Housing Specialist

PA’LANTE is seeking a Housing Specialist to join the organization. The specialist will primarily represent tenants in upper Manhattan and the Bronx, fighting to enforce tenants’ housing rights.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide technical assistance and wrap around homeless prevention services to low income families and the working poor
• Assist rent regulated renters with individual applications to housing enforcement agencies including Housing Preservation & Development, Division of Housing & Community Renewal (apartment complaints, rent overcharge, lease renewal procurement, succession rights, etc.)
• Conduct research for potential building wide class-action cases Help organize individual Tenants’ Associations
• Participate in and/or lead periodic tenant association evening meetings when representing a group of tenants
• Update case management CRM system, maintain and update files and case notes, and assist in grant reporting when needed

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Three (3) years of relevant experience
• Fluent in Spanish is preferred
• A deep commitment to advocating on behalf of working-class, lower-income, and marginalized communities
• A proven ability to communicate effectively with diverse groups of people, offices, agencies, and organizations
• Excellent writing, research, community organizing, and advocacy skills
• Team player

COMPENSATION

Salary range of $45,000 to $65,000 (dependent on experience). PA’LANTE offers a generous benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance, paid sick/personal days, vacation time with rollover days, retirement account, life insurance, etc.

TO APPLY

Please send a cover letter, one writing sample, salary requirements, and resume via e-mail to Elsia Vasquez, Executive Director, at elsia.vasquez@palanteharlem.org. All attachments should be in MS Word or PDF form. Please note “Housing Specialist – Your Name” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled in person on a rolling basis.

HIGHER EDUCATION & STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS

Please P.A.'L.A.N.T.E. is recognized as a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. This position enables employees to benefit from PSLF, as well as other federal and state student loan foregiveness programs.

P.A.'L.A.N.T.E. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

P.A.’L.A.N.T.E. is an equal employment opportunity employer. People of color, transgender and gender non-conforming people, survivors of violence, people with disabilities and individuals of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. P.A.’L.A.N.T.E. does not discriminate based on race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, height, weight, national origin, disability, or citizen, marital, veteran, or HIV status.

ABOUT P.A.'L.A.N.T.E.

P.A.'L.A.N.T.E. began formally September 2006 when nearly 100 community residents, living in three dilapidated buildings in Harlem, banded together to form a tenant association to address the neglect and property abandonment at the hands of its unscrupulous landlord. We took the landlord to housing court and initiated a $5 million lawsuit in State Supreme Court to address rent overcharges, the landlord’s failure to provide lease renewals, missing security deposits and frivolous rent apartment registrations.

We succeeded in achieving the first successful tenant-initiated Article 7A transfer in eight years. The landlord was removed from management responsibilities of the properties and enrolled in HPD’s 7A program. The leaders of the group formed People Against Landlord Abuse and Tenant Exploitation (P.A’L.A.N.T.E.) Harlem in 2008, to empower local residents in the community to effectively address housing problems and hold accountable.

P.A.’L.A.N.T.E. goal is to end tenant exploitation in order to enable low-income community residents to remain in their homes and ensure that those homes are safe and affordable.