Housing Benefits Advocate

The Urban Justice Center’s Safety Net Project (SNP) provides direct legal and social services in the areas of public benefits access, homelessness, and tenant rights. SNP also engages in policy advocacy and community organizing led by impacted community members. SNP is one of NYC’s Right to Counsel providers representing tenants facing eviction and is also active in various grassroots organizing campaigns fighting for systemic change.

We are seeking a Housing Benefits Advocate who is looking for a creative and non-traditional environment, working with passionate and dedicated advocates in the fight against gentrification, displacement, and racist housing systems. SNP’s Housing Benefits Advocates help stop evictions by securing emergency rent arrears assistance and housing subsidies for tenants, and by addressing benefits and subsidy issues related to the tenant’s eviction case.

Primary Responsibilities

• Help clients obtain emergency rental arrears assistance through government programs and private charities;
• Prepare and submit housing subsidy applications;
• Engage in zealous advocacy with City agencies to secure assistance and resolve public benefits and housing subsidy issues;
• Communicate with clients, manage referrals and appointments, and conduct intake for benefits issues.

Qualifications/Skills:

• Aptitude for tenacious, client-centered advocacy;
• Ability to quickly learn the regulations and processes of New York City’s public benefits and housing subsidy systems;
• Strong written and oral communication skills;
• Strong anti-oppression and social justice analysis and lens, including a deep commitment to racial justice and housing justice work;
• Ability to respond sensitively to the urgent needs of clients;
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, including flexibility and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment handling a docket of housing benefits advocacy cases;
• Spanish proficiency or a commitment to learn Spanish is strongly preferred.

The annual salary for this position is between $62,000.00 and $75,109.73, depending on experience, and an excellent benefits package is available, with generous vacation, personal, and sick time, along with industry-leading medical and dental coverage. This is a bargaining unit position represented for collective bargaining purposes by the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys (ALAA) UAW Local 2325. Subject to work needs, the Safety Net Project also offers flexible hours and hybrid work options.

The Safety Net Project is an equal opportunity employer. SNP encourages applications from people with diverse backgrounds, including women, people of color, immigrants, domestic violence survivors, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ people, people from low-income backgrounds, and people with personal experience with the criminal justice system. We strongly encourage applications from people with lived experiences in the communities we serve, of homelessness or housing instability, or of the benefits system.

Spanish language proficiency or a commitment to learn Spanish is strongly preferred.