HIAS

Section I: Organization Information

Agency Mission: HIAS and Council Migration Services of Philadelphia (“HIAS and Council”) was founded in 1882 to provide services to Jewish immigrants and refugees fleeing persecution and seeking opportunity by migrating to the United States. Based on the tradition of “welcoming the stranger,” HIAS and Council works to resettle, reunite and represent Jewish immigrants and all immigrants and refugees of limited means residing in Pennsylvania. The agency also seeks the fair treatment of and integration into American society of immigrants from all backgrounds.

Name/Title of Contact: Sarah Peterson, Director of Development and Refugee Programs

Address: 2100 Arch Street, 3rd Floor

Phone Number: 215-832-0920

Website: http://www.hiaspa.org/

Email: speterson@hiaspa.org

Total number of agency staff members: 19

Agency Budget: $1,166,066

Section II: Community Need

Please state in measurable and quantifiable terms the specific community need that the Philly Fellow will address, including the number of people in the community directly affected by the problem.

Around the world there are over 12 million people who have been forced to leave their home countries because of persecution. Many of these refugees are living in camps where they have poor living conditions and no opportunities for work or education. Through our national affiliate, HIAS and Council works to help give these people an opportunity for a better life. Since 1983, nearly 33,000 refugees have resettled in the Philadelphia area; over 4,000 arrived in the past eight years, which averages 500 refugees a year, according to the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings publication Recent Immigration to Philadelphia: Regional Change in a Re-Emerging Gateway. This year we predict that over 600 refugees will be resettled by the three resettlement agencies in Philadelphia, which include HIAS and Council, Nationalities Services Center (NSC), and Lutheran Children and Family Services (LCFS).

While many previous waves of refugees joined family members who were able to assist with housing and economic integration, the more recent refugee groups arriving in the United States and the region have no established family or community. Resettlement agencies, such as HIAS and Council, are then responsible to find them an initial place to live, furnish it, and provide cultural and economic orientation. Each refugee receives $450 from the Department of State to begin their new life in America. Even for a family of four this allowance rarely covers the cost of the security deposit, first month rent, and last month rent for an apartment. With no credit, rental, or employment history in America, many landlords are reluctant to rent to refugees. After this initial resettlement allowance, families are enrolled in a safety-net benefit program with nominal financial support. They are encouraged to seek employment as soon as possible, which usually results in a low-paying job. High rent and low salaries will leave these new Americans at risk of falling deeper and deeper into poverty.

Many refugees have limited English Proficiency. They may struggle to communicate with landlords and utility companies. They may not understand their rights as tenants and need assistance in learning when and how to contact their landlords. Initial resettlement becomes the foundation for a future in the United States. If we prepare a quality affordable home for the refugee family, it becomes a strong building block to establish a new life. To do this the family needs an affordable safe apartment that is furnished with the basic needs. They need education about how to maintain their homes, communicate with their landlords, pay their bills, and keep their families safe.

HIAS and Council provided intensive case-management services to 44 refugees resettled last year; the agency is working to double the number of refugees for the Federal Fiscal Year 2009. To build thriving refugee communities and a sustainable program, our goal is to be able to resettle at least 100 refugees a year. This Philly Fellow position will build the program’s capacity to find and place refugees in safe, affordable housing. It will also serve as a support to the other two the refugee resettlement agencies to help 600 refugees be resettled in the Philadelphia region.

Describe how your agency addresses this need, and how the new capacity created by this fellow will help alleviate the problem.

In 2006, HIAS and Council received a federally funded grant to build the agency’s capacity to meet the changing needs of arriving refugee groups, specifically ethnic minority groups from Burma. With this grant, we hired a Volunteer Manager and Resource Developer, who initiated relationships with some landlords and helped to place refugees in initial housing. As the grant sunset in September of this year, we replaced this position with the Preferred Communities Coordinator who will oversee all case-management and assure the general resettlement of all refugees. In August of 2009, HIAS and Council welcomed our first Philly Fellow as our Refugee Housing Coordinator. The Refugee Housing Coordinator will establish the Philadelphia Refugee Housing Network, a listing of landlords friendly to renting to refugees, and place 13 refugee families (50 refugees) in initial housing.

Prior to the arrival of the Philly Fellow in the summer of 2009, HIAS and Council worked with NSC and LCFS to apply for federal stimulus dollars through a grant with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Supportive Housing. This grant is a unique funding opportunity that will help refugees who are at risk of falling into poverty when there is a gap between their income and their housing expenses. We have been notified our collaborative has been approved for the grant beginning in October of 2009 and we are awaiting the signing of the final contract. The Refugee Housing Coordinator, our current Philly Fellow, will represent HIAS and Council in the collaborative for the purposes of this grant and will help to access these funds for needy refugee families.

Building on the work of the current Philly Fellow, the next Philly Fellow would continue to serve as the Refugee Housing Coordinator. In this position, the fellow would expand the Philadelphia Refugee Housing Network by doing increased outreach and relationships building with landlords. Currently, we resettle refugees in Southeastern Philadelphia (East of Broad street). As our community continues to grow over the next year, we would like to expand to different neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The Philly Fellow would research neighborhoods for appropriate housing in proximity to cultural and ethnic resources for refugee communities. We hope to diversify our refugee communities by resettling different ethnic groups, including African and ethnic Nepalese from Bhutan.

Additionally, the Refugee Housing Coordinator would play a significant role in structuring the receipt and distribution of in-kind goods for arriving refugee households. As refugees arrive with only the clothes on their back and one suitcase, each apartment needs a set of furniture and kitchen and household supplies. Currently, we depend upon volunteers, but as more and more refugees arrive, we will need a more formalized system to facilitate this process.

Describe the level of community involvement in the fellow’s project.

The Philly Fellow will be involved with the community on various levels. As the Refugee Housing Coordinator, the Philly Fellow interfaces directly with landlords, property management companies, and even utility companies on-behalf of our refugee clients. The Philly Fellow will represent HIAS and Council in the Refugee Housing Collaborative, which includes the two other resettlement agencies. This collaborative also interfaces with the City of Philadelphia Office of Supportive Housing and other housing service providers and advocates for the homeless. The fellow will also interact with the Philadelphia Region Refugee Providers Collaborative (PRRPC), a group of nonprofit and state agencies dedicated to helping refugees achieve economic self-sufficiency and full integration in the city and local communities.

The Philly Fellow will also interact with members of our stakeholder community, including individual volunteers, volunteer groups, and board members who provide in-kind contributions to furnish our refugee homes. The last level of involvement is in a relationship with the refugee community. While the Refugee Housing Coordinator will not be providing direct service to our clients, the position does interact with the refugee community as they welcome arriving families by cleaning apartments, sharing food, and even offering emergency temporary shelter when there is no appropriate home available. The fellow also interacts with the refugees through housing workshops and supports them with housing needs that arise. Through such interaction, the fellow builds refugee self-help teams who contribute to refugee community building.

Section III: Job Description

Please outline in list form the fellow's duties and responsibilities.

The Refugee Housing Coordinator will be responsible for the following:
I. Developing the Philadelphia Refugee Housing Network (PHRN)
a. Broaden and maintain network of landlords, property management corporations, housing organizations, and other resources for affordable housing (henceforth called housing resources.)
b. Build relationships with members of the PRHN.
c. Establish a Volunteer Network for Emergency Housing.
d. Serve as a housing resource for other resettlement agencies in identifying rental properties, potential landlords, and needed emergency housing options.

II. Formalizing and Enhancing Placement Process
a. Utilizing the PRHN to search for and identify initial (6-12 months), affordable housing for arriving refugee families. (HIAS and Council defines affordability by the ability of a refugee family to sustain housing costs, utility bills, food, and other miscellaneous expenses on their family income. Family income may include food stamps and cash assistance.)
b. Complete the rental applications, lease agreements on behalf of HIAS and Council and submit check requests to the Refugee Program Manager.
c.   Locate required furniture and household goods through volunteer networks.
d. Facilitate the preparation of the new home by moving in donations and cleaning up the apartment with volunteers and refugee community members.
e. Document all housing and utility expenses for each refugee family arrival.
f. If no semi-permanent housing is available, locate emergency housing option.
g. Provide referrals and contacts to fellow resettlement agencies to assist with the placement of arriving refugees.

III. Developing housing-related education and programming.
a. Develop comprehensive housing-related educational programming, including:
1. Rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.
2. Housekeeping and home maintenance tips
3. Preparation for long-term rental.
4. Energy efficiency & utilities use.
5. Environmental Health
b. Organize linguistically appropriate workshops for refugee community on critical housing issues, such as those listed above.

IV. Additional Responsibilities
a. Attend all HIAS and Council staff meetings and functions.
b. Participate in the Refugee Resettlement weekly team meetings.
c. Maintain accurate expense records and financial documentation.
d. Provide thorough evaluation of network and outreach efforts.

Please outline in list form the skills/qualifications a fellow should have to succeed in the position.

A qualified Refugee Housing Coordinator should:
• Be able to work independently and as a member of a team,
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking.
• Good computer skills, with a proficiency in Access Database and Excel.
• Have experience and the ability to work with diverse groups of people.
• Be Bilingual or multi-lingual candidate (preferred not required.)
• Have excellent interpersonal skills.
• Have the initiative and communication skills required to build relationship with a wide range of agencies and individuals.
• Understand housing issues and concerns and have an interest in immigrants and refugee communities.
• Willingness to learn about resources in the city and to travel in the city.

Please describe your agency's plan to orient and train the fellow.

HIAS and Council plans to provide individual staff orientation to the Refugee Housing Coordinator through the Preferred Communities Coordinator (a federally funded position dedicated to manage case-management and the resettlement of all refugees.) The Philly Fellow will shadow case-managers to gain knowledge of the resettlement process and understand the needs of refugee community. HIAS and Counsel will send the Philly Fellow to a workshop on the Cultural Orientation of Refugees sponsored by the Center for Applied Linguistics. This training educates professionals and volunteers on what information is required to helping arriving refugees in becoming acculturated to living in the U.S. The training also provides tools to better interact with refugee families. (We are including this training in the proposal at the suggestion of the current Philly Fellow who attended the training and found it very useful.) In addition, the Philly Fellow should seek out housing related trainings to increase knowledge of resources and solutions to potential problems faced by refugee families. These trainings could include one on tenant’s rights and on energy efficiency.

Section IV: Project Plan

Please describe the proposed project goal(s) you expect the fellow to achieve. These should relate to your community need and reflect the long-term impact of the fellow’s project.

The overarching goal of the Refugee Housing Coordinator position is to increase the agency’s capacity to provide safe, affordable housing in Philadelphia to arriving refugee families. This project plays an integral role in growing our Refugee Resettlement Program to a sustainable level, which is to resettle 100 refugees (30 families) a year,      To achieve this goal, we expect the Philly Fellow will accomplish the following:
a) Grow our existing network of landlords, property managers, apartment rentals, nonprofit housing developers, and other local resources geared towards addressing affordable semi-permanent housing for arriving refugees.
b) Facilitate the placement of arriving refugees in rental properties in the city of Philadelphia directly for HIAS and Council.
c) Arrange the set-up of furniture and necessary in-kind goods to establish a home for arriving refugee families.
d) Develop a “Renters Training Guide” to educate refugees on housing issues in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.
e) Organize workshops for refugees on housing issues.

This project will have a substantial impact on Philadelphia. As a resettlement agency, we will increase the number of refugees resettled in Philadelphia, giving more opportunities to have a new life to those fleeing persecution. As a result of placing them in affordable housing, 90% of refugees resettled will achieve economic self-sufficiency. Refugee tenants will increase the number of newcomers to the city, replenishing urban population loss, and revitalize neighborhoods by occupying affordable housing properties. Philadelphia housing resources will become more open to renting to different groups of people. Refugees will feel increasingly welcome to Philadelphia.

Section V: The Nitty Gritty

Will fellow be working at the same address listed above?

Yes

Please describe the fellow's work environment.

Fellow will have a shared office.
Fellow will have their own desk.
Fellow will have their own computer.

Please list the name and title of the fellow's immediate supervisor.

Sarah Peterson, Director of Development and Refugee Programs

Please approximate the percentage of time fellow will work:

Independently: 50%
As a team member in a group setting: 30%
As a team leader in a group setting: 20%

Travel:

Will the fellow be expected to travel as part of the position?

Yes

If so, how often and where?

The Refugee Housing Coordinator will need to travel to the communities where the agency is currently resettling refugees, this includes South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, and Upper Darby. The position may require the Philly Fellow to travel to different areas of the city to see rental properties and to collect in-kind contributions. HIAS and Council does not require this position to have a vehicle, but the Philly Fellow may find it useful to be able to drive when necessary.

Will the fellow need the following to carry out the position?

A driver’s license: Yes
Their own car: No

Section VI: Supervision/Resources

Please briefly describe plans for supervision of fellow:

The Refugee Housing Coordinator will be supervised by the Director of Development and Refugee Programs. They will meet on a weekly basis. There will be weekly team meetings to discuss current placements and programmatic issues and concerns.

What methods, information, or data will you use to evaluate the fellow’s success in their position and your agency’s success in meeting your community need?

HIAS and Council use a standardized review and evaluation sheet for all employees at six month and year increments of employment. The Refugee Housing Coordinator will receive these reviews. The performance of the Philly Fellow will be evaluated on her/his ability to complete the responsibilities and duties outlined in the job description. Attention is also paid to the Fellow’s initiative, professionalism and analytical skills.