Housing Counselor II

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

For over 40 years, CASL has served people of all ages and backgrounds: Providing an educational and cultural foundation for our children, ensuring our seniors live full and independent lives with dignity, enhancing education and training for tomorrow’s workforce, strengthening families while honoring cultural heritage, and securing our community's financial well-being, to over 5,000 Chicago area residents annually.

POSITION SUMMARY

Reporting to the Employment and Financial Empowerment Department Housing Coordinator, the Housing Counselor II is responsible for housing and financial literacy programs and related services. They provide counseling, maintain case notes and client records, market or outreach to and educate community groups, and conduct workshops/seminars on housing and financial topics.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Continue trainings and apply the acquired knowledge and skills on tasks assigned by EFE Department Manager or Housing Coordinator, some training may be online and some may be out of state.
• Organize implement, and conduct housing and financial related workshops such as pre-purchase, post-purchase, rental, foreclosure prevention, fair housing and financial education. Create and prepare related bilingual materials, translation and interpretation as needed.
• Manage and conduct individual counseling and referral services, to help clients prepare for homeownership, maintain successful homeownership, prevent foreclosure, and establish/maintain credit to achieve financial goals.
• Apply for subsidized housing, rental or mortgage assistance, small accessible repairs for seniors, and property tax exemptions to clients.
• Establish contacts with new community partners and other resources to collaborate on conduction of housing workshops/seminars. Develops seminar schedules with Housing Coordinator for the coming year.
• Design bilingual flyers and write PSAs to promote the housing and financial education workshops and counseling services through bilingual publications, social medias etc.
• Conduct outreach and marketing to recruit housing and financial assistance clients from diverse neighborhoods.
• Complete applications and interpret or translate letters and documents for clients as required.
• Follow up and/or provide adequate advice to clients based on their current situation and on their agreed action plans every 30 days or as needed, until clients achieve their goals.
• Close cases in a timely manner after the counseling sessions are complete.
• Maintain accurate physical files and system records in CounselorMax, ECM, Salesforce, etc.
• Answer any housing related inquiries over the phone, email and in person.
• Work on monthly and quarterly reports for related programs if needed by Housing Coordinator.
• Represent EFE in office or events where EFE Department Manager and Housing Coordinator are not available.
• Respond to other program and/or agency needs by performing assigned tasks which do not fall within the duties and responsibilities.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in related field from an accredited college or university is preferred.
• Minimum two years of housing and/or financial assistance related work experience.
• Must be HUD Housing Counselor Certified.

Skills/Knowledge:

• Excellent spoken and written English and any other language a plus, Spanish preferred.
• Able to use computers and Microsoft Office programs (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc.).
• Basic end-user level understanding and experience with Salesforce is a plus.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to bend and lift a minimum of 15 pounds.
• Required to frequently sit, stand and walk for extended periods.

Environment and Scheduling:

• Normal schedule to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

CASL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, ethnic or national origin, or any other status protected by State and Federal Law.