Full-Time

Respite Specialist

Posted on 8/17/2026

Deadline 8/17/27
Services for the Underserved

Services for the Underserved

1,001-5,000 employees

Offers services to underserved New Yorkers

Compensation Overview

$45k - $50k/yr

Brooklyn, NY, USA

In Person

Bachelor's

Category
People & HR (1)
Required Skills
Word/Pages/Docs
Excel/Numbers/Sheets

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Requirements
  • Certification or provisional certification as a Certified Peer Specialist through the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and/or Office of Mental Health, or Certified Recovery Peer Advocate certification.
  • Active participation in self-help activities, peer support or peer advocacy programs, participant-run organizations, or similar programs.
  • Lived experience with the mental health and/or substance use treatment system and willingness to share personal experience appropriately and respectfully.
  • Understanding of the community where the team is based and awareness of available community resources.
  • Experience working with adults impacted by mental health disorders.
  • Positive and productive progress toward personal recovery.
  • Ability to document and translate member needs using a trauma-informed and culturally competent lens.
  • Ability to use critical thinking, problem-solving, and de-escalation skills to help create and maintain an environment that promotes recovery.
  • Ability to use Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
  • A minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent, or higher.
  • Ability to communicate effectively, empathize with, relate to, and work effectively with participants.
  • Ability and willingness to disclose a recovery story, where appropriate, for participant empowerment.
  • Excellent judgment and ability to understand boundaries when working with participants.
  • Clear understanding of community diversity and needs.
Responsibilities
  • Provide 24-hour peer support, self-advocacy education, self-help training, and mutual understanding in a crisis respite setting.
  • Support people experiencing a psychosis-related crisis in a short-term residential alternative to hospitalization.
  • Help participants maintain daily activities and connect with community-based services, supports, and primary care.
  • Provide recovery-oriented services incorporating Need Adapted Treatment and Intentional Peer Support.
Desired Qualifications
  • Bilingual ability.
Services for the Underserved

Services for the Underserved

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S:US helps New Yorkers who face homelessness, disability, behavioral health and addiction challenges, poverty, criminal justice involvement, and trauma access a wide range of supports across New York City and Long Island. It coordinates services such as case management, housing and stabilization, behavioral health treatment, recovery supports, rehabilitation, advocacy, and community-based programs tailored to each person’s needs. By linking housing, health, justice, and community resources, S:US delivers integrated, place-based services that address multiple barriers at once rather than focusing on a single issue. The goal is to help people lead purposeful lives, improve neighborhoods, and break the cycle of poverty for current and future generations of New Yorkers.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

New York City, New York

Founded

1978

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • July 30, 2026 News12 coverage highlighted Urban Farms expanding food-security visibility in Bed-Stuy.
  • June 10, 2026 Dinner for a Better New York sold out, signaling donor support.
  • HRA's May 11, 2026 awards secure long-term SRO revenue through June 2032.

What critics are saying

  • NYC contract concentration exposes S:US to HRA procurement changes after 2032.
  • Low nonprofit net income in 2025 leaves little cushion for reimbursement delays.
  • Mission breadth across housing, disability, and food security strains execution and fundraising.

What makes Services for the Underserved unique

  • S:US runs housing, disability, homelessness, and food-security programs across New York City.
  • Its Urban Farms and community fridges create visible neighborhood presence and service integration.
  • HRA awarded S:US three SRO housing sites for 2026-2032.

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Benefits

Wellness Program

Professional Development Budget

Company News

Hep Free NYC
Oct 19th, 2023
NYC Hep C Task Force Meeting Highlights | 09-27-2023

In partnership with Services for the Underserved, NYC Health Dept launched the city's first Public Health Vending Machine located at 1676 Broadway, Brooklyn (corner of Decatur and Broadway).