Job Type

Description

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

Shift: Day 

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

About DESC:

DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing. Our vision is a community where no person is abandoned, ignored, or experiencing homelessness.

As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 2,000 people each day. Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness.

JOB DEFINITION:

The Peer Specialist, CSC Facility Driver is a member of multi-disciplinary team responsible for providing intense case management services to adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses and/or substance disorder who are experiencing a crisis.

This Peer Specialists are individuals who self-identify as persons with Substance Use Disorder and/or Mental Illness. They are well established in their own recovery and provide expertise that professional training cannot replicate. Peer specialists provide consultation to the team to promote a culture in which each client's point of view and preferences are recognized, understood, respected and integrated into treatment, recovery and community self-help activities.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Participate as a member of a multi-disciplinary team providing outreach, engagement and support related to crisis stabilization and case management services to adults with mentally ill and/or substance abuse disorder.
• Assess and coordinate daily driving needs for client going to appointments in their community.
• Transport clients to and from their appointments with case managers, medical providers, and any resource in the King County area.
• Assist case managers in coordinating consumer supports and linkages in the community by providing transportation to and from scheduled appointments.
• Integrate personal experience with mental illness into work with program participants.
• Utilize a Recovery based approach to assist consumers to reach their fullest potential.
• Assisting with various tasks when not driving in the community which includes: facilitating access to food, clothing, hygiene services, medical care, community resources and services.
• Help assess each clients need for transportation to and from their appointments, help plan out daily transportation needs, and manage bus tickets and various transportation and driving logs.
• Advocate for clients' access to community resources and services, ensuring that clients' needs are met and rights maintained; consult and collaborate with community providers to ensure continuity of care.
• Participate in crisis intervention and safety management tasks.
• Assist consumers with voicing their interests and goals through a variety of channels including: Goal Plans, Crisis Plans, WRAP and other methods of expressing individual preferences for their recovery goals.
• Assess consumers ADL's (Activities of Daily Living), working with other clinical staff to plan for gaps in the consumers' skill base.
• Participate in information sharing among staff, psychiatric consultation, supervision, program meetings and in-service trainings; participate in clinical reviews and case conferences for consumers as scheduled.
• Comply with the agency's clinical accountability policies and procedures; maintain current and complete clinical and administrative records; participate in quality assurance reviews when assigned.
• Comply with applicable program research and evaluation procedures.
• Promote and maintain positive relationships with the surrounding neighborhood.
• Participate in verbal de-escalation & physical interventions in emergent situations, be willing and able to assist other staff as needed to maintain a safe & secure environment, and document any escalations, interventions used, supports/back up utilized, & outcomes of each outreach.
• Complete a Defensive Driver coarse within 3 months of hire.
• Documentation for each client driving interaction to confirm linkages in the community and any follow up care.
• MHP clinical staff will support peer driver in crisis situations/escalations and accompany other non-MHP staff to address the crisis situation/escalation
• Peer Driver will seek support from MHP, MHP Sup or PM during crisis situations/escalations for further clinical support
• Responsible for maintaining cab vouchers, and bus ticket tracking.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to meet Washington Department of Health requirements for registration as an Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) or any other superseding credential within 60 days of employment. 
• Interest in working with clients who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health/substance use disorder programs. 
• Ability to drive an agency vehicle to conduct agency related business. A current Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record are required.? 
• Have a strong personal understanding from own experience and resilience, the value of client partnerships and client choice, and the balance between protection from harm and personal dignity. 
• Be willing to seek to understand each client's unique circumstances and personal preferences and goals and incorporate them into the crisis response to help the client regain a sense of control. 
• Possess the cultural humility to learn to work effectively with individuals who are Black, Latinx, Native American, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA, and other groups who routinely face discrimination and have difficulty accessing the health care they deserve. 
• Interest or experience in working with clients who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health / substance use disorder programs. 
• Strong knowledge of relevant community resources and methods for accessing them. 
• Experience working with adults who are experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, have mental health and/or co-occurring substance use disorders. 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Has current AAC from Washington State. 
• Knowledge of de-escalation skills, crisis intervention & stabilization, and harm reduction strategies 
• Experience in outreach or crisis work. 
• Bi-cultural background/experience. 
• Bi-lingual in Spanish/English. 

Strong applicants can demonstrate the ability to be positive in their empathetic responses to all persons; understand the value of meaningful and deep client engagement; have the potential to acquire the necessary knowledge, attitudes and skills of an effective crisis worker; and value a non-judgmental response to sensitive issues. Candidates should be able to accept feedback and work in a highly collaborative and potentially stressful environment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required to sit for long periods of time, walk when completing rounds several times a day, move quickly during de-escalations, communicate with other persons by talking and hearing, and lift and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace, and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.

Salary Description