Peer Specialist - Downtown Behavioral Health Clinic (DBHC) / Drop-In Center at Downtown Emergency Service Center – Seattle, Washington

Department: DEAC

Reports To: Peer Supervisor

Schedule: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

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

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

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs, 19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

JOB DEFINITION

The Peer Specialist is a member of a multidisciplinary team providing recovery-oriented support to adults experiencing severe and persistent mental illness, substance use challenges, and homelessness. This position supports daily operations at DESC’s Downtown Behavioral Health Clinic (DBHC), working in close collaboration with Peer Specialists, client volunteers, community volunteers, and the Peer Supervisor.

Individuals in this role self-identify as having lived experience with mental illness, substance use, homelessness, or related recovery experiences, and use their personal recovery journey to model resilience, build trust, and empower clients. Peer Specialists carry a caseload of approximately 15 clients and work closely with internal and external teams to support engagement, stabilization, recovery, and overall wellness.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Drop-In Center & Program Operations

• Support daily operations of the DBHC Drop-In.
• Provide milieu support with a focus on bathroom/shower monitoring, and locker access for clients.
• Monitor showers throughout the day and ensure all clients are out of the shower room by 2:30 PM.
• Participate in scheduled opening and closing procedures.
• Safely drive DESC vehicles for food bank and donation pickups three times per week.

Client Engagement & Recovery Support

• Integrate personal lived experience into supportive interactions in a professional and intentional manner.
• Provide person-centered, trauma-informed, harm-reduction-aligned support to adults experiencing mental illness, homelessness, and substance use.
• Assist clients in accessing hygiene supplies, food, medical care, clothing, housing resources, and community services.
• Model and teach skills related to ADLs, community living, and housing stability.
• Provide one-on-one peer support that promotes empowerment, self-advocacy, and personal recovery.

Group Facilitation & Community Building

• Plan, organize, and co-facilitate self-help, psychoeducation, and recovery-focused groups.
• Encourage participation in groups, clinical appointments, programming, and wellness activities.
• Support community-building efforts that foster inclusion and peer connection.

Collaboration & Communication

• Participate as a member of an interdisciplinary team providing support, and client engagement.
• Collaborate with DBHC staff, housing CSS, mental health clinicians, peer teams, and other DESC programs to support client goals.
• Attend psychiatric consultations, clinical reviews, team meetings, supervision, care conferences and required trainings.
• Assist with crisis intervention and safety-management tasks as needed.

Documentation & Compliance

• Document services, interactions, observations, and incidents in accordance with DESC standards and timelines.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and compliant clinical and administrative records.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Current Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) or Certified Peer Support Specialist Trainee (CPSS-T) credential through the Washington State Department of Health or ability to gain certification within 60 days of hire.
• Lived experience as a consumer of behavioral health services (mental health and/or substance use treatment) or be the parent or legal guardian of a child who has received behavioral health services.
• Proof of successful completion of the Washington State Health Care Authority's Certified Peer Support Specialist Training prior to hire.
• Experience working with individuals who are mentally ill, homeless, and/or using substances.
• Interest or experience in engaging clients who may struggle with traditional service settings.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
• Commitment to trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and respect for client autonomy.
• Washington State Driver’s License and ability to drive small–medium passenger vans.
• Ability to remain calm, patient, and effective in challenging or unpredictable situations.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• One or more years' experience in community-based behavioral health services or like industry serving a diverse client/participant population.
• Two or more years’ experience leveraging personal peer story as a peer specialist.
• Bilingual in Spanish and English.
• Bicultural background and/or Qualified Minority Mental Health Specialist designation.
• Experience in peer support, homeless services, drop-in centers, outreach, or behavioral health settings.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Work takes place in a high-activity drop-in and behavioral health environment.
• Requires standing, walking, bending, and lifting up to 25 lbs.
• Regular driving required.
• Exposure to stressful or emotionally intense situations may occur.

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.