Job Description

Summary

The Neighborhood Developers (TND) is hiring a one-year, full-time, hybrid Resident Services VISTA to help lay the groundwork for an exciting new initiative to increase our capacity to support residents facing mental health challenges. Do you believe everyone deserves a quality, affordable home? Do you share our concern that there is insufficient access to mental health resources? Do you want to help create spaces for people to talk openly about mental health? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this position could be for you!

Overview

TND is a non-profit community development organization with a mission to create strong neighborhoods enabling community members to secure a stable home, achieve economic mobility, and determine their own future. We build affordable homes, support households to achieve greater financial mobility, and organize community leaders on issues related to neighborhood conditions as well as social and housing justice. TNDs headquarters is in Chelsea, where it has operated since 1978. The organization was invited into Revere in 2010, and since 2018, we are also offering some of our services in Everett. For more information see .

TND currently provides homes to 649 households and we are growing. Our Resident Services team supports our residents to ensure the stability of their tenancies, maintain their overall health, improve their quality of life, and help them achieve their dreams. They connect our residents to each other and the broader community, provide direct support, where appropriate, and help them access services provided by TND and community partners. You can learn more about our approach .

During the service year as the Resident Services VISTA, starting in August of 2023, you will have the unique opportunity to grow TNDs capacity to help our residents access mental health resources. Since the pandemic began, our Resident Services team has seen a significant increase in mental health challenges such as stress, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders in our properties. If left untreated, mental health disorders can lead to deeper health and wellness challenges, or make addressing existing challenges at home, work, or in the community harder to navigate. Cultural norms and the need to work often result in inadequate attention to mental health concerns amongst TNDs tenants. With your help, the Resident Services team seeks to develop approaches to reduce stigma and increase understanding of mental health issues amongst our tenants and secure better access to resources.

This role will provide an excellent experience for a candidate interested in pursuing a career in resident services, social work, public policy, mental health counseling, and/or nonprofit management. Our VISTA alumni have described their year of service as a truly transformative experience that facilitated their growth personally and professionally. After your complete your service, you will be well prepared to apply for positions at TND (when available), at other community development organizations, and similar community organizations and nonprofits. Your experience will likely be also transferable to many other job opportunities.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Plan and pilot two mental health awareness fairs for TND residents aimed at destigmatizing mental health concerns, normalizing conversations around mental health, and increasing self-care knowledge and activities among tenants.
• Help strengthen TNDs partnerships with North Suffolk Community Services and Massachusetts General Hospital, so that TND can more smoothly refer tenants needing intensive or ongoing mental health services.
• Support the development of targeted professional development training for TNDs Resident Services Coordinators (RSCs) that will help staff recognize residents mental health issues and connect residents to appropriate services.
• Support the piloting of a new assessment tool for use by Resident Services Coordinators with families at risk of housing instability due to mental health issues.

This is a VISTA member position, not a staff position. The Resident Services VISTA will be supervised by TNDs Director of Resident Services. The VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program provides full-time volunteers to nonprofit, faith-based and other community organizations to create and expand programs that bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty. The VISTA program offers a living allowance, an education award or cash stipend, health insurance, and week-long training in a U.S. city. In Suffolk County (where TND is located), service members receive a bi-weekly living allowance of $1,276.52 and are eligible for an education award of $6,895 at the end of their year of service. You can find more information about the AmeriCorps VISTA program .

Qualifications

Required:

• College degree or relevant work history.
• At least 18 years of age.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Some Spanish proficiency.
• A commitment to TNDs mission.

Desired:

• Experience working in a diverse multicultural community.
• Relevant experience in resident services and/or mental health.
• Bilingual English-Spanish.

To Apply

Please email a resume and cover letter to and list Resident Services VISTA in the subject line. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled - through August 14, 2023.

TND is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring and it is important to us to bring members onto our team who are passionate about our mission and reflect the BIPOC, immigrant, and linguistic backgrounds of the communities we serve.

(OppCo) provides human resources for TND.

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