Tenant Organizer

Founded in 1972, Housing Conservation Coordinators, Inc. (HCC) is a 50+ year old community-based, not-for-profit organization anchored in Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side. HCC’s programs promote social and economic justice and fight for the rights of poor, low-income, and working individuals and families. Through our services, we seek to promote a vibrant and diverse community with the power to shape its own future. Today we offer a wide range of legal, advocacy, weatherization, and community organizing services to tenants throughout Manhattan.

Job Responsibilities include:

1) Works independently or in collaboration with other staff as appropriate to organize tenants in tenant-run, privately-owned and/or City owned buildings to help create self-sustaining tenant groups or organizations, and improve/secure stable conditions for the tenants in occupancy.

2) Lead and facilitate the work of HCC within the Stabilizing New York City Coalition. The organizer will maintain a working list of active and target buildings owned by Predatory Equity landlords, work to organize strong tenants associations in PE buildings with the goal of bringing tenants in buildings owned by the same landlord together in a larger organized group. The organizer will actively work to develop tenant leadership in PE buildings.

3) Represent the organization in other coalition and campaign activities as needed. Take an active role in turning out WSNA members and tenant leaders that have a relationship to the organization through building organizing to all relevant actions, events, hearings and press conferences as necessary. Ensure that the organization takes a leadership role in necessary strategy conversations and decision-making.

4) Attend on-going appropriate trainings, including but not limited to welfare advocacy, HRA Assistance, Rent Stabilization Code, foreign languages appropriate to client populations, advocacy and application assistance for housing, welfare, rent arrears, food stamps, social security for eligible clients (as it relates to housing), shelter advocacy for the dispossessed and housing court assistance for individual tenants and families.

5) When necessary, advocate on behalf of individual tenants on cases arranged through building organizing or component meetings. Such advocacy may include advocacy and application assistance for housing, welfare, rent arrears, SNAP (food stamps), social security for eligible clients (as it relates to housing), shelter advocacy for the dispossessed and housing court assistance for individual tenants and families.

6) Work with the Component Director and senior management to develop reasonable programmatic goals for tenant organizing, and client assistance and to ensure that the goals for each contract are met.

7) Contract Reporting: Complete all necessary work for contract agencies and/or foundations, including maintaining accurate and weekly database entries, including but not limited to client notes, membership updates, individual and group meetings held, and meeting attendees.

8) Assist with Community Organizing Activities: Work with Community Organizer and Director of Organizing on community organizing activities such as annual events, meetings, campaigns and actions. This can include outreach and turnout for events and actions (emails, email blasts, phone-banking and flyering); preparing for meetings (developing agendas, working with leaders to facilitate, doing appropriate research); developing and executing campaign strategy; set-up and clean-up for events; working with media; and working with members, local leadership and elected officials and their staff.

9) The Tenant Organizer will take an active role in the planning and execution of the West Side Tenants Conference and assist in organizing conference workshops, turnout and publicity, and any relevant logistics.

10) Conduct intake as needed on a rotating basis with other members of the legal and organizing component to advise and assist residents with housing-related problems during times when the Intake Coordinator is unavailable.

11) Be available and respond to community walk-in questions and needs.

12) Other related duties as assigned by Management.

Work Hours:

The standard work hours for a tenant organizer are between the hours of 9:30 am and 7:30 pm, except where deadlines, workload and/or tenant meetings require a modification of those hours.

Qualifications:

• 2 - 3 years of experience in tenant organizing and base-building or working in

coalition on a campaign preferred

• Strong knowledge of NYC housing regulations and city and state agencies preferred

• A demonstrated commitment to social justice for underserved communities

• Excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills

• Strong writing, data management, administrative and computer skills required

• Bi-lingual in English and Spanish preferred

• Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor an employment visa

Salary and Benefits

The Tenant Organizing position is a non-exempt position and will earn a minimum of $53,267 (entry level with no experience) and a maximum of $87,073 (20+ years experience), with the amount set based on years of experience according to our Collective Bargaining Agreement. HCC staff are members of Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, UAW Local 2325; salary and benefits are pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

HCC offers competitive benefits, including but not limited to:

• Ability to work remotely up to two days per week.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance with no employee contribution.
• 24 days of annual leave, increasing to 28 days after the second year of employment, plus one floating holiday.14 paid holidays.
• After six months of employment, 5% employer contribution to 403(b) retirement plan.

Application Instructions

Email cover letter with resume in a single .pdf labeled: [Last Name, First Name – Tenant Organizer Application] to: organizingjobs@hcc-nyc.org by May 2, 2025. Please insert “HCC Tenant Organizer 2025” in the subject heading field of the email. Applications will be reviewed, and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis.

HCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. People of color, transgender and gender non-conforming people, survivors of violence, people with disabilities and individuals of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. HCC does not discriminate based on race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, height, weight, national origin, disability, or citizen, marital, veteran, or HIV status.