domestic violence advocate

forensic specialist

maintenance person

case manager

social worker

Safe Horizon

A typical day at Safe Horizon differs from day to day. Some days may be productive while most consist of meetings that do not always have purpose, inappropriate workplace culture and politics, as well as poor relationship dynamics, lack of clear communication, and inadequate leadership. This is somewhat manageable depending on what position you are in but can cause a lot of stress to workers as most do not make a decent enough salary to manage the cost of living in a city like New York. Safe Horizon also has some downfalls and  challenges with the relationships some managers have with HR that allow senior leadership and administration to practice an abuse of power when handling employee concerns. There is also a lack of growth opportunities and if your supervisor is intimidated by your skills they will do everything to  keep you from growing. I did learn a lot in my time at Safe Horizon and would recommend that anyone who is looking to gain experience as well as add a notable non-profit to your resume  consider applying to the organization. However, I would recommend proceeding with caution if you are going to be working in any programs that do not operate out of the main office or remotely. Most programs have a clique mentality and have poor leadership that are unable to adequately manage the population of clients that Safe Horizon claims they want to serve. However, they do tend to care more about monetary gain and business operations than the actual care of the clients. They also could pay staff more and treat them with more respect for the work they do. The hardest part of the job is definitely the micromanaging, poor leadership, and the tolerance of bad behavior from clientele when staff are not given this same leniency. The most notable part of the job is that you are working to advocate and support the clients through their challenging experiences and this is very rewarding not only for you but for the client as well. It was always nice to see a client regain their independence. Overall, I would only recommend working here if you do not plan to make it a long term thing. This is a stepping stone, not a career. 

I worked there for 2 years, 2 years of my life lost in a toxic work environment where our supervisors and directors got away with being unfair, tyrants who target people for no reason other than not wanting to feed into the drama and toxicity of the environment, Not to mention the minority clients are treated significantly different than the white clients. They were made to wait for hours for someone to come speak to them meanwhile the staff would be back at their cubicles having a laugh or enjoying their lunch. My site director was an absolute bully who had no problem humiliating her staff and talking down to them like they were young school children instead of the capable and smart adults they were. Not to mention the administrative coordinator who is this malicious woman who clearly is miserable working there as she can often be overheard complaining about what a horrible wench the director was and how you just have to grin and bear her abuses. When is it okay for a site director to humiliate a staff member by yelling at them in front of their peers. Towards the end of my time there I dreaded the thought of having to head in to work. I had constant panic attacks, wondering what would be of issue that current day. Not to mention they would change policies without warning and berate you if you didn't know of new protocols. Staff meetings were just a place to waste time and pass blame to the little guys. Program Assistants are wildly disrespected and neglected, the supervisor is clueless and cruel, did I mention she was a slob who did nothing but spend most of her time on Facebook, and the occasional screaming match with young minority kids. You would think HR would catch on to something being wrong in this place with the high turnover rate. But the director is so well connected they give in to her every whim. You better believe if she doesn't want you there she will find a way to get you out. Even if she cant fire you she will find ways to make your experience there so awful you'll be running for the door. 

Work Environment
There is a social hierarchy here and program assistants are the lowest. Everyone looks down on you and thinks the job is easy; yet everyone refuses to help when it’s needed because it’s a lot of work they don’t want to deal with. The offices are like a middle school classroom: cliquey and gossipy. Something can spread throughout the whole office within a few minutes. Supervisors love talking bad about their team members. 
Responsibilities
Program assistants were made responsible for things outside of the job description. We were once called to a meeting where our supervisor and the ex-director gave us a PDF that was more or less 6 pages long; it consisted of a list of “responsibilities” we were expected to follow. I distinctly remember one being to “keep bathrooms clean and stocked.” What a joke. 
What the job is like:
You work a 2-10PM shift and the other program assistant is out sick. Its 7PM and there are 5 families crowded in the lobby and it’s completely stuffy. 2 more families are waiting to come in. You’re trying to sign them in and figure out who they need to see. In the background, there are a few autistic children throwing tantrums making a mess. You’ve never been trained for this, it and have been helpful. A CFS comes up to you and asks to see a specific child, you try to assist them but your head is spinning and you’re overwhelmed. You call the office for help because it’s a lot for one person, but everyone resists coming to assist. You’ve been so busy trying to keep track of all the family members and who they’re assigned to, and your brain is moving a mile a minute. You can’t leave the front unattended so you haven’t used the bathroom in hours. You have to call the office and basically beg for coverage; its like asking permission to go to the bathroom. Its 10PM, but you can’t go home because theres still a family you have to monitor. Now its 12AM and you’re the only employee left, the family is finally done and you can go home :) good luck on your morning shift at 9AM the next day!

A typical day consisted of handling clients and staff.

I began my day walking through the facility, greeting staff. I would go to my office and check emails that morning. I would answer emails, follow up with case management team in regards to their weekly and monthly case work. Every two weeks I had case management with each case worker.  We will discuss each client and their progress.  I would give my case workers direction for each client that will help advance their progress in the program. Housing, employment, child care, education, medical, and mental health is discuss with all clients and case manger team for better support. 

I also interviewed potential clients to be accepted into the program. 
I interviewed potential employees for employment. I have trained employees for all position on the site. I supervised over child care staff, case management staff and facility staff. I have conducted staff investigations, evaluations and terminations. I also assisted with daily function of the facility, client exiting and entering, security, janitorial needs.
I also was required to do all data, billing for agency and state audit needs, and manage physical cases.  

I have learned that I can not help those that do not want to help themselves. My job is to continue to encourage and support. 

As a supervisor I lead by example. I have an open door policy. I am very hands on and believe team work is needed to succeed. I enjoyed all of my co-workers. We have all become friends and worked well as a team.  

Most enjoyable thing about the job is knowing that we are helping people that are in need for a varity of things. To see a client make progress means I have made a difference.

The hardest part of the  job is when clients are not willing to work with staff or follow program polices.

Excellent coworkers, lots to learn, lots of trainings and professional support. The organization as a whole promotes a healthy work environment, self-care, provides good health benefits, and provides a great deal of training and opportunities for professional development. 

Like every other non-profit in the human services field, they suffer from a perpetual problem with funding, and do not prioritize providing realistic living wages to their overworked staff providing direct services. As Safe Horizon is a victim services agency, it goes without saying that these are all incredibly taxing and emotionally exhausting positions, as fulfilling as that work can be at the same time. Without going into administration, you can barely reach $40K. Hope to have a partner who makes more than you or live paycheck to paycheck forever! 

Little to no support for employees efforts to seek a degree (which is the only way to possibly move up) - a very nominal scholarship is offered to exactly one employee each semester for an MSW, and the organization will not guarantee clinical supervision or support to even those employees they recommend who are admitted to programs. 

Also, a bad supervisor can quickly ruin the experience. I personally dealt with a supervisor who had numerous complaints against her, multiple inquiries that confirmed she created a hostile work environment for her employees, and yet HR was happy to let case manager after case manager go rather than seriously address the problem by transferring her or forcing real changes in her behavior.

Overall Safe Horizon is a great place to get your "feet wet" in the non-profit space. They do, self-admittedly, underpay for the industry. This means you get a mix bag of incredibly passionate and talented people mixed with some folks who have a lot of "challenges." 
There is very little career growth, particularly if you have specific talents or focuses. They try to balance the low-pay and high burn out with work-life balance which sometimes works but often falls short.
Safe Horizon embodies the criticism of the "Non-Profit Industrial Complex" on the one hand they say they want to change a broken system but on the other they benefit from the system being broken. They say they want to elevate diverse voices and support diversity but then also underpay so those same people cannot get a head. They also tend to suffer from a certain amount of white knight or savior complex.
That being said, they have a good name in the industry and will open career doors elsewhere. Sadly, this means most of their organization (~85%) is line level and generally a revolving door. 
If you can afford to deal with the lower pay and wide range of talents from management for a year or two it is a great place to get your start.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people you work with can often become the strongest source of support because they understand firsthand how difficult the managers and directors at Safe Horizon can be. Many employees have formed close connections through shared experiences, and there are even groups of staff who come together to process and discuss the challenges of working there. For many, the work environment at Safe Horizon has felt deeply distressing, with some describing it as a traumatic experience.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There is a clear lack of support, whether someone is dealing with a death in the family or simply needs to step away for a doctor’s appointment. There is also constant pressure to shape employees into a single mold, often with little regard for individual cultural differences or personal approaches to the work. Feedback frequently focuses on negatives in ways that can erode confidence and create a pattern of criticism that feels less about professional development and more about building justification for termination. The level of workplace harassment can feel overwhelming, and many employees are afraid to speak up out of fear of retaliation. As a result, rather than raising concerns, many simply choose to leave.

The job has a good purpose and the mission is clear however the excitement wears off super quick! I'll start with the positive. 

Positive: This company has the best PTO I have ever seen in a job so far! You get a lot of time and I am someone who values a good work life balance so I love this.

Negatives: 1. The money still does not seems like enough. Additionally, no matter how much you do, leadership is never satisfied!!

2. This job is all about numbers and services. If they feel that you are not popping in enough numbers you'll get spoken to. it gives gives a very bad impression when they come to you about that. Even if you have a good reason for lower than usual numbers like a vacation, sick family member, they'll tell you to try to get the numbers up. 

3. The meetings! Oh man the meetings!! The meetings are so tedious! You have at least one meeting every month and some meetings they expect you to travel as if you are a director or something! It is so annoying to carry out daily job duties when you're being pestered about 1 new meeting you need to go to. a lot of them mandatory. Safe Horizon really needs to change this. A lot of meetings that can be summarized in an email. 

3.

A typical day at work would include greeting all residents with a smile, showing them care and concern as they venture to their places of employment, schools or other interests. 
I have learned through my trainings how to empathize with our clients and understand how the trauma of Domestic Violence affects 
them and their children. It creates many barriers and obstacles that
hinder their progress in life.
My co-workers all are very helpful because I get different views, and experiences through their daily dealings with our clients.
The hardest part of the job is not taking things personal, and not getting too attached to our clients. Working with them on a daily basis
allows me to get to know them, and I need to remember that I am not a friend, but a professional doing her job, and service them to the best of my ability.
The best thing about my job is watching these women slowly transform from traumatized, scared individuals, into independent
working women, with a whole new world open to them and their children, with a new place of residence where they can start their lives over.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Helping the victims of crimes 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Experiencing racism within the precincts and lacking administrative support are identified as the most stressful aspects of working at the company. These challenges not only create a hostile work environment but also contribute to feelings of isolation and frustration among employees. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment and culture at the company is challenging, characterized by concerns related to favoritism, ageism, and a perceived lack of respect for hardworking employees. These issues can contribute to a sense of unfairness and frustration among the workforce. the organization does not address these concerns, promoting a culture of inequality, unfairness, and nonappreciation for  employees of color. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day at the company involves navigating a potentially challenging work environment, given the indication of a toxic atmosphere in the precincts.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Domestic violence advocate 5 salaries reported	$24.22 per hour
Forensic specialist 10 salaries reported	$31.67 per hour
Maintenance person 1 salary reported	$24.73 per hour
Case manager 9 salaries reported	$22.99 per hour
Social worker 3 salaries reported	$59,477 per year

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