Resident Assistant - Our House

The Salvation Army Eastern Territory•City of Elmira, NY

14d•Onsite

About The Position

The Resident Assistant provides on-site residential support and monitoring for Our House, an OASAS-certified Part 820 Reintegration residential service, under the direct supervision of the House Manager. The position helps maintain a safe, respectful, recovery-supportive living environment; supports residents with daily living and community-living skills; completes required residential documentation; monitors the physical environment; responds to emergencies; and communicates resident and operational concerns to appropriate supervisory or clinical staff. This is a non-clinical position. The Resident Assistant does not independently perform clinical assessments, make admission or level-of-care decisions, develop or approve treatment or recovery plans, provide clinical supervision, interpret clinical findings, or perform other functions reserved for clinical staff or Qualified Health Professionals. The role includes assigned on-site coverage as part of a residential program operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Work may include evenings, overnights, weekends, holidays, and other scheduled shifts.

Requirements

High school diploma or high school equivalency (HSE/GED) required.
Ability to work evenings, overnights, weekends, holidays, and alternate shifts as required by the residential staffing schedule.
Good written and verbal communication skills and ability to communicate respectfully with residents, coworkers, supervisors, and community partners.
Basic understanding of substance use disorder, recovery, relapse prevention, trauma-informed care, and residential support services.
Ability to maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and accurate documentation.
Ability to respond calmly and appropriately to emergencies and behavioral-health crises within training and role boundaries.
Ability to use electronic documentation, incident-reporting, telephone, security, and standard office systems required by the program.
Must obtain and maintain CPR/First Aid, naloxone/overdose-response, de-escalation, and other required training within program-established timeframes.
Valid driver's license meeting The Salvation Army insurance requirements only if driving is an assigned essential duty.

Nice To Haves

Experience in residential services, substance use disorder services, behavioral health, recovery services, supportive housing, human services, or a related setting is preferred.
Experience working with adults in recovery or other vulnerable populations is preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide assigned on-site coverage for a 24/7 congregate Reintegration residence.
Monitor resident presence, arrivals and departures, visitation, and other residential activity in accordance with program policy and resident rights.
Conduct and document regular interior and exterior safety and security rounds; monitor approved security systems and report concerns.
Communicate significant resident, safety, staffing, and facility information to incoming staff and supervisors.
Maintain a safe, respectful, structured, person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-supportive residential environment.
Treat residents with dignity and support their choice, independence, personal responsibility, and recovery goals.
Encourage and support community-living, personal-care, social, recreational, and independent-living skills in accordance with service plans and clinical-team instructions.
Assist with household routines, including chores, meal preparation and clean-up, common-area expectations, and shared-space use.
Provide practical support, coaching, redirection, and de-escalation within training and role boundaries; refer clinical, medical, psychiatric, and treatment concerns to qualified staff.
Support residents' access to approved community appointments, outpatient services, vocational or educational resources, recovery supports, and other assigned services.
Complete residential shift notes, logs, safety-round records, visitor records, incident documentation, and other assigned non-clinical documentation accurately and on time.
Document factual observations and interactions objectively without making clinical conclusions or diagnoses outside the role's qualifications.
Use approved electronic health record, incident-reporting, and other program systems only as authorized and trained.
Communicate significant changes in resident behavior, functioning, safety, health, or participation to appropriate supervisory or clinical staff.
Answer program telephone calls professionally, record messages accurately, and protect confidential information.
Protect resident dignity, privacy, rights, and confidentiality; comply with applicable confidentiality laws, regulations, and organizational policies.
Maintain professional boundaries; use trauma-informed de-escalation and problem-solving; seek supervisory or emergency help when situations exceed training or authority.
Report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, discrimination, boundary violations, or other resident-rights concerns in accordance with applicable requirements.
Respond to emergencies, crises, overdose concerns, behavioral incidents, medical concerns, fire alarms, and security issues according to training and procedures.
Call emergency services when indicated, follow supervisory and on-call notification protocols, complete incident documentation, and cooperate with incident review and follow-up.
Participate in fire drills, emergency-preparedness activities, evacuation procedures, and other required safety activities.
Maintain required training in CPR/First Aid, overdose response and naloxone administration, de-escalation, and other safety areas.
Support a recovery environment that does not stigmatize or interfere with access to Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) or other medically appropriate care.
Refer medication and health-related questions to qualified staff or providers; do not provide medical advice or make medication decisions.
Follow approved medication procedures only when specifically trained and assigned; support overdose prevention and naloxone access in accordance with policy and training.
Inspect common and resident-accessible areas for sanitation, safety, security, and maintenance concerns and report deficiencies.
Assist with meal-preparation oversight, kitchen clean-up, linen and supply organization, and routine household tasks assigned to the shift.
Complete assigned cleaning, filter, equipment, supply, receipt, food-inventory, and statistical tasks according to procedures and supervisory direction.
Securely maintain receipts, keys, program property, and other assigned items; follow fiscal and property-control procedures.
Complete required orientation and annual training, and maintain working knowledge of house rules, emergency and grievance procedures, confidentiality requirements, and the role within the Part 820 Reintegration service.
Cooperate with OASAS reviews, inspections, audits, quality-improvement activities, and corrective-action processes within the scope of the position.
Report actual or suspected regulatory, safety, documentation, resident-rights, or program-integrity concerns to supervisory staff.
Complete assigned shifts reliably and support required 24/7 coverage; maintain accurate and timely documentation and help maintain a safe, clean, orderly, recovery-supportive residence.
Perform other duties consistent with the Resident Assistant role, training, and program policy as resident needs and program operations require.

Benefits

14 paid holidays, up to 3 personal days, vacation time, and sick time
Employer-funded pension plan, with company contributions beginning after one year of continuous employment
Comprehensive health care coverage with low-cost employee premiums, co-pays, and deductibles
Company-paid basic term life insurance for the employee
Long-term disability insurance
Eligibility for supplemental insurance plans, including short-term disability, AFLAC, and voluntary term life
Flexible Spending Account
Eligibility for Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program
Tax Deferred Annuity (403B)
Christmas bonus