Bilingual Family Services Specialist

Description

The Bilingual Family Services Specialist (FSS) is part of Habitat’s Department of Family and Community Partnerships, which provides direct services and support for applicants and Habitat homebuyers. The Department is made up of both Financial Coaching staff who support families individually as they journey towards homeownership, as well as Community Engagement staff that support each neighborhood or build to anticipate and react to challenges pre and post closing. Habitat aims not only to ensure families have access to decent and affordable homes but also the support, skills and resources needed to successfully transition into their home and thrive in their new communities. The FSS will provide individualized support to Habitat homebuyers and homeowners to ensure the long-term success of Homebuyer families as they move into their homes. This person will work in preparing homebuyers during the pre-purchase phase, assist with closings, and continue to support homeowners after closing. This position reports to the Director of Community and Family Services.

Job Duties

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Pre-/Post-closing Homebuyer Support
● In collaboration with the Homeowner Services Team, provide direct support to homebuyer families to assist them in successfully completing their program requirements; includes tracking families’ progress toward completing sweat equity requirements, homebuyer education classes, Community
Conversations, making a down payment and other goals; provide regular check-ins and support for families preparing for homeownership in Habitat’s Homebuyer program
● In conjunction with the Director of Community and Family Services, develop, coordinate and teach homebuyer education classes on a variety of topics including home maintenance, HOAs, warranties, advocacy, etc. (in English/Spanish)
● Develop and facilitate Community Conversations (in English/Spanish)- meetings where future Habitat Homeowners come together to build a collective vision for their future neighborhood, develop a sense of social cohesion, identify social norms and expectations, and build a foundation
of respect and trust that will help them build a strong and sustainable community.
● Conduct Buyers Walks with homebuyers and coordinate with the Construction team to ensure all repairs or other corrective measures are completed in a timely manner to allow for on-time closings
● Produce Homebuyer Manuals and meet with Homebuyers to walk them through the manual and answer any questions
● Provide transitional support to families preparing to move into their new home including connecting to moving services, school transfers for children, setting up mail forwarding services, etc.

Closing Support
● Support Closing Manager in preparing families to close on their home. Duties include scheduling meetings; coordinating homeowner’s insurance; providing interpretive services during meetings as needed; gathering required documents and signatures from families that are necessary for closing
● Support families in completing any classes or paperwork required for grant sources that subsidize Habitat mortgages (FHLB, SHOP, ASNH, CAHF, DPA, etc.) Post-closing Homeowner Support
● Provide regular check-ins and support for Habitat homeowners after closing to ensure stability and a successful transition into homeownership
● Work alongside the Warranty Manager to assist with translation support for open warranty claims and closing out families one year warranty partnership.
● Work with the Foreclosure Prevention team to provide outreach and direct assistance to families that are struggling financially to afford their mortgage and have fallen into delinquency; includes assistance completing Borrowers Assistance Packages, referrals to jobs and other community
resources
● Assist with troubleshooting neighborhood and HOA related issues with Habitat homeowners
● Implement a process for continually gathering feedback about housing and community design from Habitat homeowners to inform Habitat’s planning and building strategies by conducting surveys with homeowners and tracking data
● Support the planning and facilitation of community-wide events and neighborhood meetings in redeveloped Southwood; includes outreach (flyers, mailings, social media, door-to-door) to families to notify or invite them to meetings and events; Welcome new homeowners to the community,
ensure that they receive welcome letter and provide Habitat with contact information
● Maintain contact list with all emails and contact information for every homeowner
● Provide guidance and support to members of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee in Southwood
● Provide administrative support for Department of Family and Community Partnerships as needed, specifically Spanish interpretation and translation at meetings and events
● Proactively identify pressure points or potential areas of conflict in Southwood between neighbors; encourage a strong sense of independent community self-governance
● Provide problem-solving support for neighbor-to-neighbor conflicts as needed

Skills Required

NECESSARY SKILLS:

● Bilingual fluency required: English and Spanish.
● Excellent interpersonal skills
● Strong English and Spanish Skills, both written and verbal
● Ability to work effectively and compassionately with low-income residents from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds
● Strong group facilitation skills
● Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with volunteers, colleagues and Board and committee members
● Demonstrate ability to multi‐task, plan, organize, and implement multiple projects and meet deadlines independently
● Demonstrate attention to detail
● Commitment to Habitat for Humanity’s mission of service to others and to lending a hand to community members enmeshed in generational housing poverty
● Positive, “can do” personality with the ability to adapt flexibly to a changing work environment

Additional Info

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