Part-Time Peer Navigator

Compensation: $18/hr

Benefits:
We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement tuition costs and text books.

Overview:

The CYA Peer Navigator supports adolescents and young adults ages 13 to 29 living with HIV who are newly diagnosed out of care not regularly engaged in care or not virally suppressed. As a trusted peer and member of the multidisciplinary CYA care team the Peer Navigator helps identify engage link and retain participants in HIV primary care behavioral health medical case management supportive services and other resources that address social determinants of health. This role provides outreach appointment reminders accompaniment health education adherence support referral follow-up and patient-centered encouragement using youth-focused trauma-informed gender-affirming harm reduction health literate and culturally responsive approach. The Peer Navigator offers insight from a patient perspective and supports participants in building self-management skills navigating care systems reducing barriers to care and progressing toward service plan goals including sustained engagement in care and viral load suppression.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct outreach and engagement activities to identify connect with and support hard-to-reach adolescents and young adults living with HIV.
• Provide a welcoming orientation to the CYA program including available HIV primary care sexual health behavioral health medical case management supportive services and referral supports.
• Support linkage and retention in HIV care through appointment reminders motivational check-ins follow-up calls text-based reminders when appropriate and assistance with rescheduling missed appointments.
• Escort or accompany participants to HIV primary care behavioral health supportive service and community referral appointments as needed.
• Assist with re-engagement efforts for participants who miss appointments are at risk of falling out of care or are lost to follow-up including phone calls letters outreach field-based contact and home visits as approved by program protocol.
• Participate in multidisciplinary case conferences team meetings individual supervision and group supervision as appropriate.
• Facilitate communication between participants and the care team while maintaining appropriate role boundaries and confidentiality.
• Support participants with service plan goals related to self-management health literacy appointment adherence medication adherence risk reduction and viral load suppression.
• Provide individual and group health education and peer support on topics such as HIV care engagement UU ART adherence STI/HCV prevention PrEP/PEP education for partners harm reduction and navigating health systems.
• Assist participants in identifying barriers to care including transportation housing food insecurity stigma health literacy social isolation and other social determinants of health.
• Assist participants with arranging transportation support including MetroCards or other approved participation support resources in accordance with program and agency procedures.
• Support referral follow-up by helping participants understand referral instructions prepare for appointments and communicate barriers or outcomes to the care team.
• Participate in quality improvement activities consumer feedback processes and program evaluation activities as appropriate.
• Document all peer services outreach attempts appointment support referral follow-up and time and effort accurately and timely in the appropriate client record AIRS-related tracking process or other agency system as directed.
• Maintain strict compliance with HIPAA NYS Public Health Law Article 27-F HIV confidentiality requirements and all agency policies for handling protected health information

Requirements:

• High School Diploma or GED preferred.
• Completion of the Housing Works Peer Training Program or another recognized peer education program preferred.
• NYS AIDS Institute Peer Certification preferred or willingness to pursue certification and related peer services training as required by the program.
• Training in HIV confidentiality Article 27-F professional conduct code of ethics personal safety health literacy cultural competency trauma-informed care gender-affirming care and harm reduction required upon hire and annually as assigned.

Job candidates should be aware that scammers may pose as employers and create fake job postings in order to extract personal information from individuals for financial gain. Housing Works will never ask job candidates for personal information such as social security numbers or bank account details over the phone. If you suspect that a job posting may be fake or wish to confirm that a job posting from Housing Works is genuine please contact us at

Housing Works was founded in 1990; With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy. Housing Works established New York States first harm reduction-based OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management behavioral health and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement Housing Works operates 10 high-end thrift shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information visit

Housing Works fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing healthcare HIV prevention and treatment among other lifesaving services.

Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race color religion sex national origin age disability or addition to federal law requirements. Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting hiring placement promotion termination layoff recall transfer leaves of absence compensation and training.

This position is included in a bargaining unit of Housing Works New York City employees represented by a labor union known as the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Accordingly the RWDSU has the exclusive right to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment related to this position and this position may become covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (a CBA) between Housing Works and the RWDSU