Peer Support Specialist

Agency Description

Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth ("NPHY") is the most comprehensive service provider for the thousands of homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through our core programs and touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. NPHY's programs stabilize homeless teens' lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self-sufficiency. Through our work with homeless youth, NPHY creates productive, healthy adults who contribute to society.

Strengthening and complementing our high-quality direct services for homeless youth, NPHY is dedicated to advocating for Nevada's homeless youth population and serves as a leader in systems-level efforts to eliminate youth homelessness in our communities.

Agency Culture

NPHY offers a positive mission driven work environment: we encourage each staff member to cultivate their unique talents and training and come together as a strong, synergistic team to better serve homeless young people. While working in a challenging yet rewarding field, you will be surrounded by compassionate, energetic, fun, happy, and friendly staff members who are like-minded people and love what they do. In addition to everyday interactions with youth, NPHY offers countless opportunities for youth and staff to experience new and fun things together to help the NPHY community create stronger bonds and model positive relationships and healthy boundaries with the young people we serve. NPHY also offers quarterly trainings to better equip our staff with up-to-date continuing education, skills, and resources to best serve and respond to a wide array of situations and needs. NPHY believes in learning, growing, and challenging ourselves to always be and do better, and strives to lead our staff and community to always seek new and innovative ways to best serve our target population.

NPHY doesn't just accept diversity--we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees and clients, our programs, and our community. NPHY is proud to be an Equal Opportunity workplace. NPHY is committed to upholding a diverse, inclusive, and equitable work environment in which all employees, volunteers, and clients feel valued and respected, and we strive to recruit diverse employees and volunteers to reflect the diversity of our clients.

Position Definition

Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth is seeking an enthusiastic and driven Peer Support Specialist. This candidate will provide services to young adults, ages 18-24, with an awareness of, sensitivity to, and respect for diversity of culture, ethnicity, gender identity, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, race, and spirituality or religion. This position will be responsible for engaging and interacting with all enrolled Transitional Housing - Rapid Rehousing Joint Program youth and providing additional support and guidance for housing readiness and stabilization, life skills, service provision, and connections to community networks. This position will also facilitate youth-specific workshops and organize recreational and social events.

Essential Responsibilities

• Work alongside and support the case management staff to identify areas of need that the youth served may have and support program participants in addressing those needs.
• Serve as a link of communication between the TH-RRH Case Managers and youth.
• Provide support to the youth and their case manager during the youth's transition into housing, such as housing exploration and apartment viewings.
• Accompany youth to appointments, grocery shopping, etc., as needed, and help identify resources around their community.
• Work and support the youth to gain education/career-oriented skills and assist in meeting their service plan goals.
• Participate in and facilitate focus groups and events and encourage and support youth in their involvement in those activities, including running one regular group or workshop targeting the youth served.
• Work with the youth on individualized household management skills, life skills, conflict resolution, or other needs as identified by youth and their Case Manager.
• Collaborate with Program Managers and TH-RRH Case Managers for the continued development, motivation, and mentorship of program participants.
• Create, maintain, and update a youth resource handbook for participants in the TH-RRH program detailing different community resources identified such as schools, housing and legal resources, medical and/or mental health, food pantries and any other resources or opportunities for youth participating in the program.
• Assist other program staff in developing and maintaining community linkages necessary to facilitate referrals.
• Maintain an effective working relationship with external community partners and maintain steady communication and rapport with the program staff.
• Participate in staff meetings, trainings, and come prepared for weekly supervision meetings with the Director of Programs.
• Actively assist and participate in all program activities and special events, including attending all agency-required meetings and sharing relevant information with clients.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date physical case files as well as inputting all case notes and service placements into HMIS by end of shift.
• Assist with the practice and implementation of affirming LGBTQ practices within the program.
• Carry out other duties as assigned by Program Managers and/or Director of Programs.

• High School Diploma or equivalent preferred.
• Must be between the ages of
• Must have experienced homelessness/housing crisis.
• Experience working with homelessness, substance abuse, mental health and/or trauma-informed settings preferred.
• An understanding of the LGBTQ community and issues specific to the young adult population.
• Must have a valid driver's license and clear driving history records. Personal vehicle preferred.
• Able to maintain a high level of professional and ethical standards.
• Strong engagement and interpersonal skills.

Benefits

• The Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth offers a competitive benefits program, including three weeks of Paid Personal Leave and fourteen paid holidays per year.
• NPHY also offers fully paid medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for its regular full-time employees. Employees can also participate in a company-sponsored 403(b) retirement plan with up to 3% match and voluntary insurance plans.
• NPHY is also proud to offer holistic benefits to invest in YOU, click here for more information. 

How to Apply & Deadline

• Apply via NPHY's recruitment page. 
• Position is open until it is filled.