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, health, housing, mental health, nutritional and fitness—which significantly improves 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, unhoused and formerly unhoused adults, children and families, 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 peer support services to clients, including peer counseling, coaching, engagement, recovery-oriented support, referrals to community resources, and case management support using a person-centered, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and harm reduction approach.
• Build rapport and establish meaningful therapeutic relationships with clients to support their mental health, recovery, wellness, housing stability, and independent living goals.
• Utilize personal lived experience, when appropriate, to foster trust, engagement, empowerment, and recovery among clients navigating homelessness, mental illness, substance use, trauma, and housing instability.
• Conduct outreach and engagement efforts with clients who may be reluctant to participate in services and support increased engagement in programming, treatment, housing planning, and appointments.
• Complete Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) assessments for all newly assigned clients within 24–48 hours of shelter assignment, along with other required intake and program-related assessments to support timely client engagement, continuity of care, and individualized service planning.
• Assist clients in obtaining and maintaining vital documents, including birth certificates, New York State identification cards, Social Security cards, benefit verification documents, and other essential records needed to access benefits, housing opportunities, medical care, and community-based services.
• Lead weekly peer support, psychoeducational, and wellness groups focused on mental health recovery, self-management, coping skills, substance use recovery, smoking cessation, harm reduction, and community integration.
• Escort and accompany clients to housing interviews, subsidy briefings, lease signings, apartment viewings, medical and mental health appointments, benefits appointments, and other community-based services, while advocating for clients and supporting continuity of care.
• Assist clients with activities of daily living (ADLs), independent living skills, wellness goals, and community adjustment as needed.
• Participate in treatment planning, implementation, clinical case conferences, and interdisciplinary staff meetings, while collaborating effectively with social workers, psychiatric providers, nurses, housing staff, and other program staff.
• Support community building and client engagement by attending meals, participating in community meetings, facilitating recreational and wellness activities, and maintaining a visible and supportive presence throughout the shelter.
• Help de-escalate crises and conflicts through problem-solving, emotional regulation, peer support, and conflict resolution strategies in a safe, respectful, and person-centered manner.
• Maintain timely, accurate, and comprehensive documentation in all required databases and systems in accordance with agency and regulatory standards.
• Interface daily with clients, providing excellent customer service, responding to questions, and addressing client concerns and needs appropriately and respectfully.
• Support clients transitioning to permanent housing by assisting with housing readiness, move preparation, aftercare engagement, and linkage to community-based supports to promote long-term housing stability.
• Support the day-to-day operations of the Women’s Mental Health Shelter and ensure services are delivered in accordance with agency standards, high-performance expectations, and government regulations.
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to assess and support client needs related to housing, mental health, recovery, benefits, and community stabilization.
• Complete all other responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Clinical Director.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate for the role of Peer Advocate must possess excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, strong organizational and computer skills, and the ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing. The ideal candidate will be compassionate, engaging, self-motivated, and able to work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative interdisciplinary team in a fast-paced environment.

High school diploma or GED required; bachelor’s degree preferred. New York State Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA) certification is required. A minimum of one year of relevant experience working with unhoused populations, mental health, severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), substance use, trauma, and/or residential or shelter-based services is strongly preferred. Experience supporting women experiencing homelessness and co-occurring mental health and medical complexities is a plus.

Applicants must be able to serve as a role model of personal recovery and possess lived experience with mental health recovery, substance use recovery, and/or housing instability , with the ability to appropriately utilize lived experience to support individuals navigating the New York City homeless system.

Successful candidates will demonstrate strong engagement, relationship-building, de-escalation, boundary-setting, and crisis intervention skills , as well as the ability to respond sensitively to client needs and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Spanish fluency is preferred.

Given our 24/7 operating schedule and the expansive needs of our clients, the Peer Advocate will be available to work part-time (14 hours per week ) between the hours of 8:00am–8:00pm, with flexibility to work some evenings and additional hours as needed to support escorts, housing-related activities, and client engagement needs . Two days of the week will be scheduled.

Salary: $28.60/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.