Peer Advocate

Part-time Regular Professional New York, NY, US

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.

• 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, psycho educational, 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…