ABOUT US:

“It always seems impossible until it's done.” - Nelson Mandela

We believe that even the biggest problems can be broken down into small, achievable steps. Poverty and access to justice are part of the same problem. And to solve this, we just need to discover what the steps are.

At Open Door Legal (ODL), we're pioneering the country's first system of universal access to civil legal representation to dramatically reduce poverty and prove that the law really can belong to all of us.

To achieve this ambitious goal, we've created an award-winning and best-in-class legal aid organization full of passionate, motivated, gritty, thoughtful, and team-oriented people.

We believe that injustice is the heart of poverty and we're looking for someone to join us in having a systemic impact on how we, as a society, ensure justice for all.

OVERVIEW OF POSITION:

Housing has the attention of everyone in the country and especially the SF Bay Area. A safe and healthy home is a universal human need, yet it is consistently unrealized or threatened for those in poverty or those overlooked by our country's racist systems. All San Francisco tenants have the rare right to receive free legal counsel to help ensure people who call this “cool gray city” home may continue to do so without constant fear of eviction, outrageous rent hikes, or unsafe living conditions. Open Door Legal provides holistic, trauma-informed housing services helping people access everything they need to feel safe and secure in their homes. Through our work, we also deter bad actors who prioritize wealth from continuing to disenfranchise low-income San Franciscans.

We are hiring a Tenant Resource Specialist to provide critical support to our housing clients, monolingual Spanish-speaking housing clients, and San Francisco communities at large. Even with positive legal outcomes, our clients can face a lot of confusion, fear, and anxiety over transitioning to the next steps regarding their housing. The Tenant Resource Specialist is going to be the main point of contact for helping clients navigate what's next for them. We see this person empowering our clients with invaluable connections to rental assistance and social service organizations, and with the necessary structure and process needed to ensure they remain in compliance with these positive outcomes. This person will also do the important work of sharing this information with our community and other organizations so people have the knowledge they need to move forward with their housing processes. The Tenant Resource Specialist will also be the main Spanish interpreter for the housing team (currently 4 full-time attorneys) and directly reports to our Managing Housing Attorney. 

The work is fast-paced and will require you to think critically and demonstrate humility and awareness in understanding the needs of our community. Overall, this position is intended to be a challenging yet extremely rewarding experience for someone looking to make a difference in client's lives with an innovative, results-oriented, and fast-growing organization. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide interpretation, translation, and do resource connection work in Spanish for Spanish-speaking clients.
• Meet with other tenant's rights service organizations, housing services, etc. as needed to cultivate positive relationships and keep our service referrals up to date and accurate.
• Act as the main point of contact for housing clients needing assistance with navigating rental assistance, housing applications, complying with all settlement agreement steps, and connecting them to other tenant's rights service organizations in San Francisco.
• Implement know-your-rights outreach, community organizing, and connect to social service providers as communities adjust and are susceptible to evictions once again.
• Ensure consistent and compassionate communication with all clients, especially those who are hard to reach. 
• Conduct home visits of clients to document habitability issues, as needed.
• Personally file court documents at SF Superior Court and serve documents, as needed on a case-by-case basis.
• Embrace our mission of universal access to civil legal aid and make sure that all the housing-related needs of residents in our service areas of D10, D11, and D5,  are met.  
• Embody our organizational values of passion, dynamism, caring, grit, and teamwork.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Expertise in translating and interpreting from Spanish to English and vice versa in a professional setting. 
• Must be aware of basic landlord/tenant rules in San Francisco. 
• Must have volunteered or worked at a housing-related organization in San Francisco. 
• At least an associate's degree or equivalent (paralegal certificate fine).
• Must genuinely enjoy working with low-income clients and have a commitment to providing culturally humble and trauma-informed services. 
• Must have some experience in a fast-paced office environment.
• Must have high comfort using technology and case management systems. 
• Must have strong attention to detail.
• Must be willing to make a two-year commitment to the organization.

BONUS POINTS:

• A bachelor's degree. 
• Previous experience working as a legal secretary, tenant organizer, case manager, rental assistance coordinator, navigator, or client advocate. 
• Existing relationships with other San Francisco tenant rights or rental assistance organizations.
• Experience working with low-income and vulnerable populations.
• Having lived a significant period of your life in San Francisco proper.

STARTING SALARY IS $62,000 PER YEAR.

BENEFITS:

• Loan Repayment Assistance - for staff pursuing 10-year public interest debt forgiveness, we will pay the minimum payment on all qualifying loans so that you don't need to worry about student loan debt (this is a conditional benefit).
• Medical/Dental/Vision Plan offerings at 100% coverage
• Generous paid time off
• Flexible work hours 
• Generous paid parental leave
• 401K/Retirement Account
• We believe everyone is always learning. We financially invest in individual learning plans for each staff member and provide many internal and external mentorships, coaching, and learning opportunities (conferences, workshops, etc.).
• We are a fun and hard-working office with best-in-class technology solutions for anyone who's passionate about making a meaningful and measurable difference.

APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BEFORE JUNE 11, 2021 WILL RECEIVE PRIORITY CONSIDERATION.

Open Door Legal is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal records, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at whitney [at] opendoorlegal [dot] org.

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