Staten Island – it’s often referred to as the “forgotten borough” of NYC. It’s the least populated borough and the farthest away from the city. Those facts sometimes put Staten Island lands on the periphery of the radar when considering solutions to problems like homelessness, substance abuse, and social justice issues in the broader NYC area.
But Staten Island is not without its pressing social issues, and jobs in social work here are focused on everything from housing insecurity to mental health to substance abuse.
According to the CDC, about 150 people died from drug overdoses in Staten Island in 2023…homeless shelters here housed about 1,200 people every night as of March 2024… and it’s estimated that as many as one in three people here suffer from some form of untreated mental illness.
Social workers in Staten Island are part of the solution to the borough’s most prevalent and persistent issues. Whether you’re interested in advocating for those afflicted by homelessness, addiction, or mental illness or you’re all in to help vulnerable populations like children, seniors, and veterans living at the margins of poverty, now is the time to become part of Staten Island’s social work profession and begin making meaningful, lasting changes in your community.
Social Worker Jobs: What Does a Social Worker Do in Staten Island?
Social workers in Staten Island are important members of healthcare teams in hospitals and clinics. They’re in schools, in the court system, and in community programs that provide services to at-risk and underserved populations. They’re advocates, activists, and counselors, working for the social good. For individuals with a passion for helping others, social work is the ticket to outstanding job opportunities and a fulfilling, life-changing career.
School Social Worker Jobs in Staten Island
Staten Island is home to NYC School District #31, which enrolls about 54,600 students in 74 schools. Staten Island is also where you’ll find many charter schools like Uncommon Schools, a nonprofit charter public school system for low-income urban students. School social worker jobs in Staten Island are focused on providing direct services to the school community, participating in crisis intervention and behavior management, and providing individual and group counseling.
Healthcare Social Worker Jobs in Staten Island
A large number of social worker jobs in Staten Island are located in the borough’s healthcare system. Working in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, and more, healthcare social workers are a vital part of any interdisciplinary healthcare team.
For example, healthcare social workers at Staten Island University Hospital are responsible for providing psychosocial assessments, formulating discharge plans for patients, and providing counseling services to patients and families. And at Centers Health Care, nursing home social workers help residents with their everyday physical, mental, and psychosocial needs. They develop and maintain individualized care plans and help plan resident admissions and transfers to other facilities.
“Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other's welfare, social justice can never be attained.”
Child Welfare Social Worker Jobs in Staten Island
Social workers in child welfare are focused on ensuring that every child has a voice.
For example, they work for Project Hospitality, a social services organization that meets the needs of people in the community with mental illness, HIV/AIDS, and substance use disorder with on-site services. Their continuum of care also includes a street outreach program, shelter, soup kitchen and food pantry, clinical and support services, and transitional and permanent supportive housing. Social workers help families with children in the shelter. Their duties include conducting formal intakes, making assessments and referrals, and providing short- and long-term counseling, crisis intervention, safety planning, and more.
They also work for programs like the Staten Island Justice Center’s (SIJC) Youth and Community Justice. Social workers here provide clinical services to youth participants from the Youth & Family Programs Department that include intakes, assessments, individual counseling sessions, and support group workshops.
Mental Health Social Worker Jobs in Staten Island
Mental health social work jobs in Staten Island are found at healthcare facilities like Richmond University Medical Center, a 470-plus-bed healthcare facility and teaching institution. Social workers here provide clinical services to individuals, families, and groups in a children’s day treatment setting.
Homeless Outreach Social Worker Jobs in Staten Island
CAMBA, which provides shelter services under contract with the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS), is where many homeless outreach social work jobs are found in Staten Island and throughout NYC. For example, social workers at the HomeBase program, which provides case management and services to at-risk individuals in Brookyln and Staten Island to prevent homelessness, interview and evaluate prospective clients, connect clients to available resources, prepare and submit applications for benefits and entitlements, and ensure housing needs are met.
Substance Abuse Social Worker Jobs in Staten Island
Substance abuse continues to be a major health and social issue affecting thousands of Staten Islanders. Substance abuse social work jobs are found at nonprofits like Community Health Action, which is home to a 24-hour substance use recovery center. Some of the duties of social workers here include providing case management services, including referrals to public assistance, food/shelter needs, medical, transportation, mental health, and substance use assistance.
They also work for state agencies like the NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), which oversees one of the largest substance use disorder programs in the nation. The OASAS is home to about 1,700 programs that serve more than 730,000 people every year. Social workers for the OASAS often work through one of the program’s 12 addiction treatment centers that provide inpatient and residential services to about 8,000 people each year.
Military Veteran Social Worker Jobs in Staten Island
Social workers often focus their work on the military/veteran community, working out of the Staten Island Vet Center on Bay Street. You’ll also find social workers supporting the long-term case management needs of veterans through the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit in Staten Island that’s committed to eradicating homelessness among veterans. They ensure that recipients receive assistance as they navigate the intake and acceptance process. They also address any immediate psychosocial needs to determine if recipients need additional supports, resources, mental health services, or other therapeutic interventions.