Full-Time

Peer Specialist

Deadline 10/21/27
Services for the Underserved

Services for the Underserved

1,001-5,000 employees

Offers services to underserved New Yorkers

Compensation Overview

$45k - $50k/yr

New York, NY, USA

In Person

Significant travel to clients' homes and other settings is required, approximately 75% of the role.

Category
Medical, Clinical & Veterinary (1)

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Requirements
  • Pursuit of Certified Recovery Peer Advocate Certification is required; provisional certification is acceptable.
  • Have two years of active participation in mental health self-help activities, peer support or peer advocacy programs, participant-run organizations, or similar experiences or programs.
  • Understand the community in which the team is based and be aware of available community resources.
  • Have made positive and productive progress toward personal recovery.
  • Demonstrate effective interpersonal communication skills and the ability to empathize with, relate to, and work effectively with participants of mental health services.
  • Possess the ability and willingness to disclose a recovery story, where appropriate, for empowerment purposes.
  • Exercise sound judgment and understand boundaries when working with participants of mental health services.
  • Adhere to the on-call cell phone system to facilitate crisis intervention, emergencies, and other situations requiring immediate action.
  • Travel significantly to visit clients in their homes and other settings; approximately 75% travel is required.
Responsibilities
  • Facilitate engagement with teams by forging strong connections with participants and families.
  • Undertake outreach activities to promote community awareness of S:US services and encourage help-seeking.
  • Serve at times as a bridge between team members and participants experiencing ambivalence about treatment.
  • 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 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 personal visions and develop wellness toolkits.
  • Support participants, with other team members, in strengthening self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources and the community outside the team.
  • Influence team culture by advocating for clients, promoting a youth-friendly approach, and encouraging recovery-oriented language.
  • Help build a team environment based on human potential for growth and an understanding of human diversity.
Desired Qualifications
  • Preferably have lived experience of mental health challenges that includes psychosis during youth.
  • Ideally be a young adult or relate well to young people.
  • Certified Peer Recovery Advocate provisional certification is preferred.
  • Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.
Services for the Underserved

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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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • July 30, 2026 News12 coverage highlighted Urban Farms expanding food-security visibility in Bed-Stuy.
  • June 10, 2026 Dinner for a Better New York sold out, signaling donor support.
  • HRA's May 11, 2026 awards secure long-term SRO revenue through June 2032.

What critics are saying

  • NYC contract concentration exposes S:US to HRA procurement changes after 2032.
  • Low nonprofit net income in 2025 leaves little cushion for reimbursement delays.
  • Mission breadth across housing, disability, and food security strains execution and fundraising.

What makes Services for the Underserved unique

  • S:US runs housing, disability, homelessness, and food-security programs across New York City.
  • Its Urban Farms and community fridges create visible neighborhood presence and service integration.
  • HRA awarded S:US three SRO housing sites for 2026-2032.

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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).