Peer Support Specialist
This position is responsible for providing direct peer support to individuals and families who are unhoused or recently housed across all Catholic Social Services (CSS) shelters, including family shelters, individual emergency shelters, and transitional programs. The Peer Support Specialist offers both one-on-one support and facilitates groups that build coping skills, emotional well-being, and community connection. Using a strength-based, trauma-informed approach, the specialist draws on lived experience to foster resilience and support participants' self-identified goals while providing billable services.
We are committed to fostering professional growth by offering a Peer Support Specialist Career Development Pathway. CSS provides the training and support needed for peer support specialists to develop their skills, earn certifications, and promote through the career pathway from Peer Support Specialist I to IV.
Peer Support Specialists may be hired as Level 1 or Level 3 depending on qualifications.
Peer Support Specialist I (Entry-level)
- Education: High School Diploma or GED
- Experience: 1 year in a direct service role
- Promotion: After one (1) year as a CSS Peer Support Specialist I and completion of the Peer Support Certification, team members are eligible for promotion to Peer Support Specialist II.
Peer Support Specialist III (Experienced-level)
- Education: Bachelor's degree in social work, human services, counseling, or related fields (or 4 years of applicable experience)
- Training: Advanced Peer Support Certification II obtained
- Promotion: After 2 years a CSS Peer Support Specialist III, team members are eligible for promotion to Peer Support Specialist IV.
CSS is a Catholic human and social services agency and behavioral health care provider that welcomes people of all faiths through its programs and employment. We provide help for our Alaskan neighbors through a variety of supportive service programs, including emergency shelter, food stability, housing, case management, and refugee assistance. CSS empowers individuals and families on their path to permanent stability, creating thriving communities for all. Located in Anchorage, Alaska, CSS is a nationally accredited organization through the Council on Accreditation (COA), which recognizes that CSS provides high quality services that meet best practice standards in the social service field.
Mission: To promote the physical, spiritual and mental welfare of persons in need in the community. This mission is achieved by:
- Offering charitable assistance to those in need, especially persons who are poor.
- Developing and conducting programs to strengthen and support families and the dignity of the human spirit.
- Administering the Corporal Works of Mercy and Gospel of Jesus Christ as defined by the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church and envisioned by the traditional concepts of Catholic Social Teaching and Action through the laity.
- And advocating for social justice for the common good of all.
CSS shelters provide emergency and transitional support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Our shelter programs include:
- Clare House – shelter for women and children.
- Complex Care Shelter – medically supported environment for individuals who are medically fragile.
- Brother Francis Shelter – low-barrier co-ed shelter for adults.
This position functions within the Behavioral Health Department, which includes Case Managers, Clinicians, Peer Support Specialists, and Youth Enrichment staff. The team works together to provide participant-centered, trauma-informed support. Services focus on supporting participants' stability and wellbeing. Peer Support Specialists contribute by fostering hope, building connection, and helping participants strengthen the skills needed to move toward long-term housing and personal recovery.
Required competencies include accountability, initiative, innovation, adapting to change, confidentiality, effective communication, cultural humility, decision making/judgment, delivering high quality work, results orientation, teamwork, stress tolerance, and empathy. Knowledge of national practice guidelines for peer support, motivational interviewing, and trauma informed care is also required. Skills include proficiency in Microsoft Office, DAP Note documentation, electronic client record systems, problem solving, time management, eagerness to learn, critical thinking, and effective documentation.
Responsibilities include facilitating group sessions, providing education and guidance, planning and implementing activities, establishing effective relationships with participants, developing independent living skills, collaborating with case management and clinical teams, following individualized treatment plans, accurately documenting services, acting as a role model, maintaining a positive solution-focused demeanor, facilitating community contacts, assisting in crisis intervention, and adapting to changing environments.
Qualifications for Peer Support Specialist I include a high school diploma or GED and one (1) year of direct service experience or relevant/related experience. For Peer Support Specialist II, one (1) year as a CSS Peer Support Specialist I and Peer Support Certification are required. For Peer Support Specialist III, a bachelor's degree in social work, human services, social services, addiction, counseling, psychiatric nursing, or psychology, or four (4) years of directly applicable experience, and Peer Support Professional Certification II are required. For Peer Support Specialist IV, a bachelor's degree in social work, human services, social services, addiction, counseling, psychiatric nursing, or psychology, or four (4) years of directly applicable experience, two (2) years as a CSS Peer Support Specialist III, and Peer Support Professional Certificate III are required.
Work environment includes shelters, community, and office settings. Physical demands include occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds, frequent sitting or standing, participation in recreational activities, and driving. Travel within Anchorage is required, with rare travel out of Alaska.