Position Summary

The Harm Reduction Specialist (HRS) plays a key role in supporting participants within the Drop-in Center (DIC) and facilitating their access to clinical services. Working in close collaboration with clinic staff, the HRS monitors daily clinic sign-up lists, identifies participant clinical needs, and ensures that each participant is connected to appropriate services in a timely and organized manner. The HRS escorts participants to and from the clinic and pharmacy, maintaining a calm, respectful, and safe flow between the DIC and clinical areas. The HRS also helps to maintain a clean, safe, and welcoming clinic environment, including ensuring that clinic bathrooms are cleaned between each use. Serving individuals who actively use substances, the Harm Reduction Specialist provides nonjudgmental support, education, and guidance around harm reduction strategies. The role requires the ability to set clear boundaries, deescalate conflicts, and foster a stable and supportive atmosphere within the DIC and clinic spaces. Through this work, the HRS helps ensure that participants receive consistent care and experience a dignified, harm-reduction–centered approach within the program.

Reports to: Director of Medical Services
Direct Reports: N/A
Indirect Reports: N/A
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Pay Rate:
Hourly: $20.87 – $21.98
Annual Salary: $38,000 – $40,000
Position Type: Full Time
Hours Per Week: 35 hours a week/Monday – Friday
Benefits: Yes
Remote: No
Hybrid: No

Responsibilities

• Welcome participants to the space with warmth and genuine concern for their well-being; orienting participants to clinical services and connecting them to clinic
• Monitoring clinic sign-up list, and escorting participants to and from clinic
• Work in tandem with OnPoint clinic team to ensure participant’s medical needs are being met
• Ensure clinic space is clean, well-stocked and organized
• Ensures clinic bathrooms are sanitized after every use
• Provide education on opioid use management medication options including buprenorphine, HCV prevention and treatment, HIV prevention and treatment
• 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.
• Referring participants to the agency’s wellness services 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 safety policies and procedures, at all times.
• Perform other related task and responsibilities as related

Qualifications

• The position requires knowledge of outreach strategies, syringe exchange, overdose prevention, and HCV 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.