New jobs: housing outreach to prevent eviction

We're launching a new project to help people keep and achieve stable housing in Fayette Count. Join our team! This is one of three new positions. Explore our blog to see them all.

Fayette County Housing Justice Outreach Organizer & Intake Support

Kentucky Equal Justice Center seeks three energetic Housing Outreach Workers to:

• help low-income residents of Kentucky who are facing eviction apply for rental assistance, get legal help with evictions, and get referrals to other community resources

• provide intake support to the Housing Justice Project clients

• create razor sharp campaign strategies, using deep campaign, power analysis, and issue cutting skills to ensure that every tenant in Lexington knows how to access resources, and is referred to the other advocacy organizations working in eviction prevention

• work with community partners across the state to prevent Kentuckians from being evicted and to stabilize housing for low-income and marginalized Kentuckians

• help tenants build independent political power, baked into the programmatic work

• train organizers, volunteers and community partners in the core fundamentals of organizing through facilitated peer to peer learning sessions, training and coaching sessions – with help of leadership team at KEJC

• erase the racial gap in communities accessing the Housing Stability Services and benefits available to all residents in Fayette County

• ensure that all marginalized populations in Lexington are tapped into Housing Stability resources available

The Fayette County Housing Outreach Organizer & Intake Support workers will join our versatile outreach and advocacy team in a collaborative effort with all four regional Kentucky legal aid programs and with our own immigration law program at Maxwell Street Legal Clinic. The goal: to keep Kentuckians safe and housed.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Housing Outreach Organizer will:

• Develop detailed and current knowledge of Housing Stability Services programs, rental assistance and other benefits available, including eligibility rules and where and how to apply, prioritizing the program with Community Action for Fayette County, relocation services with LFUCG, and other safety net resources available for tenants in crisis.

• Establish connections and participate in communications with all community partners directly involved with the rental assistance programs statewide, tenants unions, Community Action organizations, and other countywide agencies.

• Organize Door-Knocking events led by KEJC Organizers & Outreach Staff to directly impacted tenants facing eviction in Fayette County, keep reporting records on each forcible detainer filed in Fayette County, contacts made with tenants, demographics of household, and outcomes in cases in Court.

• Recruit, retain, support and educate volunteers, tenant leaders, and interested community partners, organized by neighborhood to assist in outreach and community organizing and tabling events. Facilitate community Housing Ambassadors in each region of the county.

• Help staff and support community outreach, including presentations, tabling at community events, potential radio appearances, and distribution of flyers in locations where volunteer organizations and individuals can be recruited to support the ongoing efforts of the rental assistance program.

• Promote and make referrals to rental assistance application clinics and other resources provided by Legal Aid Program staff or KEJC Housing Justice attorneys, either with use of tablets during door knocking to complete the online application process.

• Field incoming housing-related inquiries by phone, web, and email and provide appropriate information, intake, or referral to rental assistance application clinics and other resources provided by Legal Aid program staff.

• Meet with people who are being evicted or who are in danger of eviction to assess their needs and provide them with information about housing resources, refer to the Resource Organizer for case management services while proceeding through Court.

• Address barriers that interfere with clients’ ability to effectively participate in saving their housing and conduct activities to connect clients to wrap-around community services.

• Provide hands-on application assistance for a limited number of cases; help identify what works and what doesn’t; and advocate for continuous improvement in application and of approval processes through the channels established with the community partners.

• Help and support the Housing Outreach Lead to create housing-oriented outreach materials in consultation with our Senior Counsel and Housing Justice Attorney, including flyers, webinars, presentations, and blogs.

• Work with other KEJC staff to develop content and target social media messages that encourage and empower people to get rental assistance and legal help.

• Work closely with our Housing Justice Attorney and Senior Counsel to understand and improve the functionality of our online apps to connect people with rental protections, assistance, and legal help.

• Coordinate and collaborate with KEJC and legal aid program staff through Zoom calls and meetings, including implementation and continuous adjustment of a language access plan, referral pathways for direct representation, and continuous improvement of systems and support.

• Assist Kentucky Equal Justice Center’s Director, Housing Justice Attorney, and Resource Organizer in reporting on project activities and outcomes.

• Participate in professional development in communication, organizing, or other skills related to the above job duties and responsibilities, attend Consumer & Housing Task Force meetings coordinated by Housing Justice Attorney.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Two years or more relevant education or experience in community organizing work

• Strong communication skills, both written and oral, with a focus on clear communications to public audiences that are easily understandable.

• Comfort speaking in front of groups, with public officials and with the Courts.

• Comfort working in a multicultural setting, with sensitivity to language, race, ethnicity, disability, and cultural issues

• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to speak to people at all walks of life and cultures.

• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to use office and computer technology, including case management, spreadsheet and word processing software.

• Facility with social media and web-based communications tools.

• Ability to work within a team but also to be a self-starter in developing and carrying out activities that are the primary job functions of the position.

• Knowledge of low-income issues and trauma-informed advocacy.

• Commitment to racial justice, diversity, equity and inclusion.

• Access to transportation, necessary to conduct organizing and door knocking activities, either through use of public transportation, ride shares, or personal transportation.

Proficiency in a second language, especially Spanish, is strongly preferred.

History of advocacy or community work in Lexington is strongly preferred, as this job will necessarily include a substantial amount of time on the ground in Fayette County.

Salary and Benefits

Salaries for attorneys or paralegals are based on experience and our salary scale. (Organizers are paid on the “Professional” scale.)

Generous fringe benefits include health and retirement, dental, life, and disability coverage. KEJC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, but we provide health and retirement benefits through participation in state and county employee plans.

Grant Funded Position with Potential Renewal

This position is funded by a grant from LFUCG Housing Stability Services through December 2024, with a strong likelihood of renewal for additional years. Over time, sustainability will depend on locating new sources of support.

Starting Date: As soon as possible.

Application Instructions

To apply, please use our app (https://bit.ly/work-at-kejc) to upload as a single .pdf document:

• a cover letter

• your resume

• three references (with their phone numbers and email addresses) and, optionally,

• 2-3 examples of recent work that you feel is generally relevant to this position

Recent work materials might include:

• legal briefs

• policy papers

• videos or slides of presentations you are proud of

• one-pagers explaining an issue to laypeople, and/or

• op-eds or blog posts

If these materials are available online, you may provide them by linking to them in the cover letter or in a separate document in the single .pdf upload.

If you need an accommodation or assistance to submit your application and materials, please email ben@kyequaljustice.org.

Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

For more information

Contact Stefanie Ebbens Kingsley, Housing Justice Attorney, Kentucky Equal Justice Center, 201 West Short Street, Suite 310, Lexington, KY 40507. Email: stefanie@kyequaljustice.org.

Diversity Statement

KEJC welcomes your application. As an organization, we are committed to anti-racism and are working to build a racial justice framework into our programming and policy initiatives. We acknowledge our history as a predominately white organization and are committed to ending white supremacy. Doing so is essential to our objective of full equality for all people.

KEJC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth (or related medical conditions, including, but not limited to lactation), physical disability, mental and/or intellectual disability, age, military status or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer-related or HIV/AIDS-related), genetic information, or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

Women, people of color, transgender individuals and members of other underrepresented populations are strongly encouraged to apply. KEJC also supports and encourages people who were formerly convicted to be active in their community. Background checks results that indicate a conviction do not necessarily disqualify you from employment. KEJC reserves the right to request further information to fully assess an applicant’s candidacy in relation to the job duties associated with the position.