Resident Assistant - Our House

The Salvation Army•Elmira, NY

12d•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 role helps maintain a safe, respectful, recovery-supportive living environment; supports residents with daily-living and community-living skills; completes 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 may provide factual observations, practical support, recovery encouragement, and residential skill coaching, but does not 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 position is part of a staffing pattern for a residence operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The employee must be willing and able to work weekends, holidays, evenings, overnights, and other scheduled shifts. The work involves frequent contact with residents who may be experiencing behavioral-health symptoms, psychosocial stressors, or crises, and requires sound judgment, professionalism, confidentiality, emotional self-regulation, and adherence to emergency and supervisory procedures. Regular movement throughout the residence, including stairs, may be required, as well as standing, walking, bending, reaching, pushing, pulling, and occasional lifting consistent with organizational standards. Full-time benefits include generous time off, including 14 paid holidays, up to 3 personal days, vacation time, and sick time; an employer-funded pension plan with 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; long-term disability insurance; eligibility for supplemental insurance plans, including short-term disability, AFLAC, and voluntary term life; a flexible spending account; eligibility for the Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program; a tax-deferred annuity (403B); and a Christmas bonus.

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, including the 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 appropriate 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.
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 as part of the 24/7 staffing pattern for the congregate Reintegration residence.
Monitor resident presence, arrivals and departures, visitation, and other residential activity in accordance with program policy, resident rights, and approved procedures.
Conduct and document regular safety and security rounds throughout the residence's interior and exterior; monitor approved security systems and report concerns.
Maintain professional shift-to-shift communication and relay significant resident, safety, staffing, or facility information.
Maintain a safe, respectful, structured, person-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-supportive residential environment.
Treat residents with dignity and respect and support resident choice, independence, personal responsibility, and recovery goals.
Encourage and support community-living, personal-care, social, recreational, and independent-living skills consistent with service plans and clinical-team instructions.
Assist with household routines, including chores, meal preparation and clean-up, common-area expectations, and appropriate use of shared spaces.
Provide practical support, coaching, redirection, and de-escalation within training and role boundaries; refer clinical, medical, psychiatric, or 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 required residential shift notes, logs, safety-round records, visitor records, incident documentation, and other assigned non-clinical records accurately and promptly.
Document factual observations and resident interactions objectively without making clinical conclusions or diagnoses outside the role and qualifications.
Use approved electronic health records, incident-reporting systems, and other program systems only as authorized and trained.
Immediately 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 and organizational policies.
Maintain professional boundaries and avoid coercive, punitive, retaliatory, discriminatory, intimidating, or confrontational practices.
Use trauma-informed de-escalation and problem-solving techniques and seek supervisory or emergency assistance when situations exceed training or authority.
Report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, discrimination, boundary violations, and other resident-rights concerns as required.
Respond to emergencies, crises, overdose concerns, behavioral incidents, medical concerns, fire alarms, security issues, and other urgent situations according to training and procedures.
Call emergency services when indicated and follow supervisory/on-call notification procedures; 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 or other medically appropriate care.
Refer medication, medical, psychiatric, or health-related questions to qualified staff or community providers; do not provide medical advice or make medication decisions.
Follow approved procedures for resident medication self-administration, storage, observation, or documentation only when specifically trained and assigned.
Support overdose-prevention practices and access to naloxone consistent with policy and training.
Inspect common and resident-accessible areas for sanitation, safety, security, and maintenance concerns and promptly 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, or statistical tasks according to procedures and supervisory direction.
Securely maintain receipts, keys, program property, and other assigned items and follow fiscal and property-control procedures.
Perform other assigned duties needed to maintain a safe and orderly residence when consistent with the role, training, and program policy.
Complete required orientation and annual training and maintain working knowledge of house rules, emergency procedures, grievance procedures, confidentiality requirements, and role boundaries.
Cooperate with OASAS reviews, inspections, audits, quality-improvement activities, and corrective-action processes within the position's scope.
Immediately report actual or suspected regulatory, safety, documentation, resident-rights, or program-integrity concerns.
Complete assigned shifts reliably and support required residential coverage while maintaining accurate documentation, resident safety and dignity, confidentiality, timely escalation of concerns, required training, and a safe, clean, orderly environment.

Benefits

Generous time off, including 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 the Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program.
Tax-deferred annuity (403B).
Christmas bonus.