Harm Reduction Specialist - Winnebago

Background:

Based in East Harlem, two long-standing and well-regarded harm reduction organizations in New York City are seeking an Harm Reduction Specialist. The non-profits, the process of completing a merger, are innovative organizations serving low-income people who use drugs and other marginalized individuals. The wide range of mobile and center-based services are delivered by upwards of 80 staff and peer workers, and include syringe access, overdose prevention, public health, care coordination, medical care, holistic, peer education, and advocacy services. The organizations have a combined $7 million budget made up of mainly government grants.

Position Summary:

The Harm Reduction Specialist works primarily in our street based mobile health unit (Winnebago). The Winnebago provides no barrier care to our most vulnerable participants including harm reduction supplies, bathrooms, respite, harm reduction education, case management, and motivational clinical care. This is often a chaotic setting, and the Harm Reduction Specialist must be comfortable navigating high stress environments. The Harm Reduction Specialist is responsible for engaging every person that enters the Winnebago to ensure they are enrolled in our program, oriented to our services, connected to case management or clinical care, and that we are meeting their immediate needs. The Harm Reduction Specialist is also responsible for ensuring the Winnebago is clean at all times, including cleaning bathrooms between every use, monitoring bathrooms, and distributing supplies. This position works with active substance users who most often struggle to make changes to their use and need support and education to practice harm reduction. The Harm Reduction Specialist is also responsible for deescalating conflicts, setting clear boundaries, and ensuring there is a calm flow of participants in the Winnebago.

This position at NYHRE is NOT office based. Services are rendered from a street-based outreach mobile unit stationed in neighborhoods of high need. This individual must be comfortable providing services on a mobile outreach unit, in public spaces such as parks and under bridges during all weather conditions.

Key Responsibilities

• Welcome participants to the space with warmth and genuine concern for their wellbeing.
• Provide care to meet their immediate needs and do intakes to orient them to the organization.
• Provide syringe and other safer use supply exchange, overdose prevention training and education, disease transmission reduction education, program promotion, participant recruitment, risk reduction counseling, coordination into care
• Monitor bathrooms in compliance with the AIDS Institute’s overdose prevention policies; provide overdose intervention and monitoring.
• Ensure bathrooms are sanitized after every use.
• Ensure the Winnebago is clean, tidy, and welcoming at all times.
• Maintain meticulous and accurate documentation of all program activities as directed.
• Deescalate conflicts and set clear, consistent boundaries by maintaining a friendly but professional relationship with participants.
• Intervene in overdoses and other critical health emergencies.
• Provide assistance to NYHRE/WHCP’s wellness/holistic/care coordination programs by promoting, referring, and linking to the agency’s health and wellness services when available, such as PreP/PEP, Buprenorphine, STI testing, HCV/HIV testing, mental health counseling, acupuncture, support groups and more.
• Provide education specific to overdose prevention and naloxone (Narcan®) administration in individual and group training sessions.
• Work as part of the Winnebago Team to ensure continuity and consistency of services for participants.
• Attend daily morning meetings, in addition to all staff meetings and trainings as directed by supervisor.
• Must maintain a safe work environment, adhering to all WHCP/NYHRE as well as Covid-19 safety policies and procedures, at all times.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• The position requires knowledge of outreach strategies, syringe exchange, overdose prevention, and HIV prevention techniques, and the ability to carry out outreach activities on the street-level with both the general population and the high-risk population.
• Experience working with drug users, sex workers, persons experiencing homelessness, those living with mental illness, formerly incarcerated, and HIV + populations an asset. Additional preferable work experience includes training and motivating volunteers, anti-discrimination strategies, LGBTQ issues, and community organizing. Additional training will be provided.
• Must be calm, outgoing, organized, self-motivated, and committed to working in a diverse environment while remaining teachable and open to receiving direction and feedback.
• Must be a team player and able to work effectively with a large variety of personalities and abilities with excellent problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Must be familiar with and believe in a harm reduction philosophy, and able to communicate without judgement and shame.
• Must be willing to work outdoors several hours per shift in various weather conditions; weekend and evening hours flexible to provide outreach services to high-risk populations that congregate during irregular hours.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing Ability to work with diverse communities (multi-gender, -ethnic, -generation, -lingual, political) as well as enthusiasm working with individuals who are current substance users.
• Ability to master a wide range of information and disperse accordingly and professionally
• Bilingual (English and Spanish) preferred.
• Individuals from the Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, Inwood, and East Harlem areas are strongly encouraged to apply.