Homeownership Counselor

Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, founded in 1967, is the nation’s first community development corporation nestled in the heart of Central Brooklyn in Bed-Stuy. Located at Restoration Plaza, a 300,000 square foot commercial complex that offers a mix of retail, dining, recreation and entertainment, this historic organization is steeped in its mission to close the racial wealth gap. We provide direct services across an economic mobility platform centered on workforce development, affordable housing/homeownership, community revitalization, small business development and arts and culture to 60,000 people annually.

About the Role:

BSRC seeks a full time Homeownership Counselor for its Center for Personal Financial Health, someone who is HUD-Certified or will become certified within six months of becoming hired. In this role the Homeownership Counselor will usher clients through a step-by-step action plan to achieve or maintain homeownership; including how to overcome common barriers to homeownership, foreclosure prevention and creating a pathway for intergenerational wealth transfer. Stable housing and homeownership has been a key route to wealth building and this new position will serve a critical role as Restoration looks to disrupt and close the wealth gap. The Homeownership Counselor will be part of the Homeownership Team at The Center for Personal Financial Health (CPFH), a key driver of Restoration’s focus on disrupting the racial wealth gap, strives to advance Black individuals in Brooklyn, by equipping individuals with social support, expanding professional and employer networks to launch careers, and stewarding management of personal finances for long term growth and wealth generation. Three programmatic units fall within CPFH: Care Coordination, Financial Inclusion, and Training and Placement. The Care Coordination team helps clients improve their mental and physical health through social support benefits, counseling, and mental health screening. Our Financial Inclusion department accelerates upward economic mobility by empowering clients to accumulate net worth. The Homeownership Program is part of Restoration’s Financial Inclusion strategy. As such it centers credit and asset acquisition as a means to financial empowerment. Program participants are guided through a series of educational and financial milestones on a path to homeownership. Finally, our Training and Placement team enables financial stability through job placement and career advancement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conducts comprehensive individual counseling sessions, both pre and post purchase

• Identifies the required tools and establishes a system for assessing mortgage-readiness status, triaging customers, identifying obstacles, developing corrective-action plans, assigning customer tasks and facilitating customer progress towards his or her ultimate housing goal

• Maintains and updates client records after each counseling session in the Housing Counselor Online client management system and other systems related to program management and creates a comprehensive hard copy file for each client

• Ensures that quality control measures are followed and that customer satisfaction is a priority of the counseling program

• Facilitates pre-purchase home ownership workshops and other housing related workshops and recruits professional volunteers for workshops

• Assists with the development of a comprehensive marketing/outreach plan for recruiting clients and partners

• Attends and participates in relevant meetings, associations, etc. to stay abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of housing. This may include out of town, county and state travel

• Supervises and monitors services to ensure the program is meeting its goals

• Develops and sustains relationships with affiliate groups, local, State and federal government funding and other relevant bodies, corporate groups, and non government bodies

• Develops and coordinates new and existing curricula

• Prepares and submits all program reports required by HUD, and other pertinent bodies.

• Some evening and weekend hours will be required on a limited basis

• Performs other job-related duties as assigned to help fulfill our Mission and drive our Vision.

What you'll bring to the role:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with major coursework in sociology, urban studies, business preferred. Equivalent experience considered.

• Four years of increasingly responsible experience in housing counseling related programs including one year of administrative and/or lead supervisory experience

• Demonstrated knowledge of Federal, State, and local housing programs, procedures and regulations

• Principles and practices of social services program development and implementation

• Knowledge of issues and concerns related to housing

• Excellent interpersonal, training, facilitation, team building and problem solving skills;

• Demonstrated ability to establish and sustain professional relationships and to work collaboratively

• Ability to prepare clear and concise reports

• Ability to operate office equipment including computers and supporting software applications

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) strongly encourage

• Certification as a Housing Counselor, Pre Purchase Education and Counseling, Financial Management/Coaching strongly encouraged

• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends

• Ability and willingness to obtain proper certifications within 3-6 months of employment

• Knowledge of Google tools, Salesforce Homekeeper, Excel required, and other programs is a plus.

• Continuous employment is contingent upon successful completion of HUD certification.

Benefits:

Health/medical, dental and vision coverage, 12 paid holidays, a generous PTO bank of 4 weeks, paid sick leave, 403b employer sponsored plan, employee discount program, employee assistance program, commuter benefits programs, and other forms of leave and benefits.

Application Process:

Please include a resume and cover letter outlining your interests and qualifications when applying for this position.

This job description does not represent a complete, comprehensive list of all duties and responsibilities of this position; other duties and unplanned activities may be required.

Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, its board members, President & CEO, executives and employees are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all persons regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, ethnicity, gender, religion, source of income, sexual orientation, age, familial status, military status, domestic violence victim status, predisposing genetic characteristics, employment status, arrest or conviction record or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Equal employment opportunities extend to all aspects of the employment relationship, including hiring, transfers, promotions, training, terminations, working conditions, compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment.