Pros
The youth are wonderful, challenging and you absolutely look forward to seeing them everyday. Helping the young people re-build their lives during or after homelessness is one of the most rewarding and transformative experiences I have ever had. The staff are, with exception of some of the directors, dedicated, supportive and caring. In a nuts and bolts way, most requests for days off are granted, you are trusted to structure your time however works best for you and most of the supervisors are approachable.
Cons
The upper tiers of directors are totally detached from what happens throughout the agency, and are totally unaccountable. There is very little recourse when concerns arise, and at best, the issue will be punted into the future until you are too tired to deal with it anymore. Staff safety is simply not a priority for the agency on any level. In addition to frankly recklessly low staff to client ratios at all times, long hours, and inadequate facilities, directors are not accountable or willing to address safety concerns. Due to inadequate staff, untrained staff are frequently called upon to function as security guards with almost no structure or plan. As a result, staff are frequently assaulted and/or threatened (myself included)' with little recourse or concern from supervisors. If you work at the day center, you will be asked to continually do tasks far outside your job description with little to no training. The pay is very very low, you will be constantly asked to work additional hours, and there is little to no training about the basic functions of your job. I cannot in good conscience encourage anyone to work at Ali Forney Center.