Peer Advocate

Job Description

Job Description

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, widely recognized as one of New York’s premier human services providers, is a settlement house founded in 1894 that provides an extensive array of effective and integrated services social, educational, legal, health, housing, mental health, nutritional and fitness which significantly improve the lives of 16,000 people in need each year, ages 3 to 103, on the East Side of Manhattan.

Our clients include older adults, homeless and formerly homeless adults, children and families, recent immigrants, disabled persons, adult learners and more.

For more information on Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, please visit lenoxhill.org and check us out on Facebook or Instagram.

Located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in the historic mixed-use Park Avenue Armory, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House’s Women’s Mental Health Shelter is a 24-hour program that addresses the critical issues facing 80 homeless women, aged 45 and over, who have histories of mental illness.

Through a comprehensive continuum of care and programming that includes social work services, medical, nursing and psychiatric care, specialized peer support, housing placement, benefits assistance, arts and recreation and food and nutrition programs, our talented, multi-disciplinary team comprising social workers, mental health clinicians, nurses, psychiatric providers, peer advocates and program assistants, helps clients to transition from homelessness to permanent housing.

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is looking to recruit a part-time Peer Advocate who will be an integral member of our multidisciplinary team and be responsible for engaging, building rapport and supporting our clients to meet their mental health, recovery, health and wellness and housing goals.

Using personal lived experience as an access and understanding point of the needs of our clients, the Peer Advocate will deliver and facilitate person-centered, trauma-informed and culturally responsive support services to assist our clients in obtaining permanent housing.

The Peer Advocate will :

• Provide direct service to clients including case management, assessments, peer counseling and coaching, and referrals to resources
• Lead weekly support and educational groups
• Empower clients with knowledge on health and wellness, self-management, substance abuse recovery, and smoking cessation
• Escort clients to housing and benefits interviews, subsidy briefings, lease signings, apartment viewings and medical appointments;

supporting and advocating for clients when possible

• Assist clients with activities of daily living, as needed
• Participate in treatment planning and implementation, clinical conferences, and staff meetings
• Support community building by attending several meals a month, being present for all community meetings, and engaging with clients directly
• Maintain and input accurate case records in corresponding databases in a timely manner
• Interface daily with clients by providing excellent customer service and social services support and respond to clients’ needs appropriately
• Help deescalate on-site crises through problem-solving and conflict resolution
• Facilitate day-to-day operations of our Women’s Mental Health Shelter and ensure they are conducted in accordance with our high-performance standards and government regulations
• Collaborate with our multi-disciplinary team to assess, develop, and provide individual and group support on housing needs, including assessment, preparation, placement, and transition
• Complete all other responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Deputy Director

Qualifications :

The successful candidate for the role of Peer Advocate must possess excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills, organizational and computer skills, and the ability to communicate clearly both in writing and verbally.

High school diploma or GED required; bachelor's degree preferred. Certification as a Recovery Peer Advocate is preferred;

if not, certified working toward certification within a year of hire will be facilitated. A minimum of one year of relevant experience in the field of homelessness, mental health, substance abuse or residential support.

Applicants must be able to serve as a role model of personal recovery and have personal experience of living with a mental health diagnosis, substance use disorder or lived experience of housing instability, and a desire to use this experience to support individuals navigating the New York City homeless system .

Successful candidates will demonstrate the ability to respond sensitively to the needs of our clients and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.

Fluency in Spanish is preferred.

Given the 24 / 7 operating schedule and the expansive needs of our clients, the current schedule is 20 hours per week Mondays Fridays , between the hours of 8am-8pm with some weekends as scheduled, to ensure additional supports for escorts and housing related activities.

Salary : $26.65 / hour

What We Offer

• We like to have fun! Monthly Film and Dinner nights, bowling parties, Mets and Yankee games, cruises, food trucks, holiday parties, parties on our two Green Roofs, chocolate event for Valentine’s Day and ice cream socials, and much more.
• State-of-the Art Fitness Center, Gym and Swimming Pool
• PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) Eligible Employer
• The best colleagues in New York!

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is a client-facing and essential community-serving organization. To keep our clients and our colleagues safe, and to comply with various governmental contractual requirements, all new employees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (except where valid medical exemptions apply) and will be required to submit proof prior to the time of onboarding.

At Lenox Hill Neighborhood House we value respect, integrity, diversity and integrity. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House conforms to the spirit as well as to the letter of all applicable laws and regulations. The policy of equal employment opportunity (EEO) and anti-discrimination applies to all aspects of the relationship between Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and its colleagues.