Resident Advisor

Join a Legacy of Hope and Empowerment at Covenant House New York!

For over 50 years, Covenant House New York (CHNY) has been at the forefront of transforming lives by providing comprehensive shelter, housing, and wrap-around support services for vulnerable homeless, runaway, and exploited youth. As the largest provider of these essential services in New York City, CHNY impacts the lives of over 1,500 young people aged 16-24 every year.

At CHNY, our doors are open to all young people in need, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. Our dedicated team offers various services, including shelter, housing, education, employment, health, mental health support, youth development, and anti-human trafficking initiatives. We operate with harm reduction and trauma-informed principles to ensure the best care for our youth.

But our mission goes beyond immediate support. We are passionate advocates for systemic change, influencing public policy, and raising awareness of the critical issues surrounding youth homelessness. Our ultimate goal is to provide a safe refuge and empower young people to build a brighter future founded on compassion, unconditional love, and absolute respect.

The Covenant House New York Legal Department is situated within our Manhattan crisis shelter, which houses up to 120 vulnerable yet resilient youth. These young people need fierce advocates to help them navigate their legal issues and other concerns as they work to forge a new path for themselves. This work is both challenging and fulfilling.

Join us in making a difference in the lives of countless young people. Join a team that inspires long-term transformation and hope.

Job Summary

The Overnight Resident Advisor supports all aspects of the program and holistically assists youth living at the site, providing support and motivating encouragement wherever needed. RAs are also responsible for cooking meals for up to 20 youth, sometimes with other staff and/or youth or on their own. RAs will be assisted in obtaining food handling licenses and other culinary training if required. RAs also help keep the site clean and well-maintained, including working with youth and other staff to manage garbage and day-to-day cleaning of all areas of the site. These sites will also use evidence-based and other proven models. RAs will be expected to participate in training and implementation activities for these social service models. Ultimately, RAs assist youth in achieving the goals of ROP: stabilize and address any immediate trauma experienced by the youth in our care, maintain housing stability, and help them advance toward their individualized goals, including a long-term housing plan while ensuring the site is well-maintained.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Directly engages, supervises, and supports youth residing at the Mother/Child site.
• Ensures that the site, including youths' rooms, is clean and kept in a good and safe condition.
• Welcomes youth to the site and orients youth to site expectations, CHNY's mission and principles, and child protection policies and protocols.
• Assists youth with preparation for the day. Ensures youth are awake and out of bed, fed, and on their way to work, school, or other activities in a timely manner.
• Monitor program and client activities to ensure a safe and secure environment.
• Cooks or assists in cooking meals for the youth. Engages with youth during mealtimes and works with them to facilitate post-meal cleanup.
• Assists in keeping the site clean and well-maintained by participating in daily tidying up and facilitating the work of facilities and maintenance staff.
• Provides support to case managers as needed, including distributing appointment slips, appointment follow-ups, collecting and filing paperwork, maintaining files, and complying with files.
• Maintains records in the Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) computer system and enters all required documentation timely.
• Escorts youth to other agencies and services when necessary (e.g., hospitals, school visits)
• Maintains healthy, supportive relationships with the youth, mindful of boundaries and mutual respect.
• Leads and/or participates in recreational and holiday activities at the site and off-site trips.
• Completes incident reports by the end of the shift and submits them to appropriate parties.
• De-escalates crises; attends to emergencies following agency protocol, as needed.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• High School Diploma, GED, or one year of relevant work experience required.
• Bachelors Degree Preferred.
• Experience working with at-risk youth is strongly preferred.
• Drivers license preferred.
• Interest in working with youth who have experienced homelessness is required.
• Strong multi-tasking skills with demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects at once required.
• Responds to supervision and coaching in a positive manner required.
• Excellent verbal, written, and problem-solving abilities, willingness and ability to move throughout the day, and an upbeat, creative, and fun demeanor are required.
• A strong focus on child protection and ensuring the safety of residents is required.
• Overall, flexibility in the work schedule is required, including weekends, evenings, and holidays.
• Adherence to attendance and punctuality requirements is a must.
• Dedicated to the mission of Covenant House.

Benefits

Covenant House New York offers a rich package of benefits including but not limited to:

• Medical
• Vision
• Password Protected
• Life & Supplemental Life Insurance
• Short and Long-term disability insurance
• Eligibility for medical benefits begins on the date of hire
• PTO includes three weeks of vacation in the first year, ten holidays, 13 sick days, five personal days, and birthday days off
• 403b with employer contribution after 12 months

Covenant House New York is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation, and we are dedicated to providing a work environment free from discrimination and harassment where everyone feels respected and valued. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected]