Tenant Organizer

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

TENANT ORGANIZER – QUEENS

Communities Resist Inc., a project of Southside United HDFC (CoRe), seeks a tenant

organizer to join a team combating gentrification, displacement, social disenfranchisement, and

structural injustice through tenant organizing in Brooklyn and Queens.

CoRe is a legal services organization for housing and community justice steeped in the

50-year tradition of community lawyering in North and East Brooklyn. In these communities,

we have spent years working together with neighborhood organizations and organizers in

representing hundreds of tenants and tenant associations. Our representation has aimed to assist

them with enforcing their right to social citizenship by struggling, resisting, and enduring against

any attempts to deny working communities, largely of color, their place and their agency. CoRe

has arisen out of a collective effort of these communities to ensure that this unique model

continues unchanged.

The tenant organizer will work in collaboration with this extraordinary coalition of

neighborhood organizations to help preserve and expand affordable housing for lower income

residents of those areas—in the face of rapid gentrification and tenant displacement throughout

their neighborhoods. The work involves developing tenant associations and partnering with

CoRe’s staff attorneys to combat landlord harassment and discrimination of low-income

residents; protecting individuals and families facing eviction; representing low-income tenant

co-ops seeking to reinforce and sustain themselves; protecting community institutions facing

closures or adverse actions due to extraordinary market pressures and neighborhood

displacement; organzing low-income tenants in fair housing litigation; as well as organizing

community groups involved in struggles against pervasive housing discrimination, neighborhood

segregation, and other issues critically affecting the future of their communities.

This position will involve forming and organizing tenant associations and assisting

individual tenants in Queens suffering from harassment and displacement – particularly due to

prior/imminent local rezonings – predominantly in the communities of Flushing, Astoria, Jackson

Heights, Corona, Elmhurst, and Woodside. The tenant organizer will work to stop such

pernicious practices in these communities by: providing advice and legal services to help

improve conditions in their homes and buildings; conducting Know-Your-Rights housing

workshops, clinics, and other educational efforts to ensure that tenants are aware of their

protections under housing laws; participating in neighborhood advocacy efforts to stop tenant

harassment, displacement, and residential segregation; participating in citywide dialogue around

these issues; and contributing to CoRe’s efforts to shape our housing advocacy and legal strategy

to effectively respond to the ongoing needs of our communities.

Applicants must have the following qualifications:
Fluency in Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Bengali, Arabic or another language commonly

spoken in Queens.

Ability to be attentive, walk up and down stairs, door-knock and canvass in the

neighborhoods CoRe serves throughout the year.

Ability to attend frequent evening tenant associations and community meetings.

Cultural competence demonstrated through present or past residence in, or employment at,

organizations serving our clients’ communities.

Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with individuals from diverse

backgrounds and diverse local organizations.

Experience working with low-income tenant groups, community organizations and/or

coalitions.

Excellent interpersonal skills and effective communication skills, including the ability to

work with people in desperate crisis.

Ability to work independently with strong motivation, to manage a high caseload, track

case data, meet deadlines, and to be flexible.

Computer proficiency sufficient to independently review and generate materials relevant to

the position as well as track client information in our database, prepare reports for grantors,

attend meetings, and perform tasks related to the work such as timekeeping and case notes.

Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with individuals from diverse

backgrounds and local organizations.

CoRe is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal

employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, religion/creed, color, national

origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, military status, predisposing genetic

characteristics, victim of domestic violence status or marital status. Salary will be commensurate

with experience; excellent health and other benefits will be provided.

To apply, forward a cover letter with your resume to:
Lina Lee, Executive Director

Communities Resist Inc.

E-mail:[email protected]

Please put ‘Tenant Organizer’ in the subject line