Position Summary

The Harm Reduction Specialist works primarily in our Drop-in Center (DIC). The DIC provides no barrier care to our most vulnerable participants including bathrooms, showers, laundry, respite, harm reduction supplies, harm reduction education, and motivational interviewing. 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 Drop-In to ensure they are enrolled in our program, oriented to our services, and that we are meeting their immediate needs. The Harm Reduction Specialist is also responsible for ensuring the Drop-In is clean at all times, including cleaning bathrooms and showers 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 de-escalating conflicts, setting clear boundaries, and ensuring there is a calm flow of participants in the DIC.

Reports to: Shift Supervisor
Pay Rate: Hourly: $19.23 – $24.72
Position Type: Full Time
Hours Per Week: 37.5

Responsibilities

• Welcome participants to the space with warmth and genuine concern for their well-being. Provide care to meet their immediate needs and do intakes to orient them to the organization.
• Provide syringe and other safer use supply distribution, overdose prevention training and education, disease transmission reduction education, program promotion, participant recruitment, risk reduction counseling, coordination into care.
• Monitor bathrooms and showers in compliance with the AIDS Institute’s overdose prevention policies.
• Ensure showers and bathrooms are sanitized after every use.
• Ensure the Drop-In Center is clean, tidy, and welcoming at all times.
• Maintain meticulous and accurate documentation of all program activities as directed.
• De-escalate 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 OnPoint NYC’s wellness/holistic/care coordination programs by promoting and referring 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 DIC Team to ensure continuity and consistency of services for participants.
• Attend daily meetings, in addition to all staff meetings and trainings as directed by supervisor.
• Must maintain a safe work environment, adhering to all OnPoint NYC as well as COVID-19 safety policies and procedures, at all times.

Qualifications

• 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 judgment 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) is highly preferred.
• Individuals from the Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, Inwood, and East Harlem areas are strongly encouraged to apply.

This is a bargaining unit position represented by New England Joint Board, Unite Here.