Mental Health Peer Support Specialist - Temporary

Job Description

Job Description

• This position is grant funded with projected funding through Spring 2026

Hope Mission Statement

The mission of Hope the Mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions.

Position Purpose and Summary

The mission of Hope the Mission (HTM) is to prevent, reduce, and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness by offering immediate assistance and long-term solutions. Our mission is to meet our participants’ needs through an individualized and non-judgmental approach that will ultimately lead to long-term housing stability.

Under the supervision of the Clinical Director, the Mental Health Peer Support Specialist (MH PSS) will provide a myriad of supportive services including outreach and engagement, case management, crisis management support, provide psychoeducation and facilitate psychoeducation groups, conduct wellness and life skills groups, provide linkage support, and function as a role model to participants. The MH PSS will utilize a culturally-responsive, harm-reduction, low-barrier, and person-centered approach, as well as implement trauma-informed care, when assisting participants in their recovery journey and regaining independence and housing within their community.

This is a temporary and term-limited position that is based on grant funding, which is set to expire based on expenditures versus a term ending date (i.e., no less than four months, could be up to or exceed six months).

This role is designed to meet the needs of the Pathway to Sobriety (aka, Incentivized Sobriety) Project that is a three-way collaboration with the Office of Bob Blumenfield and Tarzana Treatment Center (TTC), Incorporated.

Responsibilities

This position reports to Tiny Homes Reseda & Tiny Homes Tarzana

Ability to create and maintain boundaries with participants and understand the limitations of a professional working relationship only within the work setting.

Assist participants with scheduling, coordinating, and attending medical, behavioral, and mental health appointments, and transportation.

Attend, participate, and contribute to regular case conference meetings.

Complete and maintain all documentation of services delivered.

Complete brief assessments and screeners for the purpose of determining best-fit programs within TTC’s framework as a part of the Pathway to Sobriety Project.Collaborate and connect with resources outside of the organization when necessary.

Facilitate psychoeducation groups, wellness groups, skill-building groups, and leisure and recreational activities related to improving participants’ mental wellbeing and recovery.

Foster a supportive, safe, and motivational environment.

Outreach and engagement with participants in a variety of different settings at various shelter locations, meeting participants where they are at.

Participate in all staff meetings with HTM when appropriate.

Participate in care coordination meetings, treatment team meetings, and trainings.

Participate in individual and group sessions.

Strong group facilitation skills, ability to plan and execute onsite activities for participants.

Utilize a culturally-responsive, harm-reduction, low-barrier, and person-centered approach, as well as implement trauma-informed care, when working with participants.

Work in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team consisting of clinical directors, clinicians, substance use disorder counselors, peers, case managers, and external providers to ensure effective delivery of a full spectrum of clinical, social, and peer support services. This includes internal and external providers, as this is a multi-agency project.

Communicate effectively and respond to correspondences in a timely manner.

Identify potentially unsafe systems / processes / situations and take initiative to report to the supervisor.

Perform any other duties, projects and responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor.

Required Skills & Core Competencies

Ability to develop excellent rapport with participants

Must be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing

Must have the ability to coordinate a continuum of treatment / services for participants

Excellent verbal, oral and presentation skills

Strong interpersonal skills

Problem-solving, decision-making and strategizing capabilities

Qualifications

Required - Drug screen, Background, Motor Vehicle record (MVR), Live Scan, TB test are required.

Required - High school diploma or GED required.

Required - Must be able to accurately document all services provided to participants.

Required - Must have lived experience.

Required - Valid CA Driver’s License is required.

Preferred - Bachelor’s degree is preferred but not required.

Preferred - Bilingual Spanish is preferred but not required.

Preferred - Experience working with culturally diverse, chronically homeless, severely mentally ill participants and participants with co-occurring substance use diagnoses is preferred.

Preferred - Experience working with electronic health record (EHR) systems, including but not limited to HMIS (Homeless Management Information System) and Exym

Preferred - Experience working with Google Suite platform, including but not limited to Google Documents, Google Sheets, and Google Slides

Mandatory Requirements :

Willing and able to work well with no or low-income homeless individuals

Demonstrate courtesy, mutual respect and compassion in dealing with others.

Initiate and present positive solutions to problems.

Demonstrate effective working relations and work effectively as part of the team.

Demonstrate a willingness and flexibility to accommodate requirements or changing priorities in the workplace.

Employment Classification

FLSA Status : Non-exempt

Payroll Status : Hourly

Work Schedule : Full-time

Physical, Demands, Environmental Conditions, Equipment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. The employee is required to walk and climb stairs. Stand, bend, squat, climb, kneel, and twist on an intermittent or sometimes continuous basis. Grasp, push, pull objects such as files, file cabinet drawers, and reach overhead. Handle, finger, grasp and feel objects and equipment. Reach with hands and arms. Be mobile by moving oneself from place to place quickly and easily. Repeat various motions with the wrists, hands, and fingers. Be able to perform visual activities for (including, but not limited to) administrative and clerical tasks. Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. Communicate, receive and exchange ideas, information by means of the spoken and written word. Drive vehicle in and around Los Angeles County. Be able to enter various buildings that may require climbing stairs. Be periodically subjected to outside environmental conditions. The employee may work in proximity to service animals and emotional support animals. Use a desktop and / or laptop computer, copy, postage, and fax machines. Complete all required forms in personal writing.

Work Environment :

The employee may be in contact with individuals and families in crisis who may be ill, using alcohol and drugs, and who may not be attentive to basic personal hygiene, health and safety practices. The employee may experience a number of unpleasant sensory demands associated with the participants’ use of alcohol and drugs, and lack of personal hygiene. The employee must be ready to respond quickly and effectively to many types of situations, including crisis situations and potentially hostile situations. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate in an office setting. Sometimes work may become stressful when working under pressure.

◊ EEO : HTM (Hope the Mission) provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, HTM complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, placement, promotion, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

◊ HTM will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if HTM is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s Fair Chance Act webpage.

Day shift : Monday to Friday