security guard

case manager

residential aide

maintenance person

housing manager

Women In Need

During my time at the new family shelter ruby dee of  Women in Need, Inc., I observed a number of systemic and leadership challenges that negatively affected staff morale, program effectiveness, and overall workplace culture.

A central issue was the leadership style of the Program Director. The environment often reflected excessive micromanagement and a lack of trust in staff. Certain employees were favored, while others were closely monitored or penalized for minor missteps. This created an atmosphere of surveillance rather than collaboration, leaving staff hesitant to share ideas or express concerns.

New staff were particularly vulnerable, as they frequently received limited training, mentorship, or support. Rather than being guided through program processes and allowed space to learn, mistakes were often met with punitive responses. This approach discouraged professional growth and left employees feeling unsupported in their roles.

Concerns also arose around fairness and inclusivity in hiring and personnel decisions. Patterns of favoritism and inconsistent treatment of staff led to a reduction in team diversity and contributed to turnover. Employees often described the workplace as stressful and chaotic, with more energy devoted to managing leadership expectations than to delivering services effectively. If you are not a favorite, believe me there is no chance of a promotion.

Overall, the culture at the Ruby D site was defined more by fear and control than by collaboration, empathy, or professional development. For the site to thrive and for staff to feel engaged in the mission of the organization, significant cultural and leadership changes are needed. Greater transparency, equitable treatment, consistent support, and investment in employee success would go a long way toward creating a healthier and more productive work environment.

Typical day at Chesapeake College was fun and sometimes Challenging. Fun because of the group of employes that made work place a good workplace atmosphere. Challenging because every event was difrent and more detailed oriented depending on the client or staff needs for the event.
I learned a on all levels of event setup and management providing professionalism within the workplace and outside the workplace problem solving over the phone and in person under pressure.
The most enjoyable part about this job is to see an event go the way it was expected to go with no problems and to see the client happy.

Typical day with Men on the move is challenging everyday because of the high stress level to secure someones personal items to transport them across state with no problem.
What i am learning working with men on the move is how to stride to be proficient at all times not just to please the customer but to be a more well rounded person in life.
Being a crew leader is sometime stressful but learning from a good boss makes the job a lot easier to be a good crew leader.

Working at Women In Need was, in many ways, a meaningful experience. Supporting women and families and helping them navigate housing instability was rewarding, and the direct client work itself was impactful.

However, the organization is structured in a way that often sets families up to fail, with little flexibility or room for real advocacy because decisions are driven heavily by funder requirements rather than client needs. There is also very limited opportunity for growth within case management roles.

Leadership and management were a major concern. Upper management appeared more focused on internal politics than staff well-being, and concerns raised about work conditions were often ignored or minimized. Management frequently protected one another regardless of accountability and turned a blind eye to ongoing issues.

After speaking up about a toxic work environment and inappropriate remarks made by the Program Director, I was terminated without a meeting or opportunity to address the concerns. This reflected a broader culture where staff voices were not valued and retaliation felt normalized.

Women in Need is re-entry program for women who have been in prison and try to have fresh start in our society.
My job was to send applications to prison, verify eligibility.
I had a 12 steps meeting with our females residents every morning after a short prayer. My job was to facilitate those meeting, assess their progress and detect their struggle and report to my supervisor.
I also helped in grant writing, organize paperwork and record activities using MS word as Excel.
I was also involved in organizing events by making flyers using Power Point.
I sorted donations and made clients' referral.
I have learned the basic office work and how to facilitate meetings with people struggling with drugs.
Women in Need is a Christian environment that do not force clients to become Christians but helps people based on biblical principals.
The hardest part of the job for me was to deal with impatient clients.
The easiest was working as a team member.

There is no advancement in salary unless you obtain the next licensure which requires years and another test. Clinical hours are consistent and the team is supportive for the most part. There are cliques, and toxic conversations held in private. Upper management is mostly supportive - but there is a heavy focus on numbers for audits - which if you don’t have accommodations you might be questioned about taking “too much time off”. 
Overall it is a fostering environment and the team is under a reform to be a more hospital environment at the site I’m located at.

Cons: , DHS doesn’t screen families with SMI, high demands that staff aren’t equipped to give - Supportive Housing would be adequate for some shelter sites instead of being shelter

Women In Need is an amazing agency serving victims of domestic violence. Each day that I was there was a new experience, but I spent most of my time in the emergency shelter with the women who were staying there. I advocated for these women, provided them with transportation to and from appointments, lead small groups for the children at the shelter, and created a 14-week curriculum for the children's group with a coworker at the agency. I found that I enjoyed my coworkers, especially my coworkers within the shelter. The hardest part of the job was seeing the victims come to the shelter when it was obvious that this was their last resort and they were at a life or death situation before arriving at our door. The most enjoyable part of the job was seeing the victims leave the shelter once they had secured housing and employment.

The baby bonding leave is nice. But when you're one of the people working directly in shelter, you're paid minimum wage, with no holidays unless requested. We received no COLA this year, nor were we told we wouldn't get one. Transitional & supportive housing staff that are working directly with clients during the pandemic only get dry thank you emails while the folks at the main office get the pats on the back while working from home, in some cases fancy homes in the Hamptons. The way they treat staff almost makes you not wanna do you job anymore.  The clients are my favorite part, but even that isn't enough to make you stay at a terrible job in these times. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
You are given the opportunity to express your point of view.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Often you work hours on end and are not given financial credit for your efforts.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture at WIN is a casual business atomosphere. The workers come from diverse backgrounds including LGBT.   

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day is  alot of office -paper work, giving instructions to staff, listening to request from upper management as well as tenants in the building.  Alot of phone work as well as sending email is required daily.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There’s room for you to make overtime 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lack of support from management and the lack of communication 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
the environment was TOXIC. I have never witnessed so many people quit within a week at one job than I did this one 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day is usually chilled unless either there’s an intake which is pretty straight forward or a crisis amongst a family

it started out a real great place to be. I learned a lot of skills, how to manage an office, how to do data base, how to facilitate classes, how to manage my time while multi-tasking, and just enjoying the opportunities to helping those that are in need. Management needed a little more effort, co workers were getting along ok until finances we so far and few. The gift of working with a crowd that comes from the same paths is always awesome because we all share the same passion.  The most enjoyable part of the job was the interacting with clients and assisting them. To see the transition in men and women is awesome.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Security guard 219 salaries reported	$17.97 per hour
Case manager 147 salaries reported	$25.97 per hour
Residential aide 10 salaries reported	$16.70 per hour
Maintenance person 78 salaries reported	$17.02 per hour
Housing manager 89 salaries reported	$27.31 per hour

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