Community Engagement and Housing Specialist

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Are you an excellent communicator? Are you super organized with great people skills? Are you able to strategically think and troubleshoot in situations that are hectic? FANTASTIC!!! Keep reading.....

MCRC (a non-profit organization) is seeking a highly motivated person to function as our Community Engagement and Housing Specialist. This position is a collaborative supporter and an extremely valuable member of the Support Services Teams with the objective to support the mission of MCRC and the clients served by building an ever-increasing network for volunteer and donor support to the organization, while also planning, organizing, implementing, and coordinating all activities related to housing issues experienced by Erie’s refugee population. Helps in the building and creation of a warm and welcoming environment for our clients and those neighbors in our community. The Community Engagement and Housing Specialist leads efforts to secure and coordinate the acquisition of safe, sanitary, and affordable housing for newly arriving refugees and helps reduce barriers to housing security for longer-term clients. This person will also assist in the solicitation and acquisition of in-kind donations to the organization. They also assist in the procurement and distribution of furnishings and supplies to new arrivals to meet client needs and satisfy program compliance requirements. Additionally, in addition to the daily maintenance of the volunteer program, the Volunteer and Donations Coordinator represents the agency at external events and builds relationships in the community and with volunteers and corporate partners.

The position requires a clear communicator, both verbal and written, organized with effective time management skills, demonstrating a willingness to learn and adapt, with the highest standards of behavior, detail orientation, collaborative manner and work ethic. This is a full-time position. The schedule for this position requires day hours and occasional evening and weekend hours to cover volunteer group activities, committee meetings and events to benefit the agency. This position reports to the Director of Refugee Services, with additional dotted line supervision provided by the Associate Director of Operations and the Executive Director.

Qualifications & Responsibilities

• An Associate's degree in Business, or related field or commensurate experience
• Completes the recruiting, screening, interviewing and training of new volunteers. Provides ongoing training and supervision of preexisting volunteers, ensuring that volunteers are given appropriate training to be successful in their positions.
• Works with volunteers individually and in small groups. Assesses experience, skills and limitations of volunteers to successfully engage them in meaningful volunteer service.
• Orients, trains, coaches, motivates, measures and evaluates volunteers in accordance with organizational policies, procedures and programs. Orients volunteers to increase their understanding of the organization, its clients, its services and the role and responsibilities of volunteers.
• Acts as liaison between the agency and the community, including but not limited to: 1) speaking to community and corporate groups to present on the agency history, needs and volunteer opportunities and 2) volunteers and the agency to ensure that staff are prepared for arrival of volunteer groups and that all necessary tools, resources and materials are readily available and that all staff understand details and expectations.
• Superb organization, planning, and logistical skills.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation.
• Attend meetings related to program objectives.
• Develop additional resources to help serve clients.
• Creates and maintains volunteer files which will track individual applications, background checks, and other paperwork related to their ongoing participation in MCRC volunteering opportunities.
• Maintains volunteer calendar, arranging schedules for different needs within the Refugee programs.
• Completes monthly reporting summaries of volunteer hours and project statuses.
• Establish partnerships with property owners and managers, building strong working relationships with the goal of increasing access to housing for refugee families and to coordinate client home repair requests as needed.
• Collaborate effectively with coworkers and partner organizations to support a positive resettlement experience.
• Strong relationship building, diplomacy, and networking skills; ability to effectively build internal and external relationships.
• Demonstrates ability to manage complex logistics involving multiple stakeholders within a limited time-frame.
• Secure and furnish safe and affordable housing for refugees and other eligible populations prior to arrival.
• Work alongside leadership to identify funding and acquire funding opportunities for the acquisition of affordable housing.
• Communicate with volunteers to coordinate housing set-ups and donation pick-ups.
• Set up homes and pick up donations in absence of available volunteers.
• Establish and maintain relationships with landlords to secure safe and affordable housing and mitigate any housing issues.
• Visit homes pre- and post-arrival to identify and/or diagnose basic maintenance concerns and communicate those concerns to clients, landlords, volunteers, and other staff.
• Establish tracking system for in-kind donations.
• Collaborate with staff and volunteers.
• Guide clients through signing of lease agreements.
• Self-starter with excellent problem-solving skills combined with the proven ability to multi-task, prioritize duties, and manage time effectively.
• Superb organization, planning, and logistical skills.
• Maintain accurate records and documentation.
• Attend meetings related to program objectives.
• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule that includes evenings, holidays, and weekends.
• Capable of working with a diverse population.
• Researches and cultivates relationships with individual and corporate donors and community agencies for the solicitation of in-kind goods.
• Communicates with potential donors regarding items to be donated, as well as planned delivery of said items.
• Exercises discretion regarding acceptance and/or disposition of donated goods and maintains donor relationship through attentive customer service.
• Completes donation paperwork for donors.
• Works with clients to ensure the proper processing of donations.
• Monitors the donation rooms to ensure organization and cleanliness.
• Facilitates logistics related to delivery of extra donations to other shelter sites or agencies.
• Acknowledges volunteer in-kind and financial donations in a timely manner.
• Meets regularly with Leadership Team to review and assess volunteer needs.

Should have a compassion for the life experiences of refugees.

Final applicant is required to be fingerprinted to complete background check.

Preferred

• 2-3 Years’ experience working with refugee families preferred
• Experience with or knowledge of tenants' rights, utility assistance programs, lease agreements, utility transfer, etc. preferred.
• Experience working with volunteers preferred.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $18.00 - $20.00 per hour

Expected hours: 37.5 per week

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Experience:

• Microsoft Office: 5 years (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $18 - $20