Community Outreach Specialist & Organizer; term), PAH-Queens

Since 1968, Build Up Justice NYC has provided free legal services for low-income residents of Brooklyn, pursuing neighborhood-based mission of justice, empowerment, and community development. For over half a century, we have utilized an array of legal and advocacy strategies—community organizing, affirmative civil rights litigation, and eviction defense to defend the rights of individuals and families. Collaboration with the city, state, and federal officials to enforce housing laws and develop legislative solutions is also an integral part of our strategy.

Build Up Justice NYC has three core programs—Preserving Affordable Housing (PAH) Program, Consumer & Economic Advocacy (CEA) Program, and Community & Economic Development (CED) Program—each of which has unique initiatives and plays a vital community role to ensure basic needs are met and fundamental rights affirmed.

The Preserving Affordable Housing (PAH) program works to keep New Yorkers housed by using legal and advocacy strategies to prevent evictions, combat tenant harassment and discrimination, improve housing conditions, and promote access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.

The Community Outreach Specialist & Organizer will work in collaboration with an extraordinary coalition of neighborhood organizations throughout Queens to preserve and expand affordable housing for lower income residents in neighborhoods facing rapid gentrification and tenant displacement. They will work closely with community institutions facing closures or adverse actions due to extraordinary market pressures; low-income tenants in fair housing litigation; as well as community groups involved in struggles against pervasive housing discrimination, neighborhood segregation, and other issues critically affecting the future of their communities.

This is a one-year position with possible extension as funding permits.

• Provide direct services to new clients including intake, assessment, and follow-up;
• Lead regular meetings with tenants/tenant associations and attorneys;
• Conduct door-to-door home outreach to engage and inform tenants about their housing rights and resources available to help protect them;
• Work with attorneys to coordinate tenants’ housing court cases, including facilitating communication with tenants about case updates and issues;
• Engage community coalitions, advocates, and public officials in dialogue about pervasive displacement pressures/concerns and tenant harassment practices affecting low-income tenants in Queens;
• Conduct and facilitate regular workshops/trainings specific to housing rights, responsibilities, laws and processes, and know-your-rights tenant workshops, community presentations, and educational seminars to residents, community organizations, grassroots coalitions, faith-based organizations, affordable housing advocates, public agencies, and other local stakeholders;
• Post and distribute widely a broad array of informational materials that help inform tenants of their rights and protections under city, state, and federal housing laws as well as local community resources available to assist them with housing issues and securing government assistance;
• Guide organizational staff and staff of partner organizations in all aspects of forming and maintaining tenant associations and community coalition;
• Participate in meetings involving other PAH-Queens staff to develop plans to meet grant requirements and discuss systemic issues and policies that affect clients and communities reflected in current and past work done by organization or that could be the focus of future work;
• Participate in community meetings to provide outreach and information about organization services;
• Enter data and client notes into Legal Server, create reports, and provide metrics to support legal work and fundraising efforts, as needed;
• As practicable, attend court to observe proceedings and then report observations to supervisor; and
• Other related duties as required.

• Minimum of 3-5 years administrative support assistance experience, preferably within a non-profit organization; organizing experience a plus.
• Excellent…