Host Site: Rebuilding Together Montgomery County

AmeriCorps Program: CapacityCorps

Title: AmeriCorps Project Coordinator

Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland

Apply here at https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/5497892/ bout by 11/5/22

Our Community

Montgomery County, Maryland is a diverse community that draws people from all over the world to live and work near the nation's capital. The cost of living is extremely high, and while Montgomery County is ranked among the 20 wealthiest counties in the United States, RTMC clients have an average annual income of less than $20,000. As clients make difficult decisions about which necessities to prioritize their income on, home repairs often go unaddressed. By serving as a resource to make repairs for local low-income homeowners, RTMC ensures clients can continue to live in safe and healthy homes. In an area where the cost of living includes high rents, RTMC's services help prevent clients from losing what may be the only affordable housing option available.

Through direct involvement with clients and community partners, the AmeriCorps member will have a significant impact on the local community. They will have opportunities to interact with local residents daily, with the goal of improving the application intake process. The AmeriCorps Project Coordinator will process applications, communicate with applicants, and help provide a smooth client services process. This will allow the rest of the program team to more efficiently and effectively provide home repair services to clients.

Summary of Position

The AmeriCorps Project Coordinator oversees key aspects of the client/homeowner experience of receiving critical repair services from Rebuilding Together Montgomery County. The member is instrumental in the management of projects from start to finish, especially as the primary point of contact for clients during the program delivery process. Beginning with the initial visit to assess the client’s home repair needs, through the completion of the scope of work and final project evaluation, the AmeriCorps Project Coordinator supports clients and ensures proper paperwork and documentation are signed and filed. They will coordinate with clients, skilled volunteers, community partners, vendors, inspectors, and program staff to develop and implement sustainable and effective project logistics practices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as clients’ point of contact and ensure a high level of communication and support throughout the project and repair stage of program services through in person, email, and phone interactions.
• Collaborate with the AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinator to coordinate communication between clients, staff, House Captains, and contractors such that all parties are on the same page about scope of work, timeline/timing of project elements, and expectations.
• In collaboration with the Home Assessment and Project Coordinator, meet with clients to complete home assessments, develop a scope of work and materials list, and collaborate with other RTMC team members to develop a project timeline (especially if coordination with volunteers or contractors is required).
• Actively track project and repair information within the database (Salesforce) during and after home repair projects, including contractor bids, status of repairs and projects, home previews, and homeowner documents.
• Assist with maintaining, updating, and distributing client paperwork including the homeowner application, waivers, and release forms.
• Arrange the purchase and delivery of crucial project needs, including: tools and materials, personal protective equipment, dumpsters and other rented items, water, and food to ensure a successful volunteer project. Collaborate with the Home Assessment and Project Coordinator to maintain a system for warehouse inventory to allow bulk purchasing, the reuse or repurposing of tools/materials, and an efficient supply chain.  Ensure routine maintenance of Rebuilding Together-owned tools between projects.
• Oversee and grow the volunteer handyman services initiative, including recruiting skilled and unskilled volunteer handymen, training volunteers on proper homeowner interaction, identifying projects, developing single-day scopes of work, purchasing materials, and verifying completion of work.
• During staff-led rebuilding projects, partner with the Home Assessment and Project Coordinator to provide leadership and oversight to volunteers in completing hands-on repairs. Ensure that volunteers are trained in their task and have access to tools/materials, that proper safety procedures are being followed, that the work product is of good quality, and that volunteers enjoy and feel appreciated for their service.
• Complete direct hands-on repairs, including but not limited to: rough/trim carpentry, tile work, grab bar installation, wheel chair ramp/safe entry/egress repairs, interior/exterior painting, and weatherization.
• In preparation for National Rebuilding Day projects, collaborate with program team to conduct House Captain trainings to bring volunteers in leadership/specialty roles up to speed on Rebuilding Together’s model of delivering services and completing projects.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Required

• Comfortable with speaking and presenting in front of large groups--experience training or teaching adults/volunteers is a plus
• Solid interpersonal skills and ability to make connections and build relationships with clients and volunteers
• Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and use of internet
• Ability to function in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where each team member must balance being organized and detail-orientated with being flexible and keeping up with changing scopes of project work
• Ability to communicate in clear and encouraging language with a diverse community and staff—in writing, in person, and over the phone
• Positive and optimistic attitude, good problem-solving skills

Preferred

• As this role will be interacting with clients regularly, familiarity with the community is preferred
• Bachelor’s Degree or relevant life/work experience
• Ability to work with diverse clients, volunteers, and staff to create a friendly, helpful atmosphere
• Volunteer service experience; managing or coordinating other volunteers is a plus
• Experience with construction, home repair, and/or housing issues
• Familiarity with Salesforce is a plus

Description of Physical Demands

• Must be able to navigate an active construction site, including: climbing stairs and ladders, standing, lifting, and carrying for extended periods of time over difficult terrain.
• Must be able to use a computer and phone for extended periods of time.
• Must be able to lift 35 pounds on a regular basis as part of their responsibilities to complete direct hands-on repairs and assist with the delivery of tools and materials.
• Must be able to travel independently to meetings in the community and in client homes
• Ability to sustain high-level of activity on project event days

Other Requirements

• Access to reliable transportation for daily commute
• Use of a personal vehicle is recommended due to inadequate public transportation
• Valid driver’s license and driving record to allow use of affiliate-owned vehicles or trucks
• Comfort driving large vehicles, such as pick-up trucks (or willingness to learn)

Commitment Required

• January 10 – December 7, 2022 (11-month/1700 service hour commitment)
• Full-time over 11-month service term (39-40 hrs/wk)
• Typical service week is Monday-Friday, however volunteer events often occur on weekends and will require attendance

Program Benefits

• Opportunity to address housing issues hands-on in your community.
• Work with and support 49 other AmeriCorps members across the country.
• Living allowance of $16,000 over an 11-month term of service
• Additional High Cost of Living Stipend: $50/month to cover high, local living expenses
• Health insurance including dental and vision plans.
• Education Award of $6,345 for qualifying education expenses or loans, upon completion of the term of service.
• Federal student loan forbearance and interest accrual payment.
• Positions are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
• Professional development benefit of $200/member provided by RT National.
• Access to LinkedIn Learning professional development trainings/courses.
• Mental Health benefit provided by RT National (covers 6 visits with a mental health professional OR 6 months of an online/tele-service subscription).

To learn more about our benefits and/or commitment requirements, visit our FAQ page on our website at www.rebuildingtogether.org/capacitycorps.

Program Location

Rebuilding Together Montgomery County is headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, and serves a region that is diverse in population, wealth, and landscape. As a county that is a part of the D.C. Metro region, many clients live in more densely populated neighborhoods that are close to D.C. Other clients live in suburban areas and some even live farther out from the city in far more rural settings, resulting in RTMC serving a variety of types of homes and client lifestyles. The county is sprinkled with cities and towns outside of Washington, D.C., including Rockville and Gaithersburg, all of which contain neighborhoods that Rebuilding Together services.

Background Check

CapacityCorps members are required to pass an FBI criminal background check with fingerprints, applicable state background checks, and an NSOPW check. For more information about disqualifying findings, visit our FAQ’s on our website, www.rebuildingtogether.org/capacitycorps. 

Prohibited Activities

AmeriCorps members may not engage in any of the AmeriCorps Prohibited Activities (see below) directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in one of the activities listed below.  AmeriCorps members will not recruit or coordinate volunteers for the purposes of raising funds for his/her living allowance, Rebuilding Together’s general operating expenses, or write grant applications for funding provided by CNCS or other federal agencies.

Any volunteer recruitment, training, management, or coordination listed above as completed by the AmeriCorps member pertains to volunteers engaged in work directly related to rebuilding project implementation only.

AmeriCorps Prohibited Activities

Prohibited Activities. While charging time to the AmeriCorps program, accumulating service or training hours, or otherwise performing activities supported by the AmeriCorps program or CNCS, staff and members may not engage in the following activities (see 45 CFR § 2520.65):

1. Attempting to influence legislation;
2. Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes;
3. Assisting, promoting, or deterring union organizing;
4. Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements;
5. Engaging in partisan political activities, or other activities designed to influence the outcome of an election to any public office;
6. Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or elected officials;
7. Engaging in religious instruction, conducting worship services, providing instruction as part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization;
8. Providing a direct benefit to—
   1. A business organized for profit;
   2. A labor union;

• A partisan political organization;

1. A nonprofit organization that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 related to engaging in political activities or substantial amount of lobbying except that nothing in these provisions shall be construed to prevent participants from engaging in advocacy activities undertaken at their own initiative; and
2. An organization engaged in the religious activities described in paragraph 3.g. above, unless CNCS assistance is not used to support those religious activities;

1. Conducting a voter registration drive or using CNCS funds to conduct a voter registration drive;
2. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services; and
3. Such other activities as CNCS may prohibit.

AmeriCorps members may not engage in the above activities directly or indirectly by recruiting, training, or managing others for the primary purpose of engaging in one of the activities listed above. Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the activities listed above on their initiative, on non-AmeriCorps time, and using non-CNCS funds. Individuals should not wear the AmeriCorps logo while doing so.

Citations:

• 45CFR § 2520.65 - http://www.americorps.gov/help/ac_sn_all_2012/WebHelp/index.htm
• 2012 AmeriCorps Provisions IV.D.3 - https://egrants.cns.gov/provisions/ACProvisions2012.pdf