Community Health Worker

• Peer Support & Collaboration
• Build trusting, nonjudgmental relationships with clients based on shared experience, respect, and cultural humility.
• Offer emotional support, encouragement, and guidance to help clients engage with mental health treatment, housing services, and community resources.
• Assist clients in understanding and navigating their care plans, appointments, and expectations from service providers.
• Participate in multidisciplinary case consultations with the ODR Navigation Team, community agency providers, and justice partners.
• Work collaboratively with ICMS teams, mental health clinicians, hospitals, and law enforcement partners to support continuity of care.
• Provide client-centered insights and observations that inform crisis planning, engagement strategies, and ongoing treatment approaches.

• Support With Hospitalizations & Care Transitions
• Assist clients through the hospitalization process, including transportation, intake support, communication with hospital staff, and ensuring accurate transfer of information.
• Help clients re-engage with community providers following discharge and support their transition back to stable housing and services.
• Maintain professional documentation related to crisis response activities, field visits, and support provided during hospitalizations.

• Outreach & Engagement
• Conduct field-based outreach to locate clients who may be disengaged, at risk of crisis, or experiencing barriers to services.
• Support motivation-building and engagement strategies that promote treatment adherence and housing stability.
• Serve as a role model for recovery, resilience, and community reintegration.

• Minimum Requirements
• Lived experience with behavioral health challenges, homelessness, justice involvement, or similar systems, and willingness to use that experience in a professional peer support role.
• Experience providing peer support, street outreach, community health work, or similar direct client support.
• Ability to work in the field and respond to community-based crisis situations.
• Strong communication, empathy, and relationship-building skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certification as a Community Health Worker, Peer Specialist, or related credential (or willingness to obtain).
• At least 2 years experience working with individuals with serious mental illness, co-occurring disorders, or complex trauma histories.
• Familiarity with LPS processes, psychiatric hospitalizations, and Los Angeles County service systems (DHS, DMH, DPH, LAHSA, etc.).
• Ability to speak a second language commonly used in Los Angeles County communities.

• Core Competencies
• Trauma-Informed Peer Support
• Harm Reduction
• Cultural Humility & Lived Experience Advocacy
• Crisis De-Escalation & Safety Awareness
• Team-Based Collaboration
• Adaptability & Field Readiness
• Compassion, Patience & Professional Boundaries

• Education/Experience
• Minimum 2 years customer service experience

• Certificates/Licenses/Clearances
• Successful clearing through the Live Scan process with the County of Los Angeles

• Other Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
• Proficient skill set in using an array of Microsoft Office Suite software programs such as Word, Outlook, and TEAMS, etc.
• Typing skills

Physical demands

Stand: Frequently

Walk: Frequently

Sit: Frequently

Handling: Occasionally

Reach Outward: Occasionally

Reach Above Shoulder: Occasionally

Climb, Crawl, Kneel, Bend: Occasionally

Lift / Carry

Occasionally - Up to 35 lbs

Push/Pull

Occasionally - Up to 35 lbs

See: Constantly

Taste/ Smell: Not Applicable

Not Applicable = Not required for essential functions

Occasionally = (0 - 2 hrs/day)

Frequently = (2 - 5 hrs/day)

Constantly = (5+ hrs/day)

Work environment

General Office Setting, Indoors Temperature Controlled

Eeoc statement

It is the policy of Heluna Health to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants, without regard to age (40 and over), national origin or ancestry, race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, reproductive health decision making, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or a record or history of cancer), AIDS or HIV, genetic information or characteristics, veteran status or military service.