Housing Specialist - 2024705

Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten?  Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor?

If you answered ‘yes’, to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you.

At this pivotal moment in time, we are rapidly expanding and growing our team to meet the increasing needs of our world. We are looking for people who want to use their gifts and talents to make a real and tangible difference in our world and the lives of the suffering.

If you’re looking for a purpose-driven career in which you can grow your talents, while also standing up for the rights of the vulnerable, we want you to join us today.

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe. Since then, for 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish.

Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, community strengthening and resilience, and refugee & immigrant services and advocacy.

POSITION SUMMARY:

World Relief seeks a Housing Specialist. This position has the primary responsibility of developing relationships with property owners and landlords to secure safe and affordable permanent housing for recently arrived refugees. The Housing Specialist will work closely with case managers to identify housing needs and may involve regular travel throughout the Chicago suburbs. This position requires a highly motivated and organized individual who is adept at building relationships, multi-tasking, and utilizing a tracking system to keep up-to-date and accurate records. If you are interested in helping refugees and immigrants find safe and affordable housing, have a passion for working with people and enjoy real estate, and looking for a position where you can showcase your sales, customer service, relationship building and networking skills, then you might be a great fit for our team! 

• Conduct ongoing outreach to develop, build, and maintain relationships with property owners, private market landlords, and property management companies
• Research fair market housing rates and trends and identify rental properties and apartments through online research, phone calls, community connections, and in-the-field research
• Ensure housing meets federal and local housing standards, including completing site visit and evaluation of each unit
• Interpret and apply housing codes and standards, landlord regulations, and program guidelines
• Coordinate with US-based relatives when securing housing for incoming refugee cases
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records and documentation, including updating a CRM with hot, warm, and cold housing leads and documenting services to clients
• Negotiate lease terms with landlords, when required, and assist newly arrived refugee cases to understand and sign lease and/or housing agreement
• Once housing is secured, collaborate with WR Finance staff to secure security deposit and rent payment, and collaborate with other WR staff on a move-in date, utility hook-up, and furniture set-up
• When necessary, provide initial housing orientation to newly arrived refugee cases
• Assist with housing-related case management tasks or other housing support, as needed

• Mature and personal Christian faith
• Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief
• Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities
• Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Reliefs Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Evangelicals For the Health of The Nation document
• Extremely self-motivated, excellent problem-solver, with proactive approach to work
• Demonstrated ability to effectively listen and respond to others with diplomacy in potentially stressful situations
• Strong organization and documentation skills are imperative
• Exceptional verbal, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills required
• Displays resilience and possesses the ability to face rejection
• Fluency in a second language preferred: Arabic, Burmese, Russian, Ukrainian, Swahili, French, Spanish, Pashto, or Dari
• Competency in using IT systems including MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and other digital tools and the internet
• Valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and auto insurance required

• Experience in customer service, sales, fundraising, marketing, or related field strongly preferred
• Willingness and ability to continually sell the mission and work of WR to property owners
• Learning orientation: eager for both personal and professional growth, especially within sales
• Strategic orientation toward sales: able to shape and execute plans to reach goals
• Ability to develop a thorough knowledge of World Relief programs through reading reports, conversing with staff, attending team meetings, etc., and use this knowledge to shape a solid sales pitch
• Well organized, with an ability to manage concurrent deadlines and priorities and meet deadlines
• A love for and commitment to people who are marginalized, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or culture, and a desire to see people flourish
• Lived immigrant experience preferred

World Relief offers a competitive benefits package and employee discount program for full-time and part-time employees.

World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Gold-level Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation for exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations and execution, and whole person health.

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Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

For World Relief staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.