Housing Preservation Program Director
- Posted
- 1 month ago
- Employment type
- Full-Time, Exempt
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Closing date
About this organization
We are the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI). Our mission is to advocate for civil rights, provide legal services and education, and build coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Pacific Americans and to create a more equitable and harmonious society. We serve more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year, focusing on the most vulnerable members of Asian American and NHPI communities while also building a strong voice for civil rights and social justice. With our Advancing Justice affiliates in Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., we enrich, enhance, and serve our communities all across the country.
The Home Preservation ("HP") program provides assistance in homelessness prevention including eviction defense assistance, landlord-tenant disputes, lease disputes, habitability, security deposit, tenant rights, housing and discrimination issues. HP also provides community education that expands access to housing rights justice for low-income, limited-English speaking immigrants through materials and seminars/webinars to educate community with up up-to-date laws on tenant rights and eviction. HP hosts monthly clinics in conjunction with local bar associations to address many of these issues.
About this job
Reporting to the Managing Director of Orange County Regional Office, the Home Preservation Program Director creates the vision and plans for the future of eviction defense and housing law work at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA. The HP Program Director also oversees and leads a diverse team of attorneys, legal advocate(s), and interns. In addition to supervising staff, the HP Program Director ensures grant management tasks are complete and handles a limited number of eviction defense and home preservation cases. This position will be based in our Orange County office, and will work closely with other relevant teams and staff in both the Los Angeles and Orange County offices (i.e. Immigration, Survivor and Family Empowerment (SAFE), Asian Language Legal Intake Project, Finance, Development, etc.).
Roles & responsibilities
60% Staff Supervision and Program Implementation
Assess Advancing Justice – LA’s eviction defense and housing law work, and develop an immediate vision and plan for the future
Expand program staff, building a team-centered, client service model, and monitor issues related to services to manage cooperation, ongoing engagements, and client expectations
Provide legal substantive support in the area of housing law, including landlord/tenant issues and eviction defense, and maintain expertise and keep updated on changes in landlord/tenant and eviction defense law
Directly supervise, lead, mentor, and support Home Preservation staff, including interns and volunteers
Manage intake process and case acceptance criteria; Receive and address client grievances
Develop, oversee, and manage service clinics, workshops, and community education/outreach
Oversee staff preparation for court appearances and briefs; inclusive of court forms and legal docs
Develop and maintain case acceptance strategy, given community needs, priorities and agency resources
Develop and execute community specific client outreach strategies, engaging relevant CBOs and media partnerships to establish trusted recruitment avenues for low income, insular client bases.
Maintain a reasonable caseload, providing direct client work on eviction defense and home preservation cases
Coordinate client services with other attorneys and units, including strategy sessions with agency Asian Language Legal Intake Project Director, Litigation Director and Policy Director
35% Grant Management
Manage all Home Preservation grants and funding, including several California State Bar grants
Work with Development and Finance staff in managing grants, including tracking progress towards grant deliverables, drafting and submitting reports, and overseeing data collection/analysis
Work with Development and Finance staff in coordinating and managing monitoring visits and audits to ensure grant compliance
Update procedures to comply with grant requirements and ensure positive team workflow
Work with Finance staff to ensure appropriate spend down and grant compliance
Manage sub-grantees in ensuring grant compliance and project collaborations
Work with Development staff to secure future funding and assess current funding to sustain and grow the work, as well as periodic modifications of budget and project as needed
5% Community Relations and Advocacy
Act as organization spokesperson for eviction defense and home preservation services, including with media, community stakeholders, and donors
Analyze, draft, and advocate for policy/legislation, in coordination with Policy staff
Participate in strategic meetings with other legal and community groups
Engage in public speaking at forums to advance AAAJ-LA’s civil rights agenda
All other duties as assigned
Qualifications
J.D. and must be an active member in good standing of the California State Bar within 7 months of hire date
Minimum of five (5) years of legal practice in poverty law, housing, immigration, and/or family law
Minimum of two (2) years of supervisorial experience
Bilingual or biliterate in at least one Asian language strongly preferred (Chinese, Korean, Thai, Tagalog, or Vietnamese)
Dedication to serving immigrant communities and a sincere commitment to working on behalf of low-income immigrants
Valid driver's license and/or access to alternative means of transportation