Founded in 1974, Community Access continues to uphold and operate as a pioneer of supportive housing and social services in NYC for people with mental health concerns. We proudly lead advocacy efforts that rally our community to promote human rights, social justice, and economic opportunities for all. We are built upon the simple truth that people are experts in their own lives. Our programs are spread across 25 locations and include over 1200 units of supportive housing in three boroughs, the Howie the Harp Advocacy Center, Peer-driven Crisis Respite Center, Adult Home Initiative, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and the Intensive Mobile Team (IMT). 

Department Description 

Health & Wellness initiatives are run within the CA supportive housing programs. Health and Wellness initiatives at Community Access aim to improve the overall health and wellness of participants and reduce isolation and loneliness. Program activities include urban farming (growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits), cooking, farm to table community meals, universal movement groups and classes, DIY workshops and activities, Plant Access, group bicycle rides, outing exploration groups, overall skill-building and skill sharing workshops, etc. 

The Health & Wellness team centers the work on trauma informed, peer expertise to create a CA wellness culture that is driven by lived experience and self-determination, harm reduction and health justice.  

Core Principles

All CA staff, interns, and volunteers alike are responsible for understanding and incorporating certain principles into their work and into their relationships with program participants.  These principles are:

• Program participants’ right to self-determination.
• Respectful communication.
• Services that support recovery and healing consistent with and nurturing each participant’s cultural background, experience, identity, and values.
• Clear professional boundaries to support the limits and possibilities of services. 

Internship Activities & Objectives

Using peer support practices & skills, assist site program staff & the Health and Wellness team with a range of health & wellness related programming with tenants including urban farming, cooking, movement, DIY skill building, health self-advocacy/education groups and group trips to access health/wellness opportunities (e.g. farmer’s markets, etc.,). The internship may include other activities outside of health and wellness too, for example: escorting people on appointments, providing one-on-one peer support to residents, facilitating groups, and doing progress notes.

The Intern will

• Engage in intentional outreach to drive increased participation in health & wellness programming, through activities such as: community meetings, flyering, and 1 on 1 health & wellness-related conversations with tenants to understand the community’s health concerns, interests, goals 
• By Week 4 of the internship, facilitate 1 weekly health-related group activity using the values & practices of peer support, harm reduction and community organizing (e.g. Health goals group, Community Meal, accessible movement activities, field trips, etc.)
• Work alongside Health & Wellness team, program staff, and tenants, to share and learn hands-on skills of urban farming, cooking, DIY, movement, etc, connecting it to wellbeing and community.
• Demonstrate and share with tenants & program staff about the value of peer support, and peer expertise 
• Meet with Supervisor, Program Staff as well as Health & Wellness team, as scheduled, for learning, supervision/co-reflection, feedback and planning
• Complete progress notes for interactions with participants, and activities in AWARDS
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Travel extensively around sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.
• This internship description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

At the conclusion of the internship, the Supervisor/s and the Intern will engage in co-reflection together about the internship experience. This will include identifying areas of strength and areas of development for the intern, as well as identifying areas of strength and areas of development of the internship experience (e.g. supervision, activities, etc.) for the program staff. 

Internship Requirements

• Have an understanding, appreciation, and commitment to the philosophy and mission of CA
• Must be fingerprinted and cleared by the New York State Justice Center.  
• Interest in utilizing peer support practices in the areas of health and wellness, cooking, urban farming, movement, and community building in supportive housing communities
• Experience and/or interest in group facilitation using Popular Education pedagogy principle
• Basic knowledge of urban agriculture/gardening techniques 
• Basic cooking skills, ideally with foods & ingredients accessible to communities living in poverty, experiencing chronic health concerns and largely BIPOC
• De-escalation skills, including self-regulation and respectful communication
• Strong verbal communication skills
• Ability to quickly learn a new computer system (AWARDS), and ability to write progress notes using the system
• Ability to maintain an agreed upon internship schedule / follow through with internship activities
• Ability to maintain confidential information, as related to position.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to travel city wide by public transportation.
• Ability to be physically active outdoors and move up to 25 lbs.

This job description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.