Housing Justice Center is hiring a Lead Housing Justice Organizer!
HJC Overview
Housing Justice Center (HJC) is a nonprofit public interest legal and policy advocacy organization dedicated to the production and preservation of affordable housing and the protection of the rights of people who need affordable places to call home. The tools we use for this work are community organizing, research, education, policy advocacy, and legal advocacy.
Our primary goals are to:
- Prevent affordable housing loss, tenant displacement, and exploitation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) households, people with disabilities, and low-wealth people
- Ensure people have real choices for safe, healthy, affordable, accessible, culturally adaptive, and convenient housing
- Support communities in building power to drive decision-making about their housing future
Lead Housing Organizer Responsibilities
Working cross-organizationally with all staff and partner organizations, the Lead Housing Justice Organizer will help inform strategy, propose policies and/or identify potential impact litigation opportunities as part of broader organizing efforts to address the needs of low- and moderate-income Minnesotans. The Lead Housing Justice Organizer will prioritize working at properties where residents are at risk of displacement, experience poor housing conditions or mismanagement, or need organizing assistance to develop resident associations. They will also serve as supervisor to other organizing staff, AmeriCorps members, organizing volunteers and/or interns. Specific duties include:
Resident Organizing
- Identify and prioritize organizing campaigns and develop long and short term strategies and goals to work with affected tenants
- Recruit, train, and develop potential tenant leaders and community partnerships to support campaign success and sustainable organizing
- Organize tenants to take collective action to preserve the affordability of their homes and address ongoing housing concerns. Organize participation in community meetings, public events and demonstrations, education and mobilization initiatives, and other forms of civic engagement to advance organizing goals
- Support the success of HJC’s legal cases with tenants who are organizing or tenant organizations by facilitating fact gathering. Collaborate closely with the legal team
- Co-plan and co-lead Know Your Rights Trainings for residents in different communities
Policy Advocacy
- Follow local, state, and federal policies, proposals, and administrative regulation that impact low-income housing and tenant rights
- Participate in coalitions at local, state, and/or federal level with other tenant organizers, community-based organizations, and housing rights advocates on specific organizing initiatives
- Mobilize and support community groups to win policy change, including planning and attending events and actions such as rallies, council meetings and legislative hearings, listening sessions, and lobby days
- Initiate and maintain relationships with agencies that govern affordable housing programs or regulate rental housing (i.e. HUD, MHFA, Rural Development, cities, etc.)
Supervision
- Lead, coach, develop, and retain organizing staff
- Ensure organizers receive timely and appropriate training and development and provide opportunities for on the ground shadowing and peer learning
- Oversee the development and implementation of tenant organizing plans and field strategies
- Work with Associate Director to create work plans and provide guidance for other organizers
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 2 years of resident organizing experience, including experience forming resident associations
- Supervisory or related experience required. Related experience could include volunteer/project team/campaign management, coalition building/leadership, etc.
- Knowledge of Minnesota’s housing systems and tenant rights
- Ability to simplify and communicate complex information to general audiences
- Strong writing, data management, administrative and computer skills required
- Excellent interpersonal communication and problem-solving skills
- Respect of and commitment to intersectional racial justice and building local power
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of legal professionals, organizers, advocates, residents, and community partners
- Enthusiasm for working with individuals impacted by housing insecurity across a broad range of experiences including socioeconomic background, upbringing, religion, education, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, political beliefs, and disability
Preferred Qualifications
- Bilingual language skills in Spanish, Somali, and/or Hmong
Additional Information
- Weekly Schedule: Generally, Monday – Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm, with flexible and hybrid working arrangements allowed. Occasional evenings and weekends and travel within Minnesota will be required
- Access to reliable transportation required
Compensation
The Lead Housing Justice Organizer position has an annual salary of $55,000-$65,000 on a full-time basis plus benefits (vacation and sick time, health and dental insurance, and 3% match retirement plan).
HJC values the unique contributions that staff bring in terms of education, age, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, national origin, language, physical appearance, religion, disability, sexual orientation and lived experience. All are welcome and encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations provided upon request for interviews.
TO APPLY: Please send a cover letter and resume to Ivory Taylor at itaylor@hjcmn.org. Our initial application review process will begin June 15th, but the position will remain open until filled.