Social Housing Organizer - Part-time

The Village of Love and Resistance (VOLAR) seeks a Social Housing Organizer - part-time to support our Intentional Community of Cooperative Living in East Baltimore, MD. The setting is a cooperative living housing including seven units that will be a limited liability cooperative. The anticipated date for full occupancy will be summer 2025.

The Social Housing Organizer will work on site and virtually, for approximately 10-12 hours each week leading/assisting and responsible for:

• Meeting and following up with the property management liaison to receive updates on maintenance
• Supporting cooperators in responsible financial stewardship of property (timely payments/delinquency prevention and understanding and practice of cooperative ownership)
• Meeting regularly with…
  • the Cooperator Assembly (which includes all Cooperators)
  • the Advisory Council (which includes all Cooperators, VOLAR representative, Social Housing Organizer)
  • the representative of the Cooperator Assembly (this is an alternating role among Cooperators) as needed
  • the Cooperative Living Committee (VOLAR non-profit’s committee responsible for supporting the goal of the Housing Cooperative)
• Establishing and maintaining with cooperators, a regular schedule for caring for common areas
• Supporting Community of Practice agreements
• With the support of cooperators, organizing all social and educational learning activities within the housing cooperative to build connection and leadership skills among members
• Developing and facilitating application, orientation and onboarding process for housing cooperators (this will initially occur with the support of the Cooperative Living Committee and then Cooperators, once they are trained)
• Organizing educational training and leadership development activities quarterly
• Maintaining house culture in accordance with Cooperator Housing Manual and working to facilitate a safe and inclusive community
• Disseminating, revising, and facilitating learning around educational Cooperative manuals, guides, packets, FAQs, for the purposes of creating a socially engaged community to make informed decisions

Minimum of 2 years’ experience working with residential cooperative or intentional communities or related environment

Preferably working with mission–focused residential setting

Required experience/qualifications:

• Lived or worked in a residential cooperative or intentional community for more than one year
• Commitment to VOLAR’s mission around building community rooted in healing and wellness
• Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred and/or minimum work experience in community development, community organizing, affordable housing, project management, property and asset management, or a related field.
• Strong project management and administrative skills; is detail-oriented, collaborative and a creative problem solver.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; is able to work with a range of stakeholders including residents, community members, and partners.
• Computer literacy and comfort working with Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Quickbooks.
• Ability to work some evenings and weekend hours
• Ability to work in-person for meetings, site visits, community events
• Reliable transportation
• Time management
• Oral communication kills
• Written communication skills
• Diplomacy
• Ability to understand or identify with Experience working with working class people
• Willingness to engage in honest, constructive, mindful, and compassionate reciprocal critique of self and work with cooperators and leadership.

Preferred experience/qualifications:

• Degree in Social Work or work-related field
• Non-violent communication skills
• Telephone etiquette
• Attention to detail
• Experience and/or ability to approach problem-solving, and crisis intervention from a “love” perspective (find ways to resolve issues without calling police/agencies when possible)
• Manage Google documents
• Creativity and sense of humor
• Working knowledge of critical race theory/intersectionality as it pertains to diversity, racial, class, and gender equity and inclusion principles and skilled at facilitating conversations
• Experience in anti-racism/anti-oppression trainings
• Knowledge of Baltimore communities, history, issues and organizations. [Baltimore residents are strongly encouraged to apply and given strong preference.]

Accountability process

In order for the Social Housing Organizer to meet their responsibilities and work in an environment supportive of this goal:

• they will meet weekly with members of the Cooperative Living Committee to develop weekly work plans
• update progress and obstacles and adjustments in work plan
• be supported in their growth initiatives
• meet with Cooperative Living Committee for evaluations every 6 months

Please send resume and cover letter to volar018@gmail.com

VOLAR respects hiring people who are Black, Indigenous, person of color, LGBTQIA+, disabled.