Community Organizer

NEW SETTLEMENT•New York, NY

1d•$30 - $33•Onsite

About The Position

The Community Organizer will work under the guidance of the Director and in coordination with other organizers to strengthen CASA’s membership and build a movement for housing justice in the Southwest Bronx. The role organizes tenants to address landlord harassment, obtain needed repairs, prevent displacement, and stabilize communities, while helping residents recognize and exercise their collective power. Using a leadership-development model, the organizer supports tenant steering committees, develops members’ organizing skills, and builds tenant associations capable of operating independently and participating in CASA’s broader campaigns. The organizer will support four to five tenant associations, conduct weekly outreach and phone banking, and help members organize around shared concerns. The role also develops leaders, facilitates housing-rights workshops and membership meetings, maintains records and databases, and reports on organizing work. The position requires flexibility to respond to changing campaign goals and organizing conditions, and may include other duties as reasonably requested.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or three to five years of progressive experience; candidates with relevant knowledge and skills gained through other combinations of education, work experience, training, military service, certifications, or other experience will also be considered.
Ability to relate to people from diverse backgrounds.
Demonstrated commitment to social justice, leadership development, community building, and community organizing as strategies for social change.
Ability to communicate directly, resolve conflicts, listen, and motivate people from diverse backgrounds to take action.
Ability to facilitate, train, and develop leaders.
Excellent writing and public speaking skills.
Computer literacy.
Ability to work nights and weekends as necessary.

Nice To Haves

Tenant organizing experience.
English/Spanish bilingual skills.

Responsibilities

Conduct weekly outreach through door knocking, flyering, and tabling to educate tenants about their rights and recruit participants for CASA campaigns.
Conduct weekly phone banking, averaging approximately 100 calls per week, to invite members to workshops, general membership meetings, campaign meetings, and other events.
Organize and support four to five tenant associations addressing landlord harassment, housing conditions, needed repairs, displacement risks, and other shared concerns.
Build tenant relationships through regular outreach, one-on-one conversations, building meetings, and follow-up.
Identify shared building-wide concerns, assess organizing opportunities, and help tenants develop goals, strategies, and action plans.
Develop representative steering committees and assign roles based on members’ skills, interests, availability, and leadership goals.
Coach tenant leaders to plan and facilitate meetings, recruit neighbors, create flyers, write letters, document housing conditions, and communicate with landlords and public agencies.
Support tenant-led actions, including landlord meetings, engagement with HPD and other agencies, press conferences, public testimony, bank accountability efforts, and other escalation strategies.
Connect tenant associations with appropriate legal, housing, and public resources while acting as a facilitator rather than a direct-service provider.
Build associations’ capacity to operate independently by establishing leadership structures, shared decision-making practices, communication systems, and clear next steps.
Recruit tenant association members into CASA, identify emerging leaders, and prepare them for leadership roles in broader housing justice campaigns.
Track contacts, meetings, leadership development, actions, commitments, outcomes, and progress toward tenant association goals.
Strengthen members’ skills, capacity, and analysis through formal and informal leadership development; recruit members for training and leadership activities.
Use creative methods to recruit and assess members, maintain accurate records, and meet turnout goals for actions and events.
Participate in and prepare members to facilitate monthly CASA Membership Meetings, individually and in groups.
Provide monthly narrative and statistical reports on work accomplished.
Create and facilitate regular workshops on housing rights, laws, and processes.
Pursue ongoing training and learning opportunities and actively participate in staff retreats.
Maintain accurate database records and identify opportunities to strengthen CASA’s organizational capacity and impact.
Remain flexible and responsive to changes in campaign goals and organizing conditions.
Support a culture that respects and honors diversity, invests in professional development, and encourages self-care.
Perform other duties as reasonably requested.