Peer Advocate

AGENCY OVERVIEW

Since our founding in 1895 in Marin County as an orphanage – and through subsequent years as Sunny Hills Services – Side by Side has been at the forefront of best practices in child welfare, working with the most vulnerable youth in our community. Today, Side by Side operates in four counties – Marin, Alameda, Sonoma, and Napa – across the Bay Area, reaching nearly 2,000 children, young adults, and family members per year with much-needed services related to behavioral and mental health, early intervention in schools, LGBTQIA+ support, transitional housing for foster youth, and special education.

Side By Side places high value on individuals with a passion for helping underserved youth and families in a collaborative and inclusive work culture. We strive to work together to create a trauma-informed workplace where we walk the walk of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles.

This position has an hourly rate of pay between $23.00 to $25.39 per hour depending on years of clinical experience and bilingual Spanish language skills.

• 3 weeks of paid vacation for F/T employees increasing to 4 weeks of vacation after 2 years of service
• 2 weeks sick leave for F/T employees with 2 additional sick days for direct service staff and 4 additional for school staff
• 10 paid holidays per year and 1 Self-Care Anniversary Day each year
• 99% employer-paid Medical for F/T employees including platinum level Kaiser Permanente insurance, Sutter Health or Anthem options
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• Long Term Disability insurance up to $9,000 per month, plus $50,000 Life and AD&D insurance. Employees also have the option to purchase additional life insurance at their own cost.
• 403b Retirement Plan with match after one year of employment
• Professional development and other learning opportunities including unlimited access to over 1,000 behavioral health courses online. Side By Side is a Public Service Loan Forgiveness certified employer
• FREE Employee Assistance Program including up to 10 complimentary personal counseling sessions per problem, per year for staff and dependents
• Employee recognition program with $500 bonus awards
• Employee referral bonus of up to $1,000
• Pet Insurance

The Peer Advocate will serve as a role model, engaging with both full-service partner clients and drop-in clients, ages 18-25, in the Transitional Age Youth (TAY) Program. The successful candidate is someone who has overcome personal challenges in their youth/adolescence who would like to help other young adults reach their fullest potential. Through lived experiences, the Peer Advocate will be empathetic towards the challenges of young adults who have been involved in the mental health system and/or those who have had substance use or other issues in making progress in independent living.

The Peer Advocate will help these youth and guide them through the obstacles of transitioning successfully into adulthood, including educational and employment pursuits.

• Coordinates and co-facilitates calendar of activities and/or groups at the TAY drop-in center, including life skill building, budgeting, employment seeking, healthy living/exercise, cooking skills, recreational, art, and socialization activities
• Provides active support as an informal counselor through listening to and identifying with the participants’ experiences, particularly around immediate needs/concerns, communication, life goals, and personal goals
• Provides guidance to TAY clients on mental health and substance use/abuse issues, through casual engagement and sharing knowledge about these issues
• Assists case managers in engaging youth in goal setting, particularly around education/ school enrollment and employment pursuits
• Empowers participants to build relationships, make positive choices and explore available supportive community resources
• Assists participants in their efforts to articulate and communicate their needs, with contacts in the community and in families
  
  Partners with case managers in assisting clients find appropriate housing, health, vocational and/or educational resources
• Assists/guides…