Temporary Tenant Advocate- Internal Candidates Only

Community Economic Defense Project • Denver, CO

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) is a Colorado-based nonprofit. Launched in 2020 as the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project, our organization was formed to keep our neighbors housed during the pandemic. Working with clients, we built a “one-stop-shop” approach to eviction, foreclosure, and homelessness prevention that centers the legal and financial needs of housing-insecure families and uses a variety of tools to keep them housed.

Our team now serves more than 1,000 people per month, bringing together housing lawyers, economists, data analysts, policy experts, organizers, and technologists to serve our clients. In the previous two years, we have distributed more than $100 million in aid and served more than 40,000 Coloradans. We have also contributed to the passage of major legislation to prevent eviction, stop economic abuse, and make credit and life-saving medication cheaper. CEDP’s model has been cited as a best practice by White House, HUD, the Urban Institute, and in the media.

Building on our work to stop evictions, CEDP has further expanded its integrated services model to include disaster response, predatory towing, debt collection, benefit access & navigation, long-term rental assistance, and homelessness response. Similar to CEDP’s work on rental housing, these efforts offer a continuum of care that includes navigation and advisory services, targeted payments, legal support, and the ability to participate in advocacy.

More about the Role:
The Eviction Diversion Tenant Advocate will play a vital role in supporting individuals and families facing housing instability by providing financial assistance for rental payments and facilitating access to community resources. This is a hybrid role that will require in-person work 2-3 days per week. The organization may evolve its requirements based on client needs.

Responsibilities

• Work one-on-one with clients to assist and facilitate the complete submission of an online rental assistance application. Tenant Advocate/Case managers will be the ongoing point of contact for the applicant until the application is complete.
• Case processing goals, or other metrics, are set every week with the expectation that it will be achieved.
• Conduct intake and client service at CEDP’s Denver Office, which requires in-person work two/three days per week.
• Coordinate with landlords to ensure that the landlord is also submitting the necessary paperwork to complete the application process.
• Serve as the liaison for housing stability services referrals based on the Application Prioritization.
• Provide other targeted case management services related to housing stability, such as securing stable housing and/or eviction diversion services, referred by DOH (and others) and/or by its contractors, as directed.
• Communicate with all parties in a timely, respectful, and professional manner.
• Track deadlines and manage calendars for your caseload, occasionally assist with cases from other team members and external partners.
• Gather/collect, review, and log required documents and information to support the accurate and timely processing of cases.
• Create and organize information, and generate reference tools for easy use by teammates and members of adjacent teams.
• Understand key success measures for your role.
• Maintain and update databases and tracking systems accurately and as designated.
• Respond to all case-related queries promptly.
• Ensure efficient, accurate, and effective administrative information and assistance.
• Participate in CEDPʼs ongoing efforts to improve upon existing processes by maintaining openness and curiosity about processes, systems, and technologies.
• Work directly in person with clients for Rental Assistance intake, which can include working legal clinics at various courthouses throughout Colorado or at CEDP Offices.
• Other duties assigned, including but not limited to creating and maintaining housing navigation processes for Eviction Diversion clients.

Benefits

• competitive pay
• flexible time off
• a benefits package (including medical, dental, vision)
• 401k
• technology stipend of $720 per year
• Employees who utilize two languages or more at work are eligible for a $2,000 salary differential per year added to the salary grade listed above.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed