Willow Tree Residence - Custodian

Project Renewal; New York (NY); On-site; USD 33,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Project Renewal is seeking a Custodian for Willow Tree Residence, a 130-unit congregate care housing program in East Midtown Manhattan. The role supports cleanliness, maintenance, and safety, ensuring lobby and common areas are clean and ready for residents and staff.

You will perform routine cleaning, handle minor repairs, assist with moving and deliveries, and follow safety protocols to maintain a welcoming environment for chronically homeless individuals and tenants served by the program.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• At least 6 months of experience in repair/maintenance work.
• Excellent oral and written communication.
• Ability to interact professionally with tenants and staff.
• Ability to work 24/7 shifts.

Responsibilities

• Performs janitorial duties and cleans floors, lobby and common areas per assigned schedule.
• Completes Work Orders for minor repairs and notifies Building Manager with details.
• Assists in preparing apartments for new residents and moving processes.
• Performs refuse duties and exterior cleaning tasks as needed, including snow removal when required.
• Checks and replaces batteries in smoke detectors and CO detectors as needed.
• Maintains supplies and accepts deliveries for storage areas.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisory staff.

Skills

Communication skills

Team interaction

Shift flexibility

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Job description

Project Renewal is a leading non-profit organization with the mission of building supportive communities where people achieve dignity and independence, renewing their lives with health, homes, and jobs. Our comprehensive and integrated 24/7 programs are designed to offer the holistic care our clients need. With a staff of 950+ and an annual budget of $140 million, Project Renewal is one of the larger social service nonprofits in New York City.

Title: Custodian

Program: Willow Tree Residence

Salary Range: $36,545 ($20.079 per hour)

Program Description:

Willow Tree Residence is a 130-unit congregate care supportive housing program located in East Midtown Manhattan. The facility is unique in that it is co-located with a women's shelter that occupies the first 6 floors of a 21-story building and offers a street facing Article 28 clinic on the first floor dedicated to providing primary and behavioral health care services. Willow Tree provides 79 permanent, supportive housing units for chronically homeless single adults and/or adult families with a serious mental illness [SMI], a substance use disorder [SUD], or those who may have a co-occurring SMI and SUD. Candidates are referred through the Department of Homeless services [DHS]; however, the facility is funded by DOHMH. The remaining 51 units are "fair market" and reserved for low-income tenants, referred from the local community.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Per an assigned schedule performs janitorial duties and cleans, sweeps, uses a buffing machine, mops, polishes and disinfects the floors in the lobby, and other common areas, including lounges, recreation areas, the dining room and the tenants' laundry room in the building.
• Completes Work Order requests for minor repairs in the tenants' apartments. These include such things as replacing light bulbs, wiping down light fixtures, changing plumbing and bathroom fixtures, replacing broken tiles, and doing minor painting.
• Completes all Work Orders in a timely manner while providing the Building Manager with detailed information regarding the tasks performed.
• Assists in preparing apartments for new residents and with the moving in/out processes. May assist tenants in moving furniture into and out of the apartments, and replacing furniture provided by the building such as refrigerators, bedframes, air conditioners, mattresses, tables, chairs, bureaus, and televisions.
• Performs refuge duties including dumpster and compactor maintenance, sorting metal, carrying garbage bags to the curb, and preparing items for the building's recyclable plan.
• Works in the exterior of the building, sweeping, and cleaning the sidewalks, and performing snow removal and de-icing functions when necessary.
• Assists in checking and as needed, replacing the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide devises to ensure that all are functioning properly.
• Maintains a proper level of supplies and materials for areas assigned to ensure the timely and efficient completion of required tasks.
• Accepts and moves deliveries into storage areas.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisory staff.

Qualifications:

• A High School Diploma or equivalent.
• A minimum of six months of experience doing repair and maintenance work.
• An ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• An ability to professionally interact with tenants and all levels of staff.
• Ability to work multiple / varied shifts as building is a 24 hour/7 day a week facility.

Physical Activities

While performing the duties of this position, the Custodian must be able to walk between the fourteen floors of the facility to meet building needs. The Custodian also walks the exterior of the facility to ensure that a proper appearance is being maintained. Furthermore, the custodian must stand to talk to staff and/or clients and sit for extended periods of time at the computer, bend, reach, or squat to get records from the files or when addressing building needs, climb and work from ladders of 10 to 12 feet in height, and lift a minimum of 30lbs.

Preferred Skills:

• Communication: Excellent oral, writing, and listening skills are a must.
• Organizational: The ability to work well within a highly pressurized, deadline environment, while meeting the short- and long-term mandates of the program.
• Interpersonal: An ability to interface with clients as well as all levels of staff.
• Computer: Knowledge of case management software as well as proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and work order systems.