Housing Advisor, NKCDC, Philadelphia, PA

About NKCDC:

New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) is a community development corporation committed to sustainable development in housing opportunities, economic development, vacant land strategies, community engagement, and real estate development. NKCDC advances social equity and economic empowerment by nurturing and creating opportunities for residents to live and actively shape their neighborhoods of choice. To that end, NKCDC provides free housing counseling to anyone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and offers many additional resources to residents and businesses in the Kensington, Fishtown, and Port Richmond neighborhoods. NKCDC has a strong reputation, both locally and nationally, with longstanding credibility of serving as trusted and valuable partner and collaborator. The organization is currently the only community development organization in the City of Philadelphia that is a chartered member of the NeighborWorks America network. Historically, our approach to arts-based development and vacant land management have been considered innovative and transformative. Our current work using a trauma-informed community engagement model, applying a racial equity lens across the organization, and leading programs at the intersection of health and housing are keeping NKCDC at the cutting-edge of community development. NKCDC draws on the strengths of the communities in Fishtown, Kensington, and Port Richmond — a population of over 87,000 residents, 35% of whom live below the federal poverty level — to make sure neighborhood development benefits all residents. More information can be found at nkcdc.org.

Job Function:

The Housing Advisor works to build healthy communities and expand homeownership opportunities for low and moderate-income households. As Housing Advisor, you will provide your clients with the skills, knowledge and information to buy and maintain a home, provide them with energy assistance and improve their current housing situation. You will attract people into the program through outreach and marketing events, education and working with people individually. The Housing Advisor position provides a full complement of data entry and reporting functions for the housing department, particularly around first time homebuyer programs. This position will be located on-site at our main office, 2771 Ruth Street, Suite 1, Philadelphia, PA 19134, but may require significant remote work per City of Philadelphia pandemic safety restrictions. 

Grant-Funded Employment Term:

This position is grant-funded and terminates September 30, 2022, the end date of the Division of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Fiscal Year 2021-2022, with the possibility of extending employment term upon approval of grant renewal.

Reports to:

Director of Housing Services

Primary Responsibilities:

Intake & Referrals

• Assist with orientation of applicants to the first time homebuyer, foreclosure prevention, energy assistance and other loan programs available to low and moderate income families.
• Ensure applications are fully completed.
• Gather data and enter into appropriate program databases to track program statistics.
• Conduct monthly reporting and/or billing as appropriate.
• Refer homeowners to other necessary community resources

Counseling and case management

• Conduct preliminary assessment of the homeowner’s situation.
• Counsel the homeowner about personal and financial issues that address the challenge they are facing.
• Assist with intake and referrals to appropriate programs including loan, first-time homebuyer, energy assistance and tax relief programs.
• Develop and assist other Housing Services staff with workshops, presentations and community outreach events.

Data Collection and Entry

• Provide full complement of data entry and program reporting functions for the department.
• Meet quality control standards and programmatic requirements.
• Perform appropriate paper and electronic filing.
• Pay particular attention to promptly facilitating program’s data entry and internal communications around documents and data.

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• UD Housing Counselor Certification required.
• Certification in Pre-Purchase and Mortgage Default Counseling required.
• Minimum 2-3 years’ experience working within the lending, counseling, or real estate sales industries.
• Bi-Lingual, English/Spanish-speaking applicant is highly desired.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office/MS 365 applications required.
• Experience and proficiency in client data management systems, including data entry and reporting, is required.
• Proven ability to deal with people in high stress situations with empathy and concern.
• Both a team player and a self-starter with ability to prioritize tasks.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience working with culturally diverse groups of people.
• Knowledge of real estate, underwriting policies, mortgages, credit counseling, foreclosure and household budgeting and loan closing highly desirable.
• Familiarity with social service networks in Philadelphia a plus.
• May need to work off-site or off-hours on occasion as needed.

Compensation:

Competitive salary with excellent benefits including HMO health plan, long- and short-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid vacation, and 403(b) retirement plan. Salary range for this position will be $769.43 to $865.38 per week, with a full-time schedule, 35 hours per week, paid through the September 30, 2022, the DHCD FY2022 end date, with the possibility of extending the employment term upon approval of grant renewal. This position will be located on-site at our main office, 2771 Ruth Street, Suite 1, Philadelphia, PA 19134, but may require significant remote work per City of Philadelphia pandemic safety restrictions.

To Apply:

Applications received by Friday, March 5, 2021 will be considered on a rolling basis. Applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to Severa Kata, our Human Resources Director, at HR@nkcdc.org, with “[YOUR NAME] NKCDC Housing Advisor Application” in the subject line. All candidate resumes are given due consideration and are kept on file for one year, but we cannot always respond personally due to the high volume of inquiries. NKCDC provides

NKCDC provides Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, race, national or ethnic origin, gender identity or expression, religion, language, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or physical ability.