Tenant Organizer – (AmeriCorps VISTA, Multiple positions, and housing stipend provided)
Want to build renter power and community leadership? Interested in renter advocacy and housing justice? Want to pursue community organizing but don’t know where to start? This opportunity is for you!!
HOME Line provides free and low-cost legal, organizing, education, and advocacy services so that tenants throughout Minnesota can solve their own rental housing problems. The HOME Line-Twin Cities Affordable Housing Preservation Project will build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to sustainably engage renters who are facing or may face displacement and/or substandard housing conditions. In particular, the project will focus on historically underserved populations experiencing housing instability in the Twin Cities Metro Area. VISTAs will work to increase tenants’ knowledge of their rights, responsibilities, and options for preserving their homes as affordable and improving their communities.
The VISTA Organizer will support tenants to develop leadership skills to improve rental housing conditions, prevent evictions, and preserve affordable housing. VISTAs will work with tenants to develop outreach materials for upcoming meetings and events and educational materials about renters’ rights and responsibilities. VISTAs can also expect to perform research about properties using data request procedures and engage in 1-1 relationship building with tenants. They will co-coordinate and co-facilitate meetings with tenants and community partners in order to develop strategies to improve tenant association engagement and develop outreach plans to increase awareness of tenants’ rental housing concerns. The VISTA Organizer will also work with local housing coalitions and nonprofits to develop community partners for tenant associations and will develop a training curriculum and help expand HOME Line’s eviction prevention project and digital organizing strategy.
PLACEMENT:
HOME Line VISTA members are placed at specific renter-focused nonprofits where they are assigned a capacity-building project in community engagement and leadership development with low-income renters. VISTAs collaborate with on-site staff as well as HOME Line support and guidance to develop sustainable and capacity-building processes for their organization. VISTA members meet monthly as a cohort (6-11 members) for professional development, co-working sessions, virtual hours to discuss current topics, think tanks dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and work/life balance; meet 1:1 weekly with their on-site supervisor, and attend creative team-building events both at their host site and HOME Line. Additionally, the VISTA Organizer will receive training from the University of Minnesota-Center for Urban and Regional Affairs’ Neighborhoods NOW! community organizing course, as well as training on Minnesota’s tenant/landlord laws.
Benefits
At HOME Line we believe in supporting renters! The VISTA will be eligible for a monthly housing stipend in housing assistance (which will be paid directly to the landlord or mortgage provider).
VISTAs receive a modest living stipend – $575.40 Bi-weekly
End of year award
- Segal AmeriCorps Education Award – $6,345
OR
- end-of-year cash stipend – $3000 for VISTA leaders, $1800 for VISTA members
Healthcare
– Already have insurance? Healthcare allowance of $7,900 to offset deductible, copayments, etc.
– No insurance? AmeriCorps Health Benefit Plan
Leave
– 10 vacation days and 10 sick days, plus other benefits
Future after VISTA year
– Non-Competitive Eligibility (NCE) Status- Member can apply for federal jobs without having to go through the standard public competitive selection process
– Does not guarantee a job but is a valuable resource
-The VISTA Organizer has the opportunity to develop numerous professional networking connections that may be used as references and/or mentors after the service year is complete. Additionally, connections to many organizations to search out career opportunities.
Reduction of Education costs
– Loans may be put into forbearance or deferment for the year of service
Travel and Relocation
– Relocation assistance if more than 50 miles from home to service site
– $750 for “settling-in”
– Mileage reimbursement (federal rate or site rate)
– Close of service travel- relocation allowance to go back to home site on record after finalization of service year
*Sites also may provide various benefits such as grocery cards, transportation funds, and professional development money.
*For details about AmeriCorps VISTA healthcare benefits, please visit http://www.vistacampus.gov/healthcare.
(Note: There are multiple host sites where an applicant can apply to be placed; duties and benefits may vary from site to site. Please contact Kara Lallman, Organizing Project Director at HOME Line for information about these sites).
The deadline to submit a resume is February 4, 2022, and the service term is 3/14/2022 – 3/13/2023. To learn more and apply, please email KaraL@homelinemn.org