Housing Coordinator (Texas)

at  HIAS Inc

POSITION SUMMARY:

HIAS seeks a Housing Coordinator to implement a new supportive housing program for asylum-seeker families under the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The Housing Coordinator will be supported by the Housing Strategy Specialist and the Social Services team and will manage a caseload of asylum-seeker families, conduct monthly needs-assessments, distribute financial assistance for housing costs, and assist with other services to support families in securing and maintaining stable housing. Work will be conducted in-person when possible and virtually when client location exceeds a 100-mile radius from Austin, Texas.

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

• Undergraduate degree required.
• 2-3 years of relevant experience working in affordable housing, homeless services, and/or refugee resettlement.
• Fluency in English and Spanish strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of U.S. Refugee Program and common refugee needs required; previous work experience at a resettlement affiliate strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of Microsoft 365 platform, including SharePoint and MS Teams, preferred; proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word is essential.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; comfort with public speaking preferred.
• Excellent problem-solving, conflict resolution, and mediation skills; ability to adapt and maintain composure in challenging situations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for collaboration with other team members, coordination with volunteers, and management of key relationships with landlords and community partners.
• Well-organized and detail-oriented; ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Self-starter able to manage, coordinate, and carry out varied functions of multi-faceted program.
• Travel, to include travel to insecure operating environments, may be required.

ABOUT US:

Over one hundred years ago, the Jewish community founded HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) in New York City, the immigrant gateway to America. Supporting Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe, our founders were guided by the traditions, texts and history of the Jewish people—a history of oppression, displacement and diaspora. HIAS has since helped generations of Jews facing violence because of who they were, and HIAS remains committed to helping Jewish refugees anywhere in the world. Today, our clients at HIAS come from diverse faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds, as do our staff. We bring our experience, history and values to our work across five continents, ensuring that refugees today receive the vital services and opportunities they need to thrive.
HIAS is a learning community, committed to diversity and inclusion. We do our work with integrity, accountability, transparency and a commitment to the highest ethical standards. We seek employees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to join our teams located in the United States and across the globe. People who identify as BIPOC, people with disabilities, people from the LGBTQ+ community and people with lived experiences of forced displacement or immigration are all encouraged to apply. We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects our vision, mission and values.

• Conducts monthly check-ins and housing needs assessments with asylum-seeker families.
• Helps families identify housing options and submit rental applications.
• Conducts outreach and advocates to landlords to rent to immigrant tenants and explain common asylum-seeker identification documents (which may be unfamiliar to landlords).
• Provides financial assistance for housing costs.
• Instructs clients on how to open utilities accounts, set up renters’ insurance, and collect their key, as required by the apartment.
• Connects clients to HUD-certified Housing Counseling agencies, local eviction prevention programs, and other housing resources, as necessary.
• Provides housing cultural orientation to ensure clients can maintain their tenant obligations and housing security.
• Maintains records of client contact, needs, and assistance disbursements.
• Performs other duties as assigned.