Berwyn Housing Center seeks rental housing counselor

[A.Malina]

(from craigslist)
Housing Counselor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to: personnel@apartmentsoakpark.org
Date: 2007-07-16, 10:06AM CDT
The Oak Park Regional Housing Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to achieve meaningful and lasting racial diversity in Oak Park and the region. The Housing Center provides listings to clients in search of rental housing and encourages pro-integrative (affirmative) moves. We are currently opening a location in Berwyn, the Berwyn Housing Center, and hiring a Rental Housing Counselor for that location.

Interested applicants should provide a cover letter and resume via e-mail or fax. The cover letter should indicate that you have read the job announcement and address the duties and qualifications listed.

Title: Rental Housing Counselor

Reports to: Senior Counselor

Salary: $25,000 - $28,000 annually depending on experience. Benefits include an exceptional health care plan and a 403(b) savings plan.

Duties:
•Convey the Berwyn Housing Center's affirmative policy to all clients.
•Conduct intakes and answer phone calls.
•Provide listings and counseling information to clients in search of rental housing.
•Provide referrals to the Housing Center's Homeownership Program when appropriate.
•Provide referrals to the Housing Center's Oak Park Program when appropriate.
•Keep accurate records and input client activity data into Access database.
•Provide follow-up activity with clients.
•Other Duties as Needed or Assigned

Qualifications:
•Commitment to fair housing and diversity.
•Good communication skills and ability to work well with others.
•Ability to prioritize and juggle tasks.
•BA/BS or similar degree from an accredited university or college preferred.
•Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Access and Excel, and with internet browsers.
•Access to a car and a valid driver's license a plus.
•Knowledge of Berwyn preferred.
•Bilingual English/Spanish required.

Send a cover letter and resume to:
Rob Breymaier, Executive Director
Oak Park Regional Housing Center
1041 South Boulevard
Oak Park, IL 60302

FAX: 708-848-7165

e-mail: personnel@apartmentsoakpark.org 
 



Location: Berwyn, IL
Compensation: $25,000-$28,000 annually
This is at a non-profit organization.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 374977280

[MRS. NORTHSIDER]

I'm happy to see things are moving along with the Berwyn Housing Center which hopefully will help to improve and stabilize things in some of our higher density housing areas in the city.  Now if only some other projects would move along as quickly.   

[Nazerac]

Now wouldn't that mean that all the upscale renters would be directed to Oak Park, and those who can't afford Oak Park will go to Berwyn?

What rolse does Berwyn play in the center's "racial integration" mission?  Will they direct latinos from Berwyn to East Oak Park, African-Americans to Berwyn, and sprinkle in some caucasian yuppies?

[Wingnut]

I'd like to put an order in for more Germans. 

[rbain]

Now there's a suprise.

[OakParkSpartan]

Now wouldn't that mean that all the upscale renters would be directed to Oak Park, and those who can't afford Oak Park will go to Berwyn?

What rolse does Berwyn play in the center's "racial integration" mission?  Will they direct latinos from Berwyn to East Oak Park, African-Americans to Berwyn, and sprinkle in some caucasian yuppies?

No.

Diversity can also mean economic diversity.

Also, remember Berwyn is paying for this service.  They will be judged upon their results.  Shifting desirable tenants away would be self-defeating for their organization.

[Ted]

  But, isn't there a problem in that Oak Park law requires that section 8 rentals in Oak Park cannot be no more than 20% of all rentals in Oak Park while Berwyn does not have such a law?

  Ted

[apatriot]

Ted, you fool !!  With OC, you could be walking on thin ice with that comment.  j/k  I for one would like to see a percentage much lower than that for Berwyn.  But OC owns Section 8, so I doubt we will see any laws enacted until he is out of office.  Ted, would you be FOR a law on Section 8?  Just curious.

[OakParkSpartan]

Ted,

As bru has pointed out numerous times (and also stated by OC at council/COW), Berwyn only has approximately 100-110 Section 8 vouchers.  Unless they are concentrated in only a few buildings, the 20% limitation in Berwyn would likely make little difference.

[scoon]

Who are they going to find for $25,000-$28,000 annually?

I have a friend in a job that she HATES who is more than qualified, but she can't afford to take this position.

[Ted]

Ted, you fool !!  With OC, you could be walking on thin ice with that comment.  j/k  I for one would like to see a percentage much lower than that for Berwyn.  But OC owns Section 8, so I doubt we will see any laws enacted until he is out of office.  Ted, would you be FOR a law on Section 8?  Just curious.

  I have stated in past posts that I would be in favor of a law similar to Oak Park's that would limit Section 8 housing.

[Berwyn Patsy]

I also think a law of some sorts for section 8 housing in Berwyn would be a good idea.
Berwyn's # of 100-110 vouchers are only the approximate # at this time.
What's to say if not controlled at some point, Berwyn can become over run with section 8 housing?

[Ted]

I also think a law of some sorts for section 8 housing in Berwyn would be a good idea.
Berwyn's # of 100-110 vouchers are only the approximate # at this time.
What's to say if not controlled at some point, Berwyn can become over run with section 8 housing?

  That's what I worry about Pat.

  First, I wonder if the number is accurate.  Even the people doing the FOIA said it was hard to get an exact number.  Without a Berwyn Housing Authority (which the proposed arrangement is NOT - the city is NOT creating a Berwyn Housing Authority), we can not really know how many section 8 housing units we have in the city.

  Second, since Oak Park limits its Section 8 housing to 20% (which is full), how do we know this arrangement won't be a way for Oak Park to dump section 8 housing in Berwyn?

  Oak Park brags about diversity yet they pass laws that limit their economic diversity to 20%.  Berwyn has no such law.

  I think Berwyn should have had a Berwyn Housing Authority first and passed a law limting section 8 housing before proceeding with this arrangement.

  Ted

[Berwyn Patsy]

I agree Ted, so as usual, I have to wonder why no one is thinking the way (in this case) we are?

[OakParkSpartan]

The housing center is NOT to place Section 8 tenants.

The purpose is to attract good quality tenants.

I think you guys are being paranoid and just trying to shoot down change.  The center dovetails nicely with the advertising going on throughout the city.  Do you think that advertising is geared towards attracting the former residents of Cabrini Green or geared towards young professionals?  If you chose the former, I'm not even sure how to respond.

[Ted]

  But,, why not create a Berwyn Housing Authority anyway?  Why not pass a law limiting Section 8 housing?

  It seems that someone did an FOIA, said the numbers were hard to get but it looked like Berwyn's section 8 housing was only 100 and therefore Berwyn did not need a Berwyn Housing Authority.

  That seems backwards to me.  Oak Park has its own housing authority.  Cicero has it own housing authority.  Both Cicero and Oak Park created their housing authority entities before there was a section 8 problem.  Why shouldn't Berwyn have its own housing authority?  If it is true there are not a lot of section 8 units in Berwyn, then why not form a housing authority similar to the ones in Oak Park or Cicero?

  I never understood the logic behind NOT forming a housing authority in Berwyn.  It basically said the numbers don't require it so there is no need to be pro-active.

  Ted

[Artanis1215]

Ted, in all seriousness, why not ask OC at his next IVB meeting?  If he indeed wants to see change, one would think he would embrace what you are saying.

[Nazerac]

The housing center is NOT to place Section 8 tenants.

The purpose is to attract good quality tenants.

I think you guys are being paranoid and just trying to shoot down change.  The center dovetails nicely with the advertising going on throughout the city.  Do you think that advertising is geared towards attracting the former residents of Cabrini Green or geared towards young professionals?  If you chose the former, I'm not even sure how to respond.

I regret to disagree with you.  I am not afraid of change, I don't know anything about the center except what's written on their website, and as a non-profit, they usually follow their missions.  Their purpose is not to attract good quality tenants, their mission states that they want "to help achieve meaningful and lasting racial diversity throughout Oak Park and the west suburban Chicago regio."

So what does that mean, and how are they going to achieve it?  Specifically in Berwyn.  If Oak Park has indeed met its 20% section 8, then wouldn't the center follow its mission to "achieve meaningful and lasting racial diversity in the west suburban Chicago region" (i.e. Beeerrrrrrwwwyyynnn)  by placing the extra section 8 in Berwyn?  If they are placing working poor that's one thing, but, if as more and more section 8 housing starts showing up in Berwyn, the good quality tenants won't be interested.  I am interested in racial diversity, not necessarily economic diversity with large income differential between those living in rental housing and those in single family homes.  We need to attract quality tenants would would spend money at local businesses.  Once we have attracted a fair number of businesses and quality home owners and tenants, then we can go back and revisit the economic diversity of Berwyn.

I would like to see how the police reports in areas with a large number of rentals will change in the coming year.



Nazerac now accepting WIC

[Bru67]

I also think a law of some sorts for section 8 housing in Berwyn would be a good idea.
Berwyn's # of 100-110 vouchers are only the approximate # at this time.
What's to say if not controlled at some point, Berwyn can become over run with section 8 housing?

  That's what I worry about Pat.

  First, I wonder if the number is accurate.  Even the people doing the FOIA said it was hard to get an exact number.  Without a Berwyn Housing Authority (which the proposed arrangement is NOT - the city is NOT creating a Berwyn Housing Authority), we can not really know how many section 8 housing units we have in the city.

  Second, since Oak Park limits its Section 8 housing to 20% (which is full), how do we know this arrangement won't be a way for Oak Park to dump section 8 housing in Berwyn?

  Oak Park brags about diversity yet they pass laws that limit their economic diversity to 20%.  Berwyn has no such law.

  I think Berwyn should have had a Berwyn Housing Authority first and passed a law limting section 8 housing before proceeding with this arrangement.

  Ted

The Oak Park Regional Housing Center has absolutely nothing to do with Section 8 or HUD.  It is a not-for-profit corporation which administers a marketing program designed to reach out to persons who may not otherwise rent here and increase the City's diversity in that way.  It will not be taping "Discover Berwyn -- Please, for the Love of God!!!!" advertisments to the "Blue Light Specials" flashing over Cabrini Green and North Lawndale.  It will not be "steering" undesirable renters from Oak Park into Berwyn.  It will be running its own marketing campaign geared towards Berwyn, which should supplement the City's marketing campaign nicely. 

You can't "limit" Section 8 voucher holders anyway.  I don't know where you're getting that.  Presently, housing authorities have X number of vouchers and cannot issue any more but this is due to present budget conditions as opposed to a solid cap.  And aside from the fact that this could change at any time, a housing authority cannot refuse to take a voucher being administered by another housing authority anyway, so there's no real limit.

And even if you could cap it, 20% is a pretty high cap.  Oak Park has about 4,000 rental units so that's about 800 vouchers!  We had 103 as of last fall.  A little ways to go there.

The community's problem is not Section 8 voucher holders -- it's a lack of demand by a diverse group of renters.  That's what this is about. 

[Nazerac]

Ahh ...

thanks for the clarification.  Does anyone know how many rental units Berwyn has?