Peer Specialist
About the job
- A high school diploma is required.
- One to 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 is required.
- The candidate must be able and willing to disclose their recovery story, where appropriate, for empowerment purposes.
- The candidate must demonstrate judgment and understand boundaries when working with participants of 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.
- The candidate must be willing and able to complete additional duties assigned by program leadership.
- The candidate should understand the community in which the team is based and be aware of available community resources.
- The candidate 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 of mental health services.
- Facilitate engagement with tenants and undertake outreach activities to promote community awareness of S:US services, encourage help-seeking, and advocate for the population served.
- Understand, share, and discuss multiple frameworks for understanding life experiences such as psychosis with participants and the S:US team.
- Use language to listen to participants, understand them, 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 wellness toolkits.
- Support participants with other team members in strengthening self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources and the broader community.
- Influence team culture by advocating for clients, promoting a friendly approach, and encouraging recovery-oriented language.
- Help build a team environment grounded in human potential for growth and an 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 participants.
- Lived experience of mental health challenges, preferably including experience with psychosis.
- Lived experience of mental health challenges, preferably including experience with psychosis during youth.
- Peer certification, or Certified Recovery Peer Advocate if required by the funder, is preferred.
- Basic computer skills, including Microsoft Office suite and Windows, are preferred.
About the company
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's Take
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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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).