Gentrification is a buzz word that most people view as a good thing, with old neighborhoods and aging housing getting the star treatment. New construction and new business quickly transform generations-old neighborhoods, attracting wealthier households on the hunt for walkable urban neighborhoods to set down roots. But there’s a dark side to gentrification – housing insecurity and homelessness. And in cities like Syracuse, providing residents displaced by gentrification with affordable, safe housing has become a major focus for social workers here.
A March 2023 housing report found that about 46 percent of all households in Syracuse earn less than $35,000 annually, with most of them spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing. And data from the New York State Comptroller revealed 3,611 evictions filed in Syracuse in 2022 – up even from the previous high of 1,151 in 2020.
Housing insecurity and homelessness are a more pressing problem here in Onondaga County than many folks in other parts of the state would imagine. Individuals without stable housing also often struggle with mental health issues, and children often suffer academically as a result of homelessness. While social workers focused on housing instability and homelessness work to provide individuals with permanent housing, they’re also involved in efforts aimed at providing wraparound services that include job training, substance abuse treatment, and mental health counseling.
Social workers collaborate with public and private housing programs, nonprofit/faith-based organizations, community/government agencies, and legal advocacy groups. They provide ongoing case management and counseling services and make referrals to address co-occuring issues that may be contributing to an individual’s housing instability.
But their efforts don’t end there. From hospitals to schools to large-scale nonprofit organizations and small, neighborhood programs, social workers in Onondaga County and beyond are part of the solution to the most pressing societal challenges.Â
From Crisis to Hope: Inside Onondaga County’s New Stabilization Center
Syracuse and Onondaga County as a whole have been rocked by addiction in recent years. Opioids like fentanyl and heroin, along with painkillers like Oxycodone, have killed hundreds and brought this region to its knees. Between November 2022 and October 2023, the CDC reported an opioid overdose death rate of 44.2 per 100,000 people in Onondaga County – much higher than the national overdose death rate of 32 per 100,000 people. During this time, the county reported 207 overdose deaths – 156 more than in 2020.
But there are major efforts to combat the drug crisis, and the newest operation in the fight against substance use disorder just opened its doors. In December 2023, a new Crisis Stabilization Center, located on North Salina Street in Syracuse, began welcoming patients struggling with mental health, drug addiction, or both. This crisis center provides care for both children and adults, and is designed as an alternative to emergency room treatment.
The Crisis Stabilization Center acts as an urgent care center for people in crisis. Open every day for people of all ages, the center features two separate areas for children and adults, who can stay for up to 24 hours. During this time, patients can safely detox while they’re assessed for future outpatient treatment.
The center, which can see more than 5,000 patients each year, is one of nine centers outside the NYC metro area that’s authorized to provide both mental and substance abuse treatment outside of a hospital setting. It’s jointly licensed and funded by the state’s separate offices of mental health and addiction services.
The center is run by Helio Health, which also operates 13 NY Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics. These clinics provide a large number of services that help stabilize people in crisis and provide treatment for those with substance use and mental health disorders.
Social Worker Jobs: What Does a Social Worker Do in Onondaga County?
Social workers provide vital services and resources for the chronically underserved, including the working poor, the elderly, those with disabilities, victims of abuse, young adults aging out of the child welfare system, and veterans.
Whether working in major hospital systems in cities like Syracuse or lending their talents to the public school system and community agencies in places like Van Buren, Camillus, and Brewerton, Onondaga County’s social workers are giving a voice to the underserved and marginalized members of society. Their passion is as relentless as their efforts, and their work isn’t just a profession – it’s a calling.
School Social Work Jobs in Onondaga County
Onondaga County’s public school system educates some 64,000 through 18 public school districts and four charter schools. For example, the Syracuse City School District is home to school social workers who address the mental, social, emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs of students within the school community. They work with families and community-based agencies to provide comprehensive services to students and their families, addressing everything from housing and food insecurity to domestic issues that impact learning.
School social workers in Onondaga County are also part of the Scaffolding Kids Abilities Through Education (SKATE) program, which provides comprehensive education and social-emotional support for students with autism who attend Onondaga County schools.
Healthcare Social Work Jobs in Onondaga County
Social workers in Onondaga County’s healthcare space serve as important members of interdisciplinary teams of professionals that oversee patient care in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, correctional facilities, homecare settings, and beyond.
For example, SUNY Upstate Medical University’s healthcare social workers work as part of the transplant team. These professionals provide emotional support and patient education through assessments, counseling and other direct interventions, as well as treatment planning and service referrals. They also serve as outpatient social workers who manage and support at-risk patients and their families in family medicine and internal medicine outpatient clinics.
Social workers are also valuable members of Nascentia Health in Syracuse, where they’re called upon to help patients with severe medical problems and their families navigate preexisting psychosocial issues or those stemming from injuries or illness. Social workers here develop treatment plans and communicate the plan to the healthcare team.
Child Welfare Social Work Jobs in Onondaga County
Social workers in Onondaga County focused on child welfare ensure the health, safety, and well-being of children and adolescents in a variety of settings. For example, they work as part of the Healthy Steps for Young Children program offered through the SUNY Upstate Medical University within the hospital’s Upstate Pediatrics and Adolescent Center (UPAC). In this setting, they work with patients that include new refugees, those with limited English language proficiency, and those with limited health literacy. Their work here includes collaborating with nonprofit organizations like the Syracuse Refugee Center, the Salvation Army, the Syracuse Housing Authority, and Onondaga County DSS to provide this population with services and resources associated with health, housing, food, and other basic needs.
Mental Health Social Work Jobs in Onondaga County
Social workers focused on helping individuals and groups of people cope with mental health issues through counseling and referral are an important segment of this profession. In Onondaga County, they work for places like SUNY Upstate Medical University’s inpatient adult psychiatric unit, where they help patients in a short-term, acute, inpatient setting. These professionals provide a broad range of services that include assessment, intervention, management, support, and discharge planning for patients and their families.
They also work at places like Central New York Psychiatric Center (part of the New York State Office of Mental Health) within the Auburn Correctional Facility. Social workers are responsible for providing residents with serious mental, social, emotional, behavioral, developmental, and addictive disorders and conditions with individual and group therapy and crisis intervention.
Social work jobs within the New York State Office of Mental Health are found in facilities statewide. OMH operates the largest state mental health system in the country, with more than 23 hospitals, 90 clinics, a secure residential center, and an expansive network of community facilities.
Substance Abuse Social Work Jobs in Onondaga County
Jobs for Onondaga’s social workers specializing in substance abuse are always in demand in settings ranging from hospitals to residential treatment centers to community centers to homeless shelters.
For example, they’re an important part of Urban Recovery, a substance abuse treatment program in Syracuse. These professionals are responsible for a wide array of duties, including individual therapy, treatment planning, case management, client advocacy, counseling, and crisis intervention.
Homeless Outreach Social Work Jobs in Onondaga County
Services for the unhoused in Onondaga County are handled by county and regional government agencies, as well as nonprofit and faith-based organizations. A major provider of services for individuals experiencing homelessness is the Salvation Army, which runs an Emergency Family Shelter in Syracuse – the only one in Onondaga County licensed by the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. Social workers here are part of a team of professionals and volunteers who provide temporary emergency housing and counseling services for unhoused families. Social workers provide crisis counseling, assessment services, and referrals to community resources for aftercare support.
They also provide these services at the Ethel T. Chamberlain Women’s Residence and Women’s Shelter in Syracuse, which provides temporary emergency housing for adult women with serious mental health and/or substance abuse disorders.
Military Veteran Social Work Jobs in Onondaga County
The military/veteran population is vulnerable to issues like homelessness and mental health issues stemming from PTSD and substance use disorder. Fortunately, the VA Medical Center in Syracuse provides our nation’s veterans with comprehensive treatment and services. VA social workers are an integral part of the services here. These professionals screen newly admitted patients and conduct assessments to determine their needs. They’re also important members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team, participating in the treatment planning and discharge process.
Social Worker Salary in Syracuse and Throughout Onondaga County
Home to Syracuse, a large metro area with major organizations and agencies like St. Joseph’s and SUNY Upstate Medical University, Onondaga County offers exceptional opportunities for social workers and strong salaries to match.
In fact, according to May 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, salaries for Syracuse social workers that don’t identify working in any specific field of social work earned a median salary of $87,190 – that’s about $28,000 more than the national median of $58,380 for this profession. And the top earners here reported salaries that exceeded $100,000 during this time.
Salaries for social workers in nearby Utica-Rome also provide insight into the earning power for these professionals in the Central New York region. Here, mental health and substance abuse social workers earned a median salary that surpassed median salaries for social workers in healthcare, school, and child/family settings.
The top salaries for these professionals (75th – 90th percentiles) likely represent licensed social workers with the LCSW or LMSW credential, while median salaries are representative of those with undergraduate degrees in the field.
Syracuse Salaries
|
Occupation |
Employment |
Annual mean wage |
Annual median wage |
Annual 75th percentile wage |
Annual 90th percentile wage |
|
Child, Family, and School Social Workers |
830 |
$63,840 |
$62,780 |
$70,630 |
$80,430 |
|
Healthcare Social Workers |
660 |
$59,520 |
$53,780 |
$70,530 |
$81,940 |
|
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers |
280 |
$64,730 |
$62,780 |
$78,530 |
$83,010 |
|
Social Workers, All Other |
100 |
$87,780 |
$87,190 |
$100,340 |
$107,660 |
|
Social and Human Service Assistants |
1,890 |
$40,340 |
$39,420 |
$41,160 |
$51,100 |
|
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other |
170 |
$69,750 |
$70,160 |
$79,030 |
$82,880 |
Utica-Rome Salaries
|
Occupation |
Employment |
Annual mean wage |
Annual median wage |
Annual 75th percentile wage |
Annual 90th percentile wage |
|
Child, Family, and School Social Workers |
270 |
$60,700 |
$55,350 |
$71,460 |
$82,630 |
|
Healthcare Social Workers |
200 |
$52,970 |
$49,760 |
$62,120 |
$69,720 |
|
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers |
230 |
$74,270 |
$73,100 |
$80,140 |
$103,180 |
|
Social Workers, All Other |
50 |
$80,940 |
$77,900 |
$86,130 |
$95,910 |
|
Social and Human Service Assistants |
480 |
$43,780 |
$39,000 |
$53,110 |
$62,030 |
|
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other |
70 |
$68,650 |
$70,160 |
$76,210 |
$85,450 |
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Social Workers reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2024.