High Barrier Leasing Specialist

Organization Overview:

Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) is a statewide nonprofit organization with a mission to end Veteran homelessness in Minnesota. MACV provides comprehensive programs in the areas of housing, employment, and legal services to support Veterans and their families throughout Minnesota who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. MACV operates a budget over $17 million annually and has a team of approximately 120 employees throughout Minnesota. The organization has office locations throughout the state, with administrative functions centralized within a headquarters office based in St. Paul.

MACV offers a competitive benefits package that includes healthcare coverage, dental, vision, life, STD and LTD insurance, generous paid time off, retirement benefits, 12 holidays per year, paid parental leave, paid family and medical leave, technology and wellness reimbursement programs, tuition reimbursement, continued professional development support, and more.

Position Overview:

The Leasing Specialist (LS) supports Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans’ (MACV) mission to end Veteran homeless by supporting homeless Veterans in applying for units offered by MACV’s landlord partners. Landlord partners are select landlords who have agreed to rent to Veterans with significant barriers to housing, including justice involvement and poor rental history. The LS will identify homeless Veterans from the Homeless Veterans Registry (HVR) who meet the criteria established by Landlord Partners for their current vacant units and support Veterans through all steps of the application process including initial application, tours, collecting supporting documentation, and attending lease signings to ensure that Veterans understand their rights and responsibilities under the lease. Post lease up, the Leasing Specialist will confirm Veterans have transferred utilities to their name, applied for move in costs and other initial supports , and coordinate the transfer of ongoing support to the appropriate long-term provider.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Outreach and marketing

• Reach out to Landlord Partners to obtain information on current and pending vacancies.
• Promote vacant units offered by Landlord Partners to MACV staff, the VA, and other community partners.
• Reach out to homeless Veterans with barriers to offer appropriate units based on the household size, barriers to open market housing, and budgets.
• Customer contact and service.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for property managers/owners, Veterans, and service providers regarding current vacancies.
• Establish relationships with landlords to assist in matching Veterans with significant barriers to appropriate housing.
• Act as a liaison and mediator for issues that may arise during the application process.
• Work closely with other agencies providing supportive services to Veterans.
• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, affordable housing basics- HUD, Section 8, tax credit housing, local rental markets, etc.
• Meet with Veterans and landlords on site during the application and leasing appointment. May occasionally transport Veterans to these appointments and/or to collect supporting documentation such as benefits letters, banks statements, etc.
• Provide rent ledgers and other required tenancy documentation to Case Managers as needed.
• Data maintenance.
• Complete owner/management changes; add new property owners, investors, managers, and complete owner address changes.
• Update available unit lists and coordinate the rental listings process with the current online MACV rental listings.
• Develop recommendations to modify and update MACV policies and procedures that improve customer service.

Salary Range:

MACV offers a competitive benefits package that includes healthcare coverage, dental, vision, life, STD and LTD insurance, generous paid time off, retirement benefits, 12 holidays per year, paid parental leave, paid family and medical leave, technology and wellness reimbursement programs, tuition reimbursement, continued professional development support, and more.

Diversity and Inclusion:

The Veteran population is just as diverse as the communities in which we live. MACV strives to provide equal opportunities to any candidate that can help provide our organization with diverse perspectives. Veterans, people with disabilities (Physical, mental, emotional, cognitive), women, people of color, and LGBT individuals (Particularly transgender or gender nonconforming candidates) are strongly encouraged to apply.