SCC is Hiring: LISC AmeriCorps First Source Program Case Manager

Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Somerville Community Corporation are seeking a full-time AmeriCorps member to serve as a First Source Program Case Manager. The ideal candidate will begin service on October 1, 2015 and serve a minimum of 1700 hours though the end of his/her term on July 31, 2016.

Apply by September 4, 2015to Laura Denison at ldenison@somervillecdc.org

SCC Background
Founded in 1969, Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) is a membership organization with a mission to develop and preserve affordable housing, offer services and programs, and build a collective voice through community organizing and planning in order to realize a stable, diverse, and affordable community. In its 46-year history, SCC has completed over 20 affordable housing projects, resulting in more than 100 ownership units and 184 rental units. We have helped hundreds of adults and young people gain security through counseling, referral and mediation programs. Our organization has also mobilized hundreds of residents to win organizing campaigns around affordable housing, jobs, neighborhood equity, and access to city amenities.

In our real estate development work, over the last year, we (a) completed construction of the third and final phase of our St. Polycarp Village; (b) won a hard-fought fight for affordability in Somerville in the permitting of 181 and 197 Washington Street, a mixed use, transit-oriented development two blocks from the first new stop on the Green Line Extension for which we will break ground this fall; and (c) purchased a site and plan to develop 11 units of housing, our first homeownership project since 2006. We have also launched the 100 Homes campaign with the City of Somerville, an effort to acquire 100 units of housing to remove these units from speculation on the private market. On the community organizing and planning front, we have engaged over 100 partners in the Union United coalition to create a Community Benefits Agreement concerning master development in Union Square, an effort that is in full swing today. We have engaged in organizing campaigns to work with tenants to preserve affordable housing and are currently promoting a stronger Inclusionary Zoning policy in Somerville; we work with our Jobs for Somerville committee to encourage local hiring, and are currently working to pass a Home Rule petition that would enable the City of Somerville to establish a Jobs Linkage Fee; and last year we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the MBTA to launch MassWIN, a local hiring program for Green Line Construction jobs.

On the Asset Building side, we have expanded the work considerably over the past two years. The First-Time Homebuyer Pre-Purchase Program is now serving over 300 individuals per year. Over 100 students participate in our Financial Literacy Program each year, as well as offering Individual Development Accounts for Education, in partnership with the Midas Collaborative, and Foreclosure Prevention services, in partnership with CNAHS. Each of these achievements is impressive on its own, but it would be fair to say that, currently, our most innovative project is our Somerville First Source Jobs Initiative – the program that would house the 2015-2016 AmeriCorps Member. Over the past 15 months, and with invaluable help from our current AmeriCorps Member, we have been hard at work on workforce development with an exciting project to link Somerville residents to local jobs. The idea is to deal with career and job development from both a broad and a client-focused perspective, through a model that brings together the necessary pieces to ensure the success of a local hiring program. As we coach Somerville residents on career issues and provide related services (such as resume preparation and help applying for jobs online, for instance), we create a database of workers seeking employment opportunities in Somerville. At the same time, we make connections and establish relationships with employers to secure a First Look to Somerville residents when they apply for local jobs. In its first year, we enrolled 200 participants into our First Source talent bank, and placed 80 people into jobs. It is important to say all of our work is carried out having the bundling of sustainability-related services as the core strategy, as this approach has been shown to aid clients in the achievement of benchmarks and goals and lead to lasting results in the areas of workforce development, financial education, and income maximization.

LISC Background
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is dedicated to helping community residents transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities of choice and opportunity — good places to work, do business and raise children. LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help community-based organizations revitalize underserved neighborhoods. This strategy extends to the LISC AmeriCorps program where we support placing AmeriCorps Members with local non-profit partners. Members assist in efforts to revitalize underserved neighborhoods across America and create vibrant places for people to live, work, and play.

AmeriCorps Responsibilities
The member selected to serve in this capacity will be responsible for:

Community outreach to potential First Source participants in Somerville, with a targeted focus on SCC property tenants
General program outreach through social media, flyering and participating in/facilitating orientation workshops with other organizations and programs
Case management, which includes intake, one on one coaching, skills-development, job preparation, job matching, and post-placement contact, anticipated 50 clients during term.
Data tracking of all participants within case load.
Workshop facilitation
Participating in training sessions to develop the skills needed to perform the above responsibilities

Members perform day to day service at SCC but are expected to attend and participate in all LISC AmeriCorps sponsored activities including but not limited to:

Attending a national leadership conference tentatively scheduled for March 2016;
Attending all locally sponsored monthly meetings;
Participating in nationally sponsored webinars;
Actively participating in at least two locally identified and team coordinated service projects (one for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and one for National AmeriCorps Week); and,
Engaging in any other LISC events as determined by the local LISC office.

This is an AmeriCorps position. As such, neither LISC nor SCC will allow the member to engage in activities that are considered prohibited under the terms of the grant while serving as a LISC AmeriCorps member.

Desired Skills

Desire and ability to work with a diverse group of people, particularly those living in low-income distressed neighborhoods
Ability to work independently and in a team environment
Computer skills
Good written and oral communication skills
Ability to work a flexible schedule (some night and weekends may be required)
Bilingual in English/Spanish or English/Portuguese

Program Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to participate as a LISC AmeriCorps member the candidate must meet all eligibility requirements to serve as a National Service participant including but not limited to:

Possess a high school degree, GED certificate or agree to achieve GED during the term of service
Be at least 17 years of age (note there is no upper age limit)
Have proof of status as a US citizen or possess permanent resident status and be able to provide documentation as determined by CNCS (is different than documentation for employment)
Be eligible to earn a full-time education award
Be eligible to perform a term of national service
Be available to serve for a full 10 month period of time and within that time period complete a minimum of 1700 hours of service
Be available for service from October 1, 2015 through July 31, 2016

Criminal Record Searches
If a candidate has a criminal record, it does not necessarily make a candidate ineligible for service. Only candidates who are subject to registry on the National Sex Offender Public Website or have been convicted of First Degree Murder may not perform service. All candidates offered the position must consent to a search of the National Sex Offender Public Website and a State Level Criminal History Search. Members whose service will have them providing direct service to a vulnerable population will have to consent to an FBI level search. Vulnerable populations are defined as: (1) “children” defined as individuals aged 17 and under consistent with the PROTECT Act; (2) “elderly” defined as individuals sixty years of age (the lowest age commonly used by Congress to define elderly persons); or (3) “individuals with disabilities” as defined in the Rehabilitation Act in 29 USC 705(20)(B) and covers any individual who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities or is regarded as having such an impairment. SCC attests that this AmeriCorps position will have the candidate performing direct service to a vulnerable population.

Program Benefits
Upon successful completion of the term of service, the member will be eligible for a $5,730 education award to pay off existing, eligible student loans or return to school. The position pays a total stipend of $15,000. The stipend is paid in 20 equal checks twice a month. Direct deposit is available and highly encouraged. A health care benefit is available for the participant only (dependents are not eligible). For members with children under the age of 13, there is a child care subsidy benefit available which is dependent on the participant meeting all eligibility requirements (This benefit is administered by a contracted provider via the Corporation for National and Community Service).

We promote equal opportunity in selecting AmeriCorps members.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion in the selection process.