Tenant Education Coordinator (Hotline)

Key Responsibilities: The Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) is seeking an engaging, self-directed and compassionate individual who deeply cares about housing justice and empowering tenants through tenant education. This position will be primarily responsible for supporting renters on the Renters’ Rights Hotline and supporting outreach efforts. As a social justice organization dedicated to dismantling systems of oppression as it relates to housing justice, the ideal candidate is an advocate at heart who has the desire to support the spread of tenant knowledge through community education. 

This position reports to the Tenant Education and Support (TES) Hotline Manager. This is a full time position. Salary range is $56,100-$61,939, and includes full medical and dental coverage, paid holidays and personal leave. 

This position is based out of Multnomah County with scheduled in-person work in the surrounding area at times, a candidate from anywhere in Oregon is encouraged to apply. 

Reports to: Tenant Education and Support Director 

Classification: Full Time/Non-Exempt 

About CAT: Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) has spent the last 26 years building a housing justice movement led by renters. We are a membership-driven organization taking great pride in educating and empowering one another to demand safe, stable, and affordable housing. CAT is building a strong housing justice movement that is led and directed by those who are most impacted by Oregon’s affordable housing crisis low-income tenants, predominately low-wage workers, families with children, people living with disabilities, seniors, Black, Indigenous and people of color. We use a three-pronged approach to Tenant Power: Tenant Education, Tenant Organizing, and Tenant Advocacy. We operate an educational hotline run by staff and volunteers – walking callers through their rights and responsibilities one-on-one. We host dozens of community workshops each year and connect with each other through a deep network of community partners and service providers to meet various needs as they arise. We organize our friends, families and neighbors in our buildings and on the streets to build a culturally-humble, equity-driven, intersectional housing justice movement led by those of us who are most-impacted by housing injustices. We support the leadership and learning of our fellow housing advocates building on our shared experiences and knowledge. Finally, we learn from and represent one another on councils, boards, and civic engagement opportunities throughout the state for long-range systems change. BIPOC, Women, LGBTQ, Two Spirit, and low-income renters are encouraged to apply to all of our open positions. 

Responsibilities 

• Stay abreast and up to date on tenants’ rights news, policy changes, service providers, and any and all that affect CAT’s work. Working with the education director and hotline managers to support program development and changes to reflect new trends and changes in the market to ensure effective program delivery 
• Support the executive director, education director and hotline managers in developing fundraising for grant and contract opportunities for the Tenant Education and Support (TES) Department 
• Assist hotline managers in completing reports for grants and contracts ● Support with data entry and program evaluation of tenant education activities ● Support education director and hotline managers in community partnership 

development for ongoing education activities and external communication ● Work collaboratively with education director to develop and execute community-entry and marketing plans 

• Provide non-English language support such as translation of materials and interpretation and/or coordinate with language service providers as needed ● Support with volunteer coordination and supervision 
• Develop relationships with culturally specific organizations and serve their members. 
• Provide culturally responsive and/or language specific services. 
• Provide intensive advocacy for individuals in need of navigating support services including legal aid, in order to maintain their housing. 
• Support education department needs and staff as needed 

Renters’ Rights Hotline- Providing information, strategies and support for tenants who have questions about their rights and are experiencing challenges protecting their rights as a renter. 

• Train and support hotline staff and volunteers 
• Maintain calm demeanor with tenants who may be in crisis 
• Make hotline calls, utilizing Landlord-Tenant law and Fair Housing training and information 
• Support and coordinate with hotline staff on hotline shift supervisor tasks ● Give feedback, training and information to Hotline volunteers during shifts ● Data entry of calls into Service Point HMIS 
• Provide in-person support to tenants with rental questions and concerns ● Provide bilingual language support such as interpretation and/or coordination of interpretation services 
• Stay up to date on changes in Oregon landlord tenant law 
• Support and lead hotline trainings for volunteers 
• Support in the coordination of volunteer hotline shifts 
• Support writing, editing and updating education materials development including social media content for TES Department and in collaboration with communications manager 
• Provide technical support on hotline software (Jive, Service Point, etc.) and hardware (phone systems, etc.) 
• Provide appropriate resources and referrals to renters, complete internal referrals and to partners/agencies 
• Provide rental assistance support as needed 

Renters’ Rights Workshops/Webinars- Community-wide workshops/webinars educating tenants about their rights and community events to promote hotline services. Many public events are still postponed during the pandemic. 

• Plan, coordinate and conduct renters’ rights workshops including tracking survey results 
• Support the development of online/virtual/pre-recorded workshops and trainings ● Develop, update and maintain presentation materials 
• Create outreach materials, content and event promotion strategies in collaboration with TES staff and communications manager 
• Sign up and track participants, including outreach, reminder calls, workshop preparations and supplies, and other logistics 
• Track renters’ contact information from CAT outreach events and enter data ● Prepare and update materials for workshop participants 
• Coordinate community outreach 
• Planning resources needed at community events such as live hotline consultations 
• Volunteer coordination 
• Presence at community events to answer tenant questions 

Hotline follow-up calls- Calling a sample of Renters’ Rights Hotline callers 3-6 months after the call. 

• Support staff and volunteers doing survey calls 
• Maintain files for survey call needs 

Required Qualifications 

• Excellent writing, listening, communication, organizational and interpersonal skills ● Highly organized and detail oriented 
• Self-directed, with the ability to work independently and in a team environment ● Experience public speaking and/or providing training/workshops ● Belief and commitment to social justice, structural change and restorative justice ● Ability to listen, empathize and problem solve with people in crisis on the phone and in- person 
• Knowledge of both Windows and Mac operating systems 
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office and database systems (Service Point HMIS) ● Brings empathy, passion and humor to the work 
• Willingness to challenge oppression in all aspects of work 
• Enjoys working with diverse populations 
• Reliable means of transportation and ability to transport workshop/event materials (if/when it is safe for staff to attend public events) 
• This position requires regularly working on weekends and/or evenings. Events are often on weekends and evenings to ensure accessibility to community members. 
• Open to and committed to active engagement towards the eradication of racism to People of the African diaspora and all types of racism. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Preferred fluency in Spanish due to demand for Spanish speakers. 
• Fluency in another language (Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Russian or other) and/or 
• Lived experience and/or understanding of race-based disparities ● Experience centering BIPOC communities most harmed by the housings crisis ● Familiarity with or interest in Renters’ Rights and Tenant Advocacy ● Familiarity with Landlord-Tenant Law 
• Experience working with immigrants and refugees 
• Experience working at a call center or a social service agency 
• Lived experience with housing instability 

Required Education and experience

• High School Diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or equivalent 
• Minimum of one years’ experience in a similar position, or equivalent combination of education and experience 

• If driving, then a valid Driver's license is requires and car insurance

Working Conditions 

• General office environment 
• Remain in a stationary position (sitting or standing) for extended periods of time; and ability to occasionally stand and walk about the office 
• Exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects 

Compensation and Benefits 

 $56,100-$61,939 (DOE)

Benefits package including 100% paid medical and dental for spouse or domestic partner and children; Oregon sick leave; Personal time off minimum of 120 hours per year; ; opportunity to participate in Oregon Saves Roth IRA program. 

This is a limited term one year position that ends June 30, 2025 unless new funding is secured. All CAT positions are funded primarily by grants and positions may be eliminated at any time due to business need and available funding. This position is represented by a Union. The wages and benefits are subject to change due to ongoing CBA negotiations; 

BIPOC, Women, LGBTQ, Two Spirit, and low-income renters are encouraged to apply to all of our open positions. 

CAT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Salary : $56,100 - $61,939