Participant Support and Outreach Specialist

Position Description Job Title: Participant Support and Outreach Specialist Reports to: Program Director Classification: Regular, Full-Time Pay Range: $23 - $28.
85/hour DOE Location: Berkeley, CA 94704 Office Hours: Mondays-Fridays 8am-5pm About Us: Bonita House, Inc.
(BHI) is a nonprofit mental health agency with multiple sites in Alameda County and an operating budget of $14.
5 million.
Founded in 1971, BHI provides social rehabilitation including a full range of Medi-Cal services to adults with co-occurring serious mental health and substance use disorders.
Our Mission: Building community, dignity, hope and wellness through services that support recovery and self-sufficiency with people who are living with serious mental health challenges.
Our Values: Compassion: Committed to caring, dignity and kindness.
Respect: Honor each individual and provide highly ethical services.
Progress: Leading the way in creating opportunities to change for the better.
Resilience: Channeling hope, building strengths to successfully recover, adapt and grow.
Embracing Differences: Honor and celebrate our diverse communities and individual uniqueness.
The Berkeley Wellness Center (BWC) is an arts-focused program offering a variety of activities in a safe, inclusive environment for adults living with chronic mental health challenges.
BWC’s offerings are designed to enhance well-being and recovery, and to provide socialization in a caring community that fosters self-sufficiency.
BWC is a program of Bonita House Position Summary The Participant Support and Outreach Specialist works closely with the BWC team on outreach, engagement, and counseling.
The ideal candidate can support team culture that respects and supports each client.
The PSS provides peer counseling to groups and individuals, and assists the team in supporting every client’s empowered decision-making.
We are especially interested in speaking with you if you have previous experience with social service provision including homeless shelters, residential mental health facilities, and wellness centers.
This role will assume primary responsibility for BWC’s outreach program, which is our principal method of connecting with new and prospective clients.
You will be in charge of BWC’s culinary outreach, which provides hot lunch every weekday at noon and distributes food in the immediate neighborhood of downtown Berkeley.
Additionally, you will be tasked with connecting with other social service agencies and nonprofits to discern and promote possible collaborations.
This position is ideal for someone with a background in community organizing, mutual aid, or grassroots institution-building.
Primary Responsibilities Facilitate counseling groups in collaboration with other members of the BWC team.
Provide ongoing assistance to clients with challenges in the areas of employment, housing, and activities of daily living.
Document client progress to maintain a permanent record of client activity according to established methods and procedures.
Help organize and lead individual and group social and recreational activities to help clients structure their time, increase social experience, and provide opportunities to practice social skills.
Enter clinical notes to track client progress.
(We will train you on medical documentation!) All other duties as assigned by the Program Director.
Qualifications and Requirements HS Diploma/GED The Participant Support Specialist must be willing to share their personal recovery journey with clients.
1-2 years of paid or volunteer work experience with adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses, serious substance use disorders, or histories of homelessness.
Knowledge of the community and ability to support provision of concrete resources Ability to provide therapeutic milieu including greeting members, ensuring they sign in/out, engaging with members, coordinating daily room use schedule, and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment.
Demonstrated ability to effectively and sensitively provide care to people from different cultural groups.
Have basic typing skills and knowledge of medical documentation requirements or other forms of clinical documentation.
Must have a valid California Driver’s License, proof of insurance and use of the personal automobile.
Must be able to meet the Immigration Reform Act of 1986 requirements Preferred Bilingual Spanish/English Lived personal experience with mental illness, homelessness, and/or co-occurring disorders College degree in a human services field, or in another area; have completed BEST NOW! Peer recovery support training program; or a comparable peer training program.
Physical Requirements Constantly have ability to bend and stoop, ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time, possess hand-eye-foot coordination and color recognition, good manual dexterity, with the ability to perform all tasks related to job assignments.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Bonita House, Inc.
is committed to providing equal opportunity to all qualified persons regardless of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.