Job Description: Tenant Rights Counselor - HUD

The Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco (HRCSF) is a tenant rights non-profit serving tenants citywide since 1979, offering free counseling and organizing support for San Francisco tenants in all types of housing, including rent-control, public housing, and Section 8. Our purpose is to strengthen tenants’ rights, improve living conditions for renters, and preserve and expand affordable housing opportunities. Through our counseling program, we support more than 5,000 tenants a year, and our organizing program has helped build five tenant associations across the city since 2019.

Position Summary: 

The Tenant Rights Counselor - HUD provides counseling, advocacy, and case management to tenants in HUD subsidized housing in San Francisco to resolve issues with property management and the SF Housing Authority, including repairs, rent increases, recertifications, subsidy terminations, and evictions. The position will operate from our main offices, as well as our Bayview clinic, and will require home visits and occasional travel to relevant agencies for meeting, hearings and case follow up.

Essential Functions:

  • Communicate on behalf of clients to their housing provider and agencies administering subsidies regarding their rights involving repairs and habitability,, rent increases, evictions and subsidy termination, harassment and discrimination and more

  • Help tenants document repair needs, contact assisting agencies, connect to referrals  and understand their rights

  • Represent tenants in meetings with management, hearings and grievance procedures

  • Perform house visits to support tenants with their repair cases

  • In collaboration with the HUD organizing team, map out HUD buildings that need to be connected with resources and information about their rights  

  • Develop activities to deepen tenants education and have effective conversations with them about their rights

  • Conduct trainings on subsidized housing issues to tenants, service providers, and other partner organizations

  • Conduct intake, screen cases and maintain accurate database records and files on cases

  • Collaborate with HUD counseling team members, the HUD organizing team, other HRCSF departments, and other tenant counseling agencies

  • Integrate with HRCSF’s overall counseling program in order to see clients who have requested services there initially

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:

  • Minimum Education (or substitute experience) required:

    • N/A

  • Necessary Skills 

    • Patient, empathetic, and non-judgmental communication style

    • Ability to absorb and apply technical information quickly

    • Strong organizational and time management skills

    • Collaborative and team-oriented work style

    • Strong research, documentation, and problem-solving abilities

    • Initiative and curiosity to seek accurate information for complex tenant situations

    • Ability to communicate clearly in one-on-one and group settings, including workshops or trainings

  • Essential Qualifications and Experience: 

    • Demonstrated commitment to housing justice

    • Passion to work towards decent and deeply affordable housing for all 

    • Commitment to stop Black Displacement in San Francisco 

    • Willingness to conduct research, participate in trainings and leadership development, consult with legal experts and draft documents, as needed

    • Experience (paid or unpaid) working for social and economic justice

    • Knowledge of issues impacting tenants, immigrants, and people with low incomes

    • Ability to engage with diverse communities

    • Ability to work effectively as part of a team

    • Strong organizational and communications skills

    • Flexibility to work evenings and weekends at times to host, support with and  attend workshops

  • Preferred Qualities:

    • Familiarity with San Francisco housing laws and regulations, including the Department of Building Inspection and code enforcement process 

    • Experience with the San Francisco Housing Authority and knowledge of HUD rules and regulations, particularly with the Housing Choice Voucher, Project Based Section 8, RAD, and Public Housing programs, or other complex rule-based systems

    • Fluency in Spanish, Tagalog, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Russian, or Vietnamese

Analysis of Physical Demands (Based on typical week):

  • Traveling to clinics and/or workshops, tabling community events and other outreach efforts, prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

This position is a full-time non-exempt position with a current hourly rate of $36.54. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision (including chiropractic and acupuncture), generous paid vacation and sick time, and a supportive work environment that centers individual and collective care to ensure sustainability and longevity.

This position is included in a collective bargaining unit represented by Office & Professional Employees International Union, Local 29. Specific employment terms are subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to resume@hrcsf.org, with “ATTN: Tenant Rights Counselor - HUD” in the subject line.

HRCSF is an equal opportunity employer: People of color, women, immigrants, LGBTQI2S, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Diverse viewpoints are vital to our organization’s mission and culture.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.