Tenant Advocate

Status: Non-Exempt Unit: Community Services

Position: Full Time / 35 hours per week

Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) is a 47-year-old nationally recognized South Brooklyn based, non-profit community development corporation and NeighborWorks America chartered member whose mission is to advance economic, social, and racial justice through integrated, community-centered affordable housing, grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, and transformative education, training and services that build the power to shape our community’s future.

FAC works to transform the lives of over 7,500 low- and moderate-income New Yorkers annually so that we can all live and work with dignity and respect while making our community more equitable, sustainable, inclusive, and just.

To achieve our mission, FAC develops and manages affordable housing and community facilities, creates economic opportunities, and ensures access to economic stability, organizes residents and workers, offers student centered adult education, and combats displacement caused by gentrification.

Responsibilities:

Working closely with colleagues at FAC and Neighbors Helping Neighbor (NHN), our affiliate organization, the Tenant Advocate will educate and advocate for the rights of low- and moderate-income tenants to stabilize their housing by conducting intakes, providing one-on-one advocacy assistance, maintaining case files and databases and performing administrative functions to ensure contract and grant compliance.

The Tenant Advocate will also share information with the Organizing & Advocacy team on a regular basis regarding any high-level complaints and/or possible areas for potential organizing of buildings or issues/campaigns.

Duties include:

• Providing one-on-one advocacy for tenants in multi-family properties who are facing poor conditions and/or at risk of displacement, as needed.
• Conducting intakes and screenings with participants facing eviction or housing quality issues.
• Screening and assessing participants for services covered through the WholeYourNYC Social Care Network, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and community needs.
• Referring internally to FAC or NHN programs or externally to partners for relevant eviction prevention, housing, and/or legal counseling assistance, as needed.
• Inputting data and maintaining accurate and timely case files in our database, Salesforce.
• Preparing and maintaining contract reports and invoices for cases, clinics, and workshops. Performing administrative functions to ensure contract and grant compliance.
• Participating in regular Organizing & Advocacy meetings and trainings to better connect tenants to organizing efforts.
• Represent FAC and NHN at relevant meetings with partners, coalitions and at events, as assigned.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of 2 years of experience as an advocate or case manager.
• Understanding of NYS rent stabilization and tenant rights preferred. Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
• Enthusiasm and respect for racial, ethnic, and economic diversity.
• Experience working with low-income populations is required.
• Strong writing, data management, administrative and computer skills required (Word, Excel, Access, Salesforce).
• Bi-lingual in English-Spanish required (oral and written fluency).
• Demonstrated appreciation for link between individual advocacy and community organizing.
• Commitment to FAC’s mission of racial, economic, and social justice and building local power within the context of a locally accountable community development corporation.