Rental Services Aide

Description

Christopher Community, Inc. (CCI) seeks a Rental Services Aide to provide direct customer service to the residents and clients of Christopher Community, along with providing additional valuable services for the Rental Assistance Program. CCINC is a not-for-profit Housing Development and Property Management company that assist low- and moderate-income families and seniors to secure suitable housing across Upstate New York. Christopher Community currently manages over 3,300 units of housing in more than 100 buildings, and administers the Rental Assistance Program in Onondaga County, which provides assistance to over 1,200 households. Since 1971, Christopher Community has maintained a proven track record in developing and operating affordable housing. We regularly receive very high ratings both from government and private entities for the way we manage our properties.

We offer competitive salary and generous benefits! Please see below for additional information:

Benefit Summary:

• Full Time position 
• 35-hour work week
• 21 Paid Time Off (PTO) - Vacation, Personal & Sick Days (30 PTO days after 1st Year)
• 13 paid holidays (including 2 floating holidays) 
• Up to 6% Employer Match to 403(b) Retirement Plan
• Company contribution to Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance (*** CCI offers a $0 out of pocket cost health insurance plan for in network coverage beyond employee paid premium with employees not paying copays or having coinsurance ***)
• Hiring Range: $20.75 to $23.00 per hour depending on experience & qualifications

Requirements

Position Summary: The role of the Rental Services Aide involves direct customer service to the residents and clients of Christopher Community, along with providing additional valuable services for the Rental Assistance Program. The Rental Assistance Program manages the Federal Housing Choice Voucher Program (commonly known as Section 8) for Onondaga County.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: This position is a forward-facing position located at the front desk. Candidates should possess strong communication skills, attention to detail and be organized. And most importantly be friendly and personable. Below are some duties for the position.

• Assist in receiving clients, tenants and visitors during office hours.
• Answer, screen and transfer inbound phone calls.
• Greet clients, visitors and guests.
• Answer general inquiries about Christopher Community’s programs and services.
• Ability to maintain and retrieve documents from electronic and hard copy filing system.
• Manage inquiries submitted via company email address.
• Resolve administrative problems and inquiries.
• General clerical duties including photocopying, fax, mailing, ordering & stocking office supplies.
• Maintains the Rental Assistance Program (Section 8) waiting list. Contact applicants currently on waiting list for intake/briefing appointments.
• Maintain applicant intake/briefing schedule
• Sends and receives preliminary application for Section 8, including reviewing for initial eligibility requirements, completeness and to place household on the waiting list based on program regulations.
• Conducts pre-screening calls and meetings for the program.
• Obtains and reviews verification and eligibility documents to enable Rental Assistance Counselors to accurately evaluate applicant's eligibility.
• Coordinates with Rental Assistance Counselor the notice of eligibility and appropriate notifications.
• Performs file maintenance, data entry, and report generation and prepares correspondences when needed including sending letters and notices to applicants/clients.
• Gathers, assembles, updates, and disseminates a variety of HCV/HQS program specific information, forms, records as required and when appropriate.
• Other duties and special projects may be assigned.

Minimum Education and Experience:

High School diploma or GED is required; a two-year degree or an Associates Degree is preferred. Two to five years of related experiences in the areas of customer service (preferably in housing or property management) and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities):

• Must have the ability to read, and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondences and memos.
• Ability to write out routine reports, and correspondences.
• Ability to effectively present information in a one-on-one, and small group situation to applicants, tenants and clients.
• Ability to speak Spanish is a plus.
• Excellent time management skills are necessary.
• Must demonstrate strong attention to detail,
• Must have ability to follow through while working under stressful conditions
• Must be able to work independently, maintain confidentiality, and utilize crisis intervention techniques.
• Must have ability to perform basic mathematical calculations and must be proficient using excel.