Neighborhood Navigator - Community Support Program

The Bridge offers supportive housing and behavioral health services to vulnerable New Yorkers facing behavioral health and substance use challenges. We provide individuals with the tools they need to pursue their dreams and live meaningful lives. The Bridge envisions a world where adults experiencing serious mental illness can live and thrive within their communities. As a recognized leader in developing and operating supportive housing and community-based programs, The Bridge has 70 years of experience helping New Yorkers with mental illness, including those affected by homelessness, incarceration, and institutionalization.

Scope of Position: The Neighborhood Navigator conducts street-based outreach to engage individuals experiencing homelessness, building trust and providing emotional and practical support. They assess immediate needs, help participants connect with services like healthcare, housing, and behavioral health, and often accompany them to initial appointments. Navigators collaborate with local organizations, develop short-term person-centered plans, and advocate for participants to overcome barriers such as stigma and systemic challenges.

The role includes documenting progress, attending team meetings and trainings, and supporting community integration efforts through ongoing engagement.

Essential Position Functions:

• Conduct outreach in targeted neighborhoods, including streets, parks, soup kitchens, drop-in centers, and other locations where individuals experiencing homelessness may be found.
• Engage individuals encountered during outreach or referred by partner agencies.
• Complete Immediate Needs Assessments to identify areas where participants require assistance or support.
• Provide intensive emotional and practical support as participants take initial steps toward stability and change.
• Build collaborative relationships with local community-based organizations to connect or reconnect participants with needed services.
• Link participants to providers for behavioral health, substance use treatment, primary care, entitlements, housing, and other essential services.
• Accompany participants to initial appointments to help overcome barriers and support meaningful engagement.
• Advocate for participants in achieving their goals and navigating challenges such as fear, stigma, and communication barriers with service providers.
• Participate in ongoing training, team meetings, and supervision.
• Develop short-term, person-centered treatment plans based on participants' goals and preferences.
• Monitor and document participant progress, adjusting plans as needed.
• Conduct ongoing assessments to support sustained community integration.
• Ensure timely and accurate documentation in the electronic health record system.
• Perform additional related duties as assigned.

• Demonstrated ability to effectively use one's personal story and model recovery in a way that promotes personal growth and empowerment.
• Knowledge of community resources in the neighborhoods served.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and seek assistance when needed.
• Strong team player with the ability to work collaboratively toward shared goals and responsibilities.
• Serve as a positive role model for participants, staff, and community stakeholders.
• Ability to engage respectfully and compassionately with all community stakeholders-including participants, families, network partners, and government staff-while being mindful of cultural differences.
• Understanding of treatment, rehabilitation, and community support services relevant to participants and their families.
• Knowledge of risk identification strategies, including crisis management techniques.
• Language proficiency in Spanish, Mandarin, or Cantonese is highly preferred.
• This is an in-person position that requires travel throughout Manhattan.

The Bridge Inc. is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer