Tenant Organizer (Bilingual Spanish/English)

Tenants & Neighbors is a small, dynamic, grassroots organization that harnesses the power of tenants to preserve at-risk affordable housing and strengthen tenant rights in gentrifying neighborhoods throughout New York. We have two affiliate organizations: one that does grassroots tenant organizing at the building and community level to preserve at-risk affordable housing developments and one that does tenant-led legislative organizing and advocacy to address the underlying causes of loss of affordability.

About the Bilingual Tenant Organizer Position: The tenant organizer will engage tenants living in rent-regulated buildings at risk of displacement and harassment.

The tenant organizer will:

• Identify eligible buildings of at-risk affordable housing developments, engage in door-to-door outreach, and recruit tenant leaders to form and/or strengthen independent tenant associations.
• Foster the development of tenant leaders through training, technical assistance, and individual counseling.
• Help tenants collectively identify critical areas of need and develop successful building-wide campaign strategies as they organize to preserve and protect their buildings from displacement and to improve conditions.
• Work with tenants, members, and co-workers to develop and facilitate workshops and tenant meetings.
• Assist tenant associations in networking and building alliances/coalitions with other tenants and allies in their immediate neighborhoods and within owner portfolios.
• Represent Tenants & Neighbors and collaborate with other local organizations and city-wide coalitions to advocate to strengthen tenant protections and preserve affordable housing.
• Mobilize tenants for demonstrations, rallies, and other collective actions
• And support the broader goals and mission of the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate will have:

• At least two years of grassroots community organizing experience, ideally tenant organizing.
• Experience moving people into action and conducting leadership development activities.
• Ability to work independently and, at times, in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to work/organize across racial and cultural lines.
• Experience working in a grassroots membership organization or another type of social justice organization.
• Demonstrate commitment to building long-term power with low-income people of color, their families, and their communities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English & Spanish
• Experience with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace

POSITION TYPE AND EXPECTED WORK HOURS:

• This job operates in a professional office environment and out in the field.
• This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.
• This is a full-time, 35-hour weekly position, Monday through Friday, and as needed for evenings and weekends.
• Travel is primarily local during the business day, although some out-of-the-area and overnight travel may be expected at least once a year.
• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

Tenants & Neighbors is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly encourage people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals to apply.