Full-Time

Peer Specialist

Deadline 6/24/27
Services for the Underserved

Services for the Underserved

1,001-5,000 employees

Offers services to underserved New Yorkers

Compensation Overview

$40k - $45k/yr

New York, NY, USA

In Person

Brooklyn shelter location referenced; NYC area. Must be in-person.

Category
People & HR (1)

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Requirements
  • High School Diploma or GED or 2 years of experience working in a large residential/institutional setting with a special needs population is required
  • Strong interpersonal and organizational skills required
  • Must have patience, creativity, flexibility, compassion, and sensitivity to persons with mental health and substance abuse issues and criminal court involvement
Responsibilities
  • Outreach/Engagement/Bridge Building: Helping to facilitate engagement with teams by forging strong connections with participants and families, undertaking outreach activities designed to promote community awareness of S:US services, encouraging help-seeking, and at times serving as a bridge between team members and participants when they experience ambivalence about treatment.
  • Relationship Building: Developing authentic, meaningful relationships with individuals and families through empathy, sharing experiences, listening and collaborating with genuine curiosity and interest.
  • Embracing Creative Narratives: Peer Specialists need to be able to understand, share and discuss multiple frameworks for understanding life experiences such as psychosis with participants and the rest of the S:US team. Peer Specialists intentionally use language in the service of listening to understand and making space for complex personal stories of recovery and resilience.
  • Advocacy: Peer Specialists advocate with and for program participants both in the larger community and on the team.
  • Co-Creating Support and Wellness Tools: Collaborate with participants to clarify their personal visions and develop their wellness toolkit. Along with other team members, Peer Specialists support participants in strengthening their self-awareness, building life skills, and connecting to resources and community outside of the S:US team.
  • Influencing Team Culture: Whenever possible, positively influencing the team culture by advocating for clients, promoting a youth friendly approach and encouraging the use of recovery-oriented language. S:US Peer Specialists also work actively within the team itself to help build an environment that operates from a belief in the human potential to grow and an understanding of human diversity.
  • Team Communication: Peer Specialists maintain open and frequent communication with the team. This includes reporting safety and other concerns to the team. Peer Specialists will also keep notes on visits with program participants as required by the provider agency. In the spirit of peer support, co-collaborating on reporting with the program participant is encouraged.
Desired Qualifications
  • NYS Driver’s License preferred
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

  • Telehealth expansion enables S:US to reach underserved clients via remote care.
  • Smartphone donations and licensure exceptions boost mental health telehealth access.
  • S:US benefits from state-funded loan repayment programs attracting behavioral health professionals.

What critics are saying

  • Proposed SSVF cuts could displace 7,000 individuals, collapsing S:US revenue by 9–12 months.
  • BronxWorks and Good Shepherd compete for S:US's $90M Veterans Services clients in 12–18 months.
  • NYC's 2027 budget slash could force S:US Mental Health division closure in 12–15 months.

What makes Services for the Underserved unique

  • S:US is New York State's premier and largest community-based social services agency.
  • S:US provides $200 million in services across all five NYC boroughs.
  • S:US offers integrated housing, employment, and treatment services since 1978.

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Benefits

Wellness Program

Professional Development Budget