What are the responsibilities and job description for the Rental Assistance Counselor (HCV Section 8) position at Christopher Community, Inc.?
Description
Christopher Community, Inc. (CCI) seeks to hire a Rental Assistance Counselor to join our Rental Assistance Program Department. CCI is a not-for-profit development and management company that assist low- and moderate-income families and seniors to secure suitable housing across Upstate New York. Christopher Community currently manages over 3,200 units of housing in more than 100 buildings, and administers the Rental Assistance Program in Onondaga County, which provides assistance to over 1,200 households.
We offer competitive salary and generous benefits. Please see below for additional information:
Benefit Summary:
- Full-time position
- 35-hour work week
- To to 21 days of PTO (pro-rated) in year one. 30 days Paid Time Off - Vacation, Personal & Sick Time thereafter.
- 13 Paid Holidays which include 2 Floating Days
- Up to 6% Employer Match to 403(b) Retirement Plan
- Employer contribution to health, dental, vision and life insurance
- Innovative $0 out of pocket cost for in-network health coverage
- Hiring Range: $23 to $26 per hour depending on experience & qualifications (equivalent to $41,860 to $47,320 per year).
Requirements
The Rental Assistance Program Department administers the Federal Housing Choice Voucher Program (referred to as Section 8) for Onondaga County on behalf of the Village of Manlius Public Housing Authority. The program provides rental assistance to over 1,200 households comprised of seniors, families and disabled individuals. The Rental Assistance Counselor will be primarily responsible for administering and maintaining Housing Choice Vouchers issued by the Rental Assistance Program including other current or future tenant or project-based assistance. This position directly reports to the Rental Assistance Administrator.
- Conduct intake meetings to determine final eligibility of household to participate in the Rental Assistance Program to receive a Housing Choice Voucher from the waiting list and after completing the pre-screening review/meeting.
- Interviews new and current participants to obtain data regarding income and household expenses and collects documents of proof, then verifies information is accurate by checking directly with sources.
- Schedules/Coordinates the briefing meeting with eligible households and issues vouchers.
- Determining initial and continued eligibility of participating households including annual recertification.
- Mediating tenant and landlord conflict regarding issues with housing quality standards.
- Entering and managing the rental assistance program database software.
- Complete all tenant certification and compliance reports; including Enterprise Income Verification (EIV).
- Coordinates with Housing Inspector to schedule unit inspections for initial inspection, re-inspection, and annual inspection
- Performs complex calculation of sources of income, assets, deductions, etc. to determine eligibility.
- Calculates rent and housing assistance payments.
- Prepares Housing Assistance Payment contracts
- Maintains tenant and client files
- Assists landlords with completing forms for lease and contract renewals to receive rental subsidies.
- Prepares correspondence dealing with rental assistance applications, participant selection, program regulation, and related activities
- May be assigned other tasks and special projects.
Education & Experience
Minimum of an Associate's degree or two-year degree is required with 2 years of experience related to public or private housing management is preferred. Applicants that are Certified Occupancy Specialists (COS) is desired; must acquire within 60 days of hire.
Skills & Abilities
Must be able to demonstrate abilities to communicate effectively with a diverse population, both oral and written, coordination/cooperation, follow-through, interpersonal relations, attention to detail, ability to work under stressful conditions, working independently, ability to maintain confidentiality, crisis intervention techniques, ability to perform basic mathematical calculations, and must be proficiency with using technology and software both office related and program related.
Salary : $41,860 - $47,320