Staff Spotlight: Darlena Harris, Sea Rise

Could you please introduce yourself and tell me what your position is? 

My name is Darlena, and I work at Sea Rise, our Coney Island supported housing program. We have 72 clients, and I’m a case manager for about 40 of them. 

Wow, that seems like a lot of clients!

Well, unfortunately, right now we only have two case managers, so we have to split it up. I have eight or nine extra people right now.

So you’re a little bit understaffed at the moment? 

You know, someone said to me the other day that we’ve never been fully staffed! But it works for me. 

How long have you been at Sea Rise?

As of next month, two years.

And how do you like it? 

I love it. It’s up and down because we’re dealing with clients that have issues, but for the most part, it’s doable. 

Where were you before you came to Sea Rise?

I worked for Housing Plus Solutions for 10 years. It was different because of the funding. Sea Rise is supported housing by the New York State Office of Mental Health, and Housing Plus is supportive housing, so it’s funded by the state and donors.

What is your educational background?

I have a bachelor’s degree in Behavior Science.

Did you always know you wanted to work with people with disabilities or people who were going through difficult circumstances?

Honestly, no, but I grew up being taught to be a caregiver and help people. That’s why it comes easy to me, because I was taught that from the time I was a young child. This was God’s plan for me. 

How did you find this position after you left your previous job? 

Well, I worked with Tracy [Coit]. She was a supervisor at the organization, and she called me one day. She said to me, “Oh, I know you’re not looking for a job, but do you know some people? I need a case manager.” And I said, “Well, I could be a case manager. I’d love to do it.” 

Could you walk me through what your daily responsibilities look like?

Today, I was in a meeting for an hour, but then the clients often just walk into the office. Normally, I have to meet with my clients twice a month: once to do an apartment inspection and once to do stuff in the office like go over their service plan and what their goals are. I don’t tell them what their goals are; they tell me what their goals are, and I try to help them reach those goals.

Later today, I did about three or four apartment inspections, and then I met with a couple of clients in the office. They’ll come down and say they’re hungry or they need food, and we’ll give them whatever we have in our pantry. Sometimes they just want to talk and vent and complain about things. Sometimes they want help with making an appointment, or sometimes they need help with HR issues like getting rental assistance. But most often, they just want to talk. 

Are these people of all ages? 

We have about 20 young adults, 35 people with the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, and then the rest are people who struggle with mental health. 

Is there one of those groups that’s more difficult to handle or that presents greater challenges for you?

It varies. Sometimes the young adults will act up, but it changes. All of them can be difficult. 

Do you establish pretty deep relationships with your clients?

Yes, they depend on me. Sometimes they depend on me a little too much. You have to really show tough love.

Are there any clients you’ve worked with who have been particularly memorable?

I do have a client that–when I started working with him two years ago–he was using drugs, and I sat him down and talked to him. I just talked to him. I just gave him some tough love, baby. I said, “I’m gonna tell you something: if you don’t pay your rent, we’re gonna evict you.” We wouldn’t actually do that, but I just have to say it. Now, we’ve gotten him into an outpatient drug program. He was given $500 every month until he caught up with his rent, and now he’s working for Camelot as a peer counselor. He’s really gotten his act together.

What are your greatest challenges in this job?

Sometimes the clients like for you to get involved in their personal lives. And I tell them I can’t get involved. I have a client who has a girlfriend. He gives her all his food stamps, all his money and stuff, and then he comes here crying to me, hungry. I say, “Listen, I can’t get involved with that, because your benefits are for your benefit. You can’t be giving them away.” I’m not going to be an enabler. I have given him stuff from the pantry, but I only gave him two items. I said, “Listen, this is it. Don’t come back.”

Are there limits on the amount that you’re able to give people from the pantry? 

No, not really, okay, but like I said about tough love…I don’t want them to become too dependent. I’ve been here for two years with these clients–the same clients, even the ones not on my caseload–so I know when to give it to them and when to hold back.

What are the highlights of working at Sea Rise?  

The highlights are when people show up and do the work, and they’re willing to make the changes that they need. They learn to not come across so needy. You can’t be needy; you have to do the work. I’m not gonna work harder for you than you are working for yourself. It’s about inspiring that independence in them. And when we celebrate the holidays with a meal, I love the closeness of that