Housing and Consumer Counselor/Mediator

Job Type
Legal
Organization
Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority
Contact Name
Alyssa Capitanio
Contact Email
Alyssac@bcrha.com
Address

1 Fenn Street 4th Floor
Pittsfield, MA
United States

Job Description

Housing & Consumer Counselor/Mediator

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority (BCRHA) is a public agency operating for the benefit of all citizens. Personnel shall conduct themselves in a manner respectful of all clients and shall adhere to BCRHA’s mission and goals. Personnel shall act in such a way as to create a positive image of the Agency.

2. Personnel will act in a professional manner while relating to BCRHA staff, clients business contacts seeking to resolve differences or complaints through appropriate agency procedures.

3. All personnel are responsible for adherence to BCRHA personnel policies, including the prevention of conflict of interest, misuse of funds, or abuse of trust and are responsible for reporting known misconduct to an Executive Officer.

4. All personnel shall respect the legal and moral rights and privacy of confidential information due all clients and are responsible for upholding BCRHA’s affirmative action policies.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES

  • Report to and work in cooperation with the Director of Housing, Legal, & Consumer Services (DHLCS) to ensure program quality assurance and furtherance of BCRHA’s mission
  • Educate tenants, landlords/property managers, and homeowners by providing housing and legal counseling
  • Maintain and continuously develop a strong knowledge of housing law and community resources
  • Conduct mediation / negotiation between tenants and landlords, neighbors, property owners, managers, other agencies, etc. to assist clients to maintain, stabilize, or obtain permanent housing
  • Implement court-connected mediation services during summary process and small claims sessions
  • Complete up-to-date and accurate client files and program statistics, including, but not limited to, client data in CounselorMax and Cornerstone systems, mediation related forms, and hard file grant-related documentation
  • Prepare accurate periodic program and statistical reports for relevant funding sources
  • Provide educational workshops and community outreach to state, local, and community organizations and agencies upon request by the DHLCS or Executive Director
  • Provides information and counseling to consumers on a wide range of consumer issues
  • Provides mediation/advocacy for consumer complaints filed against businesses through the Local Consumer Program of the MA Attorney General’s Office

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s degree preferred; may be substituted for 2 years of relevant work experience
  • At least 2 years experience in non-profit social services programming or related field

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

  • Ability to communicate and deal effectively with people of all ages and socioeconomic and situational backgrounds;
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment;
  • Ability to demonstrate proficiency in both oral and written communication;

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

  • Knowledge of current tenant/landlord law
  • Prior mediation experience

FULL TIME

BILINGUAL STRONGLY PREFFERED 

Application Instruction

PLEASE SEND RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO ALYSSA CAPITANIO AT ALYSSAC@BCRHA.COM