Credible Service Provider, Credible Westchester

About the Organization

Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) supports and builds power with people across New York State who have been affected by mass incarceration criminalization and community disinvestment. Through a statewide network of direct services advocacy and organizing and by supporting the leadership of directly-impacted people we advance civil and human rights for all New Yorkers. CCA works to build a world where everyone has what they need to thrive.

Why Join the Team

At CCA we are committed to fair transparent pay and we strive to provide competitive market-informed compensation. The successful candidates salary is determined by the combination of knowledge skills competencies experience and geography. Our goal is to continue to make CCA one of the most desirable nonprofit places at which to work and in part recognize the importance of work-life balance.

CCA is launching Credible Westchester (CW) a new countywide initiative designed to serve Westchesters most vulnerable and atrisk residents. CW will function as a communityrooted hub for individuals navigating homelessness behavioralhealth challenges substance dependence and chronic involvement in the criminal legal and social service systems. The program is entirely supervised and staffed by individuals with lived experience. Credible Service Providers (CSPs) are the frontline relational anchors of the Credible Westchester (CW) initiative. As individuals with lived experience in the criminal legal system homelessness behavioralhealth challenges or chronic system involvement CSPs bring the trust insight and credibility necessary to engage Westchesters most vulnerable residents. CSPs adapt fluidly to participant needsserving as navigators mentors outreach workers peers and socialservice guides. Their work embodies CWs mission to increase client engagement and investment and to utilize credible messengers to gain trust and improve access to and success with social services. CSPs work as part of a fiveperson teamDirector Social Worker and three Credible Service Providersdelivering restorative traumainformed culturally competent support across Westchester County.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Restorative Engagement & Participant Support (40%)

• Build trusting dignitycentered relationships with individuals navigating homelessness behavioralhealth challenges substance dependence and repeated lowlevel arrests.
• Engage participants using restorative traumainformed and nonpunitive approaches grounded in relational accountability deep listening and nonpunitive problemsolving.
• Adapt role to participant needsacting as mentor navigator peer advocate or crisis companion.
• Provide consistent reliable presence for individuals who have historically struggled to engage with traditional service systems.
• Support participants in accessing housing benefits treatment legal services and community resources.

Navigation Advocacy & Systems Guidance (20%)

• Help participants navigate complex county systems addressing the documented challenge that highneed individuals struggle to navigate and effectively engage with these services.
• Accompany participants to appointments court dates and serviceprovider meetings.
• Advocate for participant needs in interagency settings ensuring their voice and lived experience guide decisionmaking.
• Support participants in understanding their rights options and pathways through socialservice and behavioralhealth systems.

Outreach Engagement & Community Presence (20%)

• Conduct communitybased outreach to individuals who are chronically unhoused systeminvolved or disconnected from services.
• Serve as a credible trusted presence in shelters encampments courts community centers and neighborhoods across Westchester.
• Build rapport with individuals who may be distrustful of institutions using lived experience as a bridge to engagement.
• Collaborate with partners to identify individuals who would benefit from CWs relational trustbuilding approach.

Collaboration with CW Team & CrossSector Partners (10%)

• Participate in restorative supervision circles reflective practice sessions and healingcentered debriefs facilitated by the Director.
• Work closely with the Social Worker to coordinate care safety planning and behavioralhealth support.
• Contribute to the crosssector planning committee ensuring at least 50% livedexperience representation is maintained throughout the pilot.
• Help develop coordinated referral pathways and shared assessment tools that strengthen the countys reentry and behavioralhealth ecosystem.
• Uphold CWs commitment that the program is entirely supervised and staffed by individuals with lived experience.

Documentation Reporting & Learning (10%)

• Complete participant notes engagement logs and referral documentation in a timely accurate manner.
• Contribute qualitative insights and narrative data to CWs restorative evaluation process which centers participant voice qualitative insight and livedexperience expertise.
• Participate in continuous quality improvement efforts that reflect traumainformed and restorative principles.
• Support the Director and Social Worker in identifying emerging trends gaps in service coordination and opportunities for systemic improvement.

Required

• Lived experience with the criminal legal system homelessness behavioralhealth challenges or chronic system involvement.
• Deep commitment to restorative justice traumainformed care and communityrooted practice.
• Ability to build trust with individuals who have been marginalized or repeatedly failed by traditional systems.
• Strong communication skills emotional resilience and capacity for reflective practice.
• Willingness to work in community settings including shelters encampments and public spaces.

Preferred

• Experience in peer support outreach reentry work harm reduction or communitybased advocacy.
• Familiarity with Westchester County service systems.
• Ability to collaborate across agencies and navigate complex bureaucratic environments.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT COVER LETTER WITH RESUME.

• 12 paid holidays per year
• 20 days of earned time off (ETO) for full-time staff with the ability to use it after 90-days of employment.
• Time off is earned starting on your first day.
• 7 days of paid sick time
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program

CCA Website: HERE