified Peer Support Specialist or Certified Peer Support Specialist Trainee Credential from the WA State Department of Health, then must apply for the Certified Peer Support Specialist TRAINEE credential within 90 days of start date.

For more information about Certified Peer Support Specialist Credentials from the WA State Dept. of Health, please visit: https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/professions-new-renew-or-update/peer-support-specialist.

3. High School diploma or equivalent

4. Must have an unrestricted and valid driver’s license, be able to pass a motor vehicle screening and driving test, have active car insurance, and be willing to use their personal vehicle in the course of work.

PREFERRED:

Two years' experience working in a community behavioral health setting.

PHYSICAL, SENSORY & ENVIRONMENTAL:

The demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This position provided client services in community settings on a daily basis. Community settings include but are not limited to residences, group/congregate living settings, hospitals, shelters, the streets or anywhere in the community at large.
Some environments may not be ideal in terms of cleanliness or being habitable.
Daily travel between locations is required.
The ability to drive a vehicle, traverse distances up to several city blocks and on various terrains, navigate stairs, get in and out of vehicles frequently is required.
Daily use of a computer is required.
May be required to lift 10 - 20 pounds.
Blood-borne Pathogen Category III - No predictable exposure to blood-borne pathogens.

PAY INFORMATION:

1. Applicants will be hired as a Certified Peer Support Specialist, if at the time of offer, has an ACTIVE Certified Peer Support Specialist Credential from the WA State Dept. of Health

2. Applicants will be hired as a Certified Peer Support Specialist Trainee, if at time of offer, the Applicant has an ACTIVE Certified Peer Support Specialist TRAINEE credential from the WA State Dept. of Health.

3. Applicants will be hired as a Peer Support Specialist Trainee, if at time of offer, the Applicant:

Has not yet applied for either the Certified Peer Support Specialist or the Certified Peer Support Specialist TRAINEE credential with the WA State Dept. of Health. OR
Has a PENDING Certified Peer Support Specialist Credential from the WA State Dept. of Health OR
Has a PENDING Certified Peer Support Specialist TRAINEE credential from the WA State Dept. of Health.

4. Pay is based on whether an Applicant is hired one of the three credential options listed above.

PAY RANGE (Hourly/ Non-Exempt):

Peer Support Specialist TRAINEE- $20.79-$25.33
Certified Peer Support Specialist TRAINEE- $20.79-$25.33
Certified Peer Support Specialist: - $22.00-$26.81

All pay is based on longevity at Frontier Behavioral Health; thus, the starting pay for these positions are:

Peer Support Specialist TRAINEE: $20.79
Certified Peer Support Specialist TRAINEE: $20.79
Certified Peer Support Specialist: $22.00

Our Benefits and Perks are Amazing!

WE BELIEVE IN WORK LIFE BALANCE:

Paid Time Off – Employees accrue up to 26 days of PTO in the first year of employment!
Plus 9 Paid Federal Holidays!
Sick Leave – Extended Sick Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Time.
Some positions qualify for a Compressed Workweek option resulting in up to additional 26 days off per year.

BENEFITS: www.fbhwa.org/careers/benefits

Medical, Dental and Vision
Retirement – We offer an impressive 403b plan including standard 3% employer contribution plus an additional 3% employer match.
Flexible Spending Accounts
Life Insurance – Company paid coverage that starts the first of the month following 6 months from your date of hire.

PERKS:www.fbhwa.org/careers/perks

Signing Bonus!
No-cost licensure supervision for those pursuing clinical licensure.
Federal and State Loan Forgiveness Program for qualifying Programs.
Reimbursement of License/Certification application fee that is required for the position.
Free Employee Assistance Program
Staff Discounts at various FBH partners throughout Spokane!

Benefits described above are based on employees who hold .5 FTE positions or greater and/or some benefits vary based on FTE. PRN positions are not benefit eligible or eligible for a sign on bonus.

About the company

Frontier Behavioral Health provides a full spectrum of behavioral health care in Spokane County. It runs 24/7 crisis intervention and Crisis Response Services, including Involuntary Treatment Act evaluations, and operates 48 inpatient beds for Evaluation & Treatment and Stabilization. Most services are outpatient, and FBH serves Children and Youth, Adults, and Elders, with programs such as Peer Support, nursing home and school-based services, care for the homeless, a Clubhouse, and Vocational Rehabilitation/Employment services. With a staff of 700+ and more than 16,000 clients served each year, the goal is to deliver accessible, coordinated care across ages and life situations in the community.

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Get referred to Frontier Behavioral Health

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

Frontier won the Spokane 988 hub again in January 2026.
Its virtual behavioral health urgent care expanded regionwide on April 28, 2026.
The downtown CHAS clinic broke ground June 29, 2026, adding 4,000 annual patient capacity.

What critics are saying

The 2026 Teamsters petition signals frontline labor pressure inside crisis response operations.
The Spokane clinic needs $5.7 million Frontier financing, tightening balance-sheet flexibility.
If 988 hub contracts shift after June 2025, Frontier loses a core revenue anchor.

What makes Frontier Behavioral Health unique

Spokane’s 988 hub keeps Frontier central to regional crisis response in 2026.
Its behavioral response unit and outpatient network create vertically integrated local care delivery.
The new CHAS partnership clinic opens 2027, extending Frontier’s footprint into primary care.

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Benefits

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts
Paid Vacation
Paid Holidays
Paid Sick Leave

Company News

Cowles Co.

Oct 8th, 2026

New Markets pipeline grows in Spokane.

New Markets pipeline grows in Spokane. Organizations position themselves for a share of a $5B federal program. October 8, 2026 Organizations behind a growing pipeline of projects across Spokane - including a behavioral health center, a mixed-use childcare development, and an expanding transitional pediatric health facility - are actively positioning themselves for a federal tax-credit program to help their projects move forward, says Steve MacDonald, director of community and economic development for the city of Spokane. The activity comes as the U.S. Treasury opens applications for a new $5 billion round of New Markets Tax Credits through its Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. The New Markets Tax Credit financing program is designed to spur private investment in economically distressed communities by providing tax credits to investors who finance qualifying development projects. New Markets Tax Credit projects typically require a minimum total project cost of $10 million to be economically viable. Applications from Community Development Entities are due Nov. 10. New Markets Consultants - advocates hired by organizations who evaluate projects and gauge their New Markets Tax Credit eligibility - are working to get Spokane-area projects into those organizations' pipelines, MacDonald says. "The New Markets Consultants that have been connected to some of those projects are all trying to make sure the timing is right, that their project is in the pipeline within the Community Development Entity's application," he says. Three Spokane organizations have hired consultants to help them attract and secure an investment from a Community Development Entity. Spokane-based Maddie's Place, a neonatal transitional facility, is a strong fit for the program, MacDonald contends. The organization, located at 1004 E. Eighth, is planning a $15 million campus expansion aimed at increasing clinical capacity, strengthening family support services, and enhancing long-term program sustainability. "That's a later 2027 project, but nonetheless, we're asking that it be put in some (Community Development Entity) applications and making sure people are aware of this project because it's a high-impact project," MacDonald says. "They're a perfect case for New Markets. There are groups out there that focus on that kind of issue; they're really going to like that project." Frontier Behavioral Health, in partnership with Community Health Association of Spokane, has also hired a consultant and is seeking an allocation for its new building at 130 E. Sprague. The 10,000-square-foot clinic will connect patients of Frontier Behavioral Health to primary care providers and connect CHAS patients to mental health treatment. The project drew attention from several Community Development Entities, banks, and tax-credit investors in May at CohnReznick's 25th Annual New Markets Tax Credit Summit, MacDonald explains. "We're hopeful on that one," he says. Another project that drew interest at the conference is the Northeast Public Development Authority's plan to build a $12.5 million workforce housing project in Spokane's Hillyard neighborhood. As reported by the Journal, the project, centered on a half-acre of property at 3011 E. Wellesley, is envisioned as a three-story structure with 30 residential units on the second and third floors and a childcare center on the ground floor. Other organizations are also showing interest in pursuing New Markets Tax Credits, a sign of growing momentum in a program that the region failed to leverage for over a decade, MacDonald says. While he can't disclose those organizations yet, he says he is looking forward to an industrial project on the West Plains that will bring 60 jobs to the area. The New Markets Tax Credit program was authorized by Congress in 2000. Since its inaugural round in 2002 through the end of 2025, the program has awarded $91 billion to Community Development Entities. Those entities subsequently invested those tax credits into economically distressed communities, creating and/or retaining 950,000 jobs, supporting the construction of 106.2 million square feet of manufacturing space and 111.3 million square feet of office space, building nearly 15,000 affordable housing units, and generating $8 of private investment for every $1 of federal funding, according to the U.S. Treasury. When MacDonald stepped into his role at the city a few years ago, he noticed that Spokane County had not closed any New Markets Tax Credit deals since 2011. He estimates that the lack of participation in the program conservatively cost the region between $50 million and $100 million in direct federal subsidy, and several times that amount in total project investment. Over the last couple of years, he has made it his mission to educate the business community about the program. Those efforts have paid off. In September, Portland, Oregon-based Craft3, a nonprofit community lender and designated Community Development Entity that helps finance projects in underserved communities, finalized two tax-credit investments in Eastern Washington valued at $35.5 million. "Having Craft3 get another award is going to help Spokane," MacDonald says. Unlike a traditional grant program, businesses and nonprofits don't apply directly to the federal government for funding, MacDonald says. Instead, the tax credits attract private sector investment by incentivizing banks to invest in qualified projects through Community Development Entities, which are specialized lenders that have been awarded the tax credits by the U.S. Treasury. Banks receive a 39% tax credit over seven years in exchange for their investment in distressed areas, he says. The value of an allocation also differs from the amount of money a project ultimately receives. A $10 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation, for example, can result in roughly $2 million in net financing benefit to a project that doesn't have to be repaid. MacDonald says he hopes the growing pipeline of projects marks a shift. He's planing to attend the next national New Markets Tax Credit conference in October, where he and consultants representing Spokane projects will meet with Community Development Entities and tax-credit investors and pitch projects in the city. "I'm going to try to really pitch the projects here in Spokane," he says. "We'll really have the opportunity to tell the Spokane story and tell the story about all these projects."

Frontier Behavioral Health

Peer Support Specialist Trainee - Forensic PATH & HARPS

About the job