Housing First Peer Counselor

POSITION TITLE: Housing First Peer Counselor (Bilingual English/Spanish preferred)

REPORTS TO: Housing First Program Manager

HIRING RANGE: $23.00 to $24.00 per hour DOQ; full position range $23.00 to $25.32 per hour.

BENEFITS: Full benefits package including: medical, dental, vision, holidays (90 hours per fiscal year, days chosen by employee), vacation (2 weeks per year- accrued per hour worked), and sick leave (12 days/year- accrued per hour worked).

HOURS: Full time 35hours per week, Monday-Thursday 9-5, Friday 9-2PM. Occasional nights/weekends.

LOCATION: This position is based full-time out of our West Olympia office and is not eligible for remote work.

About Us: Family Support Center of South Sound is a nonprofit 501c3 multi-service agency located in Olympia, Washington, founded in 1992 to provide families and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking with coordinated supportive services in one centralized location with the mission, “Working Together to Strengthen All Families and Survivors”. Family Support Center seeks to build strong, healthy, safe, and hopeful families through collaborative programs and services, with the goal to reduce the impacts of family and child poverty, homelessness, and family violence in the South Sound community.

Position Summary: The Housing First Peer Counselor will draw from lived experience to work alongside families with children who have serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness. The Peer Counselor will have a good understanding of the Housing First evidence-based practice, which includes low-barrier, affordable, permanent housing coupled with flexible, voluntary services. This position will also have a good understanding of harm reduction principles and practices, which means focusing not on abstinence, but on reducing the negative consequences of risk behaviors, including drug use. The Peer Counselor will work in collaboration with other housing first staff and the broader housing team at Family Support Center to ensure households have and maintain stable housing.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

Bilingual English/Spanish

Experience: A minimum of 1 year of experience working directly with families providing case management/ home visitation /advocacy/resource and referral or related work experience

Understanding of the principles and practices of Housing First and harm reduction

Technology: Computer literacy; Proficiency in the use of Microsoft office programs

Education: Bachelor’s degree in social services or related field. May substitute education for comparable work experience.

Local experience; familiarity with Thurston County social service resources

Experience working with diverse populations

Experience providing crisis intervention

Experience working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or human trafficking

Transportation: Must have insured personal vehicle and be willing to travel locally

Licenses and Other Requirements:

Washington State Driver’s License

Fully insurable driving record

Ability to pass a comprehensive background check

Over age 18

Certified Peer Counselor; if not currently certified, willing to gain certification within 6 months of employment

Primary Responsibilities:

Maintain a caseload of families with children who meet the program eligibility guidelines and are interested in peer counselor services.

Accompany clients to various appointments or meetings as requested in order to support in access and utilization of community resources.

Provide advocacy services to support clients in achieving the stablished goal plan, often created in collaboration with their Housing First Specialist or housing case manager.

Support households in finding greater housing stability, be it through maintaining their current housing situation or securing new housing.

As needed, support clients in accessing treatment services for mental and/or behavioral health needs. Support with achieving resiliency and recovery as identified by the person.

Build relationships with community providers working with clients experiencing mental illness and behavioral health needs in order to facilitate quicker and more effective referrals and enrollments into services.

Draw upon own life experiences to provide encouragement and peer counseling.

Provide services from a perspective of recovery oriented, person-centered, relationship focused, and trauma informed.

Provide vision driven hope and encouragement, support clients in their recovery, and assist clients in connecting to the community, formally and informally.

Provide opportunities for individuals receiving services to direct their own recovery process.

Inform participants of available service options and choices while promoting the use of natural supports and resources within the community.

Exhibit a nonjudgmental approach, effective listening, and positive interactions.

Support client in achieving the goals established with their housing case manager; if goals not established, work with client to establish goals. Utilize goal plan as an ongoing tool to guide case management service. Keep goal plan up to date and flexible to the needs and individual goals of each family.

Meet with clients as often as necessary to evaluate progress in meeting steps in action plan, celebrate successes, provide comprehensive one on one support and advocacy to overcome challenges, and reassess and modifying goals as necessary to ensure success.

Provide direct services to assist clients in meeting their goals. I.e.: assist in completing housing applications, rapid re-housing documents, completing credit repair tasks, and addressing other barriers to accessing housing.

Assist households with basic lease compliance, provide support as need arises to prevent evictions.

Support households in independently caring for their own health, safety, and well-being; support with self-efficacy by helping coordinate services including but not limited to transportation, securing of required documents, etc.

Provide mobile advocacy and home visitation with households, meeting clients where they are at and where is most comfortable and convenient for the household.

Connect households to various mainstream or community benefits in which they are interested and eligible for.

Provide all services from a lens of housing first and harm reduction, among other best practices such as trauma informed care and strengths based approach.

Ensure households who are enrolled meet eligibility requirements and that all necessary documentation is on file.

Maintain accurate and thorough electronic files. Retain documentation and case notes of services provided as well as records that demonstrate the successful completion of goals. I.e.: copies of referral forms, completed housing applications, employment, or benefits applications; new hire letter, lease, etc. Ensure required program documentation is maintained (homeless verification, income verification, HMIS release form etc.)

Exit clients from program if no contact for 60 days. Document a minimum of three attempts to make contact first (phone call, certified letter, home visit).

Represent Family Support Center at community meetings including such as Homeless Housing Hub, Local Planning Area, and Coordinated Entry.

Participate in agency’s on-call rotation to provide backup support to volunteers in evenings; approximately 3-4 weeks per year.

Other duties as assigned

To apply for this position, please reply to this posting with your professional resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references. You may also fax documents to 360-943-1139 ATTN: Hiring, or mail them to Family Support Center of South Sound 3545 7th Ave SW Suite 200, Olympia WA 98502. No phone calls.

Position open until filled.

Family Support Center is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Family Support Center shall not discriminate against any person on the basis of any legally protected status including, but not limited to: age, citizenship, color, disability, health condition, ethnicity, marital status, national origin, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.