Job Title: Harm Reduction Specialist
Department: Harm Reduction & Prevention Services
Reports to: Harm Reduction Coordinator
Location: Watertown
Employment Status: Full-Time
Hours Per Week: Thirty-Five (35)
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Salary Range: $22.08 – $25.00/hourly
Join Our Team
ACR Health is seeking a compassionate and motivated Harm Reduction Specialist to provide outreach, education, navigation, and support for people accessing harm reduction, overdose prevention, housing, and community-based services in Central New York.
If you’re passionate about health equity, person-centered care, and making a lasting impact, we’d love to hear from you.
What You’ll Do:
In this role, you will support participants and strengthen community health through outreach, education, advocacy, service navigation, and resource coordination. Responsibilities include:
Participant Engagement and Support
- Provide outreach, engagement, intake, screening, referrals, and linkages for participants accessing harm reduction and overdose prevention services.
- Distribute harm reduction and overdose prevention supplies, including sterile syringes and naloxone.
- Provide education regarding safer use practices, overdose prevention strategies, risk reduction, healthcare access, and available community resources.
- Use low-threshold, person-centered practices that respect participant choice, autonomy, and lived experience.
- Advocate for participant needs and support informed decision-making regarding personal safety, health, and well-being.
Housing Navigation and Coordinated Entry
- Conduct street-based and community-based outreach throughout Jefferson County to connect people with housing resources and related support.
- Partner with participants to identify immediate needs, barriers to care, and self-identified goals.
- Complete Coordinated Entry screenings and assessments for eligible participants.
- Complete required HMIS documentation and data-entry activities accurately and within established timelines.
- Support participants in accessing housing resources, emergency shelter, and housing-related support services.
- Assist participants in accessing healthcare, behavioral health services, substance use services, public benefits, food assistance, transportation, identification documents, and other community resources.
Community Collaboration
- Maintain communication with participants, community partners, providers, and agency staff.
- Collaborate with healthcare providers, housing programs, community organizations, and other stakeholders to improve access to services.
- Participate in outreach activities, educational events, workshops, conferences, seminars, and agency-sponsored events.
- Represent ACR Health in a professional and culturally responsive manner throughout the community.
Documentation, Compliance, and Quality Assurance
- Complete accurate, timely, and comprehensive participant documentation in HMIS and other required agency systems.
- Maintain records in accordance with agency policies, funding requirements, and regulatory standards.
- Protect participant confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA, Article 27-F, 42 CFR Part 2, and all applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
- Participate in required training, staff meetings, supervision sessions, and quality improvement activities.
- Maintain knowledge of harm reduction best practices, housing resources, overdose prevention strategies, and community resources.
What You’ll Bring:
Minimum Qualifications
Education and Experience
- High school diploma or GED required.
- Minimum of one (1) year of experience working in a nonprofit, social service, healthcare, harm reduction, or human services environment providing direct client-related services to diverse populations.
- Experience supporting people who use drugs, people with justice-system involvement, people experiencing housing instability, people with behavioral health needs, or people impacted by HIV, chronic illness, poverty, or other social determinants of health preferred.
- Case management and healthcare experience preferred.
- Lived experience related to housing instability, substance use, recovery, overdose, and/or justice system involvement is welcomed and recognized as a valuable contribution to the success of this role.
Skills and Competencies
- Strong commitment to harm reduction principles, health equity, and participant-centered services.
- Ability to provide culturally responsive, respectful, and nonjudgmental services to diverse populations.
- Knowledge of trauma-informed and participant-centered service delivery practices.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, outreach, documentation, and organizational skills.
- Ability to build rapport and develop trusting relationships with participants, community members, providers, and partner agencies.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
- Computer skills and experience with electronic health records and agency data systems preferred.
- Knowledge of HIV, chronic illness, substance use, overdose prevention, safer-use practices, behavioral health, and LGBTQ+ affirming services preferred.
- Fluency in both Spanish and English preferred.
- Commitment to ACR Health’s mission, vision, and values.
Additional Requirements
- Ability to conduct community-based outreach and engage participants in a variety of settings.
- Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends.
- Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation.
- Ability to transport outreach supplies and materials as needed.
Why Join ACR Health?
At ACR Health, our employees are at the heart of everything we do. We foster a culture of respect, inclusion, collaboration, and continuous learning. When you join our team, you become part of an organization committed to improving lives, advancing health equity, and creating stronger communities.
We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, including:
- Competitive hourly wage
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Generous paid time off and paid holidays
- Life insurance coverage
- 403(b) retirement savings plan with agency contributions
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Professional development and training opportunities
Your work will help create pathways to services, support healthier outcomes, and strengthen community well-being.
Ready to make a difference? Apply today by submitting your resume to recruitment@acrhealth.org.
Equal Employment Opportunity
ACR Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, citizenship status, or any other protected status under applicable federal, state, or local law.
