Virtual Harm Reduction Peer Position- Columbia County, NY

NEXT Distro Position: Virtual Peer Support Specialist Temporary Contractor position: $25/ hour 20 hours per week Location: Remote Role with some in-person promotion in Columbia County, NY Overview NEXT Distro “NEXT” is an online and mail-based harm reduction program working to provide resources to people who use drugs that cannot access in-person services. NEXT will be hiring one Virtual Peer Support Specialist to support expansion and drug user health services in Columbia County, NY. A central goal of this position is to promote NEXT’s free harm reduction mailing program and make connections for mail-based participants with in-person service options The ideal candidate will be someone who is passionate about supporting people who use drugs and their loved ones and is invested in the health and wellbeing of Columbia County residents. Our goal is to get to zero overdose deaths. This will require a motivated individual who has some understanding of the challenges posted by promoting harm reduction services in rural and suburban spaces.

Essential Functions ● Provide support and referral services for people who use drugs and their loved ones using a remote model.

This will include aquanting oneself with the landscape of both online and in-person resources for individuals affected by substance use. ● Develop and maintain relationships with social service agencies in Columbia County to facilitate collaboration, referrals, and develop methods for highlighting their work through NEXT. This may include training staff of other agencies on how to use and promote the NEXT site. ● In partnership with stakeholders and program partners, develop and execute a strategy to expand online and mail-based harm reduction services to individuals in Columbia County. ● Along with local stakeholders, participate in the development of social media ads promoting peer services and/or participate in the development of local stakeholder presentations describing services. ● In-county promotional activities to ensure the general public knows about NEXT’s free resource menu, this includes online and in-person outreach as well as outreach to businesses and civic organizations. ● Attend monthly peer collaboration meetings and community/topical meetings as appropriate. ● Support NEXT’s work building our website and technology infrastructure including, keeping a Columbia County-specific url updated, and researching, reviewing, and testing technology systems.

Requirements ● Reliable and trustworthy, ability to effectively communicate verbally, through phone, email, chat, and video ● Personal or familial experience in the area of substance use, experience in the harm reduction field strongly preferred ● Must have personal computer and reliable internet ● Reliable transportation, ability to travel within Columbia County for outreach and promotion purposes ● Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, must be a motivated self-starter To Apply Email resume to jobs@nextdistro.org, include in the subject line: “Columbia County Position”. In the body of your email, tell us about why you think you would be a good fit for this role. Please review nextdistro.org prior to applying.

Deadline: Will hire immediately upon identification of excellent candidate, position posted 8/26/21 People having personal or family experience with drug use, criminal (in)justice involvement, homelessness, and/or sex work; people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities; and people living with HIV/AIDS and/or Hepatitis C are strongly encouraged to apply.