Peer Educator

POSITION:  Peer Educator 

REPORTS TO: Mental Health Program Manager 

STATUS:  Full-Time; Non-Exempt; Temporary 

COMPENSATION: $22-24 per hour 

BENEFITS: Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance; Employee Assistance Program; 403(b) Retirement Plan; Paid Holidays, Sick, and Vacation 

LOCATION: Sacramento, CA (this position is not eligible for remote status) 

JOB SUMMARY: 

Under the supervision of the Mental Health Program Manager, the Peer Educator plays a vital role in raising community awareness, reducing stigma, and increasing access to services related to opioid and stimulant use disorders. This position involves conducting outreach, delivering education, providing peer-based support, engaging with people who use substances, coordinating harm reduction strategies (including client referrals for Medications for Addiction Treatment, or MAT), and connecting individuals with resources. The Peer Educator will collaborate with community partners to ensure inclusive, affirming, trauma-informed and culturally responsive services. Additionally, this role will serve as a liaison to various community groups, with a specific focus on the 2S/LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities in the greater Sacramento area and surrounding regions. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 

1. Community outreach, engagement and education at all Center sites and throughout community. 
2. Provide client support, crisis intervention, resource navigation and linkage to services. 
3. Support program implementation including data entry, client documentation and grant reporting. 

Community Outreach, Engagement, and Education 

1. Develop innovative outreach strategies, including anti-stigma messaging, with the expressed goal of reaching those most at risk. 
2. Build relationships with affirming resource providers, including connection with Center’s LGBTQ+ cultural humility training institute, working to increase the number of affirming community providers. 
3. Serve as a representative of the organization in collaborative partner networks and as a Center liaison directly with the community, engaging with individual stakeholders and 2S/LGBTQIA+ supporting organizations. 
4. Develop an outreach and media strategy, in collaboration with Center’s communications team, to promote program awareness, including culturally responsive, stigma-reduction campaigns that use social and traditional media to shift public narratives around substance use and harm reduction.  
5. Conduct outreach at community events, with an emphasis on spaces likely to engage local 2S/LGBTQIA+ people. 
6. Collaborate with the Center’s Training Institute to support access to 2S/LGBTQIA+ training and equity assessments. 

Client Support, Crisis Intervention and Resource Navigation 

1. Provide peer support, crisis intervention and connection to Center and community resources. 
2. Utilize culturally responsive, trauma-informed and client-centered interventions with thorough understanding of serving BIPOC/LGBTQ+/marginalized individuals. 
3. Ensure a safe, inclusive environment for community members. 
4. Identify the signs of potential crisis and work to proactively engage with clients in prevention and if necessary, de-escalation.  
5. Maintain thorough knowledge of the internal and external resources and assist clients with linkage to care. 
6. Provide direct client education and referrals needed to facilitate appointments for treatment and care.  
7. Work with community agencies and organizations to establish an active referral network, targeting those who provide affirming resources for 2S/LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities.  
8. Assist clients with gaining necessary identification and application processes, including those required as part of linkage to providers. 

 Support Progr