Position Opening/Job Description 

Job summary

The Family Services Coordinator performs a key role in coordinating and maintaining homeowner and/or potential homeowner orientation and application systems, supports the selection of new homeowners as well as programs designed to support families after they have been selected.   This position is knowledgeable with HfH standards of excellence in homeowner selection and about fair housing laws and standards.

Responsibilities

1.         Administrative

• Provide staff support to and manage the documentation of the homeowner selection process.
• Provides the primary staff support to Family Selection Committee
• Provide staff support to Family Partners
• Market and recruit homeowner applicants in order to fulfill our goal of providing homeownership for 10 families a year, focusing on attaining 5 families in the queue.
• Is the one-to-one partner with each family through the homebuilding and purchase process
• Process monthly mortgage payments and regularly interface with the families
• Create and post articles on Website and Habitat Insider Newsletter

2.             Program

• Understand and have a commitment to Habitat’s Mission and Values and be willing to represent and articulate Habitat’s mission to its potential constituents and supporters
• Coordinate application process for potential homeowners:  schedule and coordinate potential home buyer orientations; assist in the processing of applications; conduct and assess applicant credit; respond to questions from applicants regarding the status of their applications; ensure well-documented, accurate and up-to-date files for all home buyers.
• Participate in the screening and interviewing of potential home buyers.
• Assist in preparation of documents needed for closing and selling homes, ensuring well-documented, accurate and up-to-date files for all homeowners.
• Coordinate home buyer training courses, monitor home buyer attendance.
• Schedule and monitor sweat equity hours for applicant and home buyers.
• Participate in regular home visits with all families in their first year of home ownership, as well as facilitating regular contact with all Habitat families
• Serve as liaison to Homeowners’ Associations
• Knowledgeable about HfH standards in home buyer selection and fair housing laws and standards
• Other duties as assigned 

3.             Other 

• Participate in professional development of staff and volunteers
• Communicate and collaborate with other staff regarding issues homeowners raise with Habitat, including construction, home repair, financial and sweat-equity problems
• Provide assistance in selling homes to families, including attending Codes Covenants & Regulations meetings, closing, lease signing, etc.
• Organize and manage home dedication ceremonies 

Characteristics and Skills Needed:

• College degree 
• Understand and have a commitment to Habitat’s Mission and Values 
• Willing to represent and articulate Habitat’s mission and Christian ministry to its constituents and supporters 
• Self-starter, ability to take initiative
• Experience with mortgage servicing or lender activities a plus
• Enjoy meeting and working with people of various races, ages, economic and educational levels
• Well organized, detail-oriented, can juggle several projects simultaneously
• Flexible and copes well with change
• Good written and oral communication skills, comfortable using telephone
• Computer literate with MS programs
• Willing to work occasional evening and weekend
• Bilingual is beneficial

 Benefits

 Paid personal leave when applicable.  Retirement Savings match after 2 years of employment.

Installing a door buck - 2008 Women Build

ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) construction

Our location will be 592 Riverstone Drive, Richland and will be ICF construction, (for those who remember the 2008 build).   It will be a joint build with the Retired Coaches that supported us from mid-build to completion on the 2009 project.  This will double the number of build day opportunities for all women builders.   The start date is contingent upon the identification of a qualified family.  We anticipate this to be mid to late August.   We’ll all appreciate those late summer & fall temperatures.   Enjoy your summer Ladies!

Join us for the 2nd Annual Mom’s Nite Out at Columbia Center Mall in Kennewick! Barnard Griffin will be pouring great selections of wine in the Sears wing, and all proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity.

When a new family walks through the front door at Habitat, it isn’t long before they are considered part of the Habitat family. This is especially true for future homeowner Anna Mosesova. I can remember the first day Anna stepped over the threshold into the front office, her smile alight with hope and her heart eager for a chance at the new life homeownership could offer her and her four children. I placed an application in her waiting hands, and Anna left with the promise of bringing it back the very next day.

Within days of the selection process, it was clear Anna was a perfect match for the Habitat for Humanity program. Not only did she meet all of the selection criteria, she shined with a spirit of gratitude and a willingness to offer her time to the program. Staff and volunteers alike quickly grew to love Anna and welcome her into the Habitat family.

Now, only two months remain before the dedication of Anna’s brand new home, a home where she and her children can build a stable and safe future. Anna, like all families accepted into the Habitat program, is not only becoming a homeowner but a part of a community of families, volunteers and donors who stand up for a person’s right to simple, decent, and affordable housing.

I encourage you to walk through the front door at Habitat. Your new family is waiting.

Always, Valerie

Construction continues in December on Anna’s home.

Couponing is the newest fad amongst my circle of friends; we’re holding coupon parties, buying coupon organizers, exchanging coupons and squeezing coupons into every conversation.   It’s great to see the younger generation participating in an activity I’ve indulged in my entire life … perhaps just another sign of the troubled economy; but it’s great to see “saving” becoming fashionable.    However, it seems the major focus of coupons is FOOD, although other typical grocery items such as paper towels, toothpaste and hair products sneak into the mix.  No wonder I struggle with maintaining a healthy weight.

Couponing is expanding beyond the grocery store!   For those of us who long to remodel our kitchens and bathrooms, or create that backyard kitchen we’ve eyed in Better Homes and Gardens – I’ve got news for you.

My newest Coupon Opportunity not only saves money, it’s environmentally friendly!  At the Tri Cities Home Show last weekend I was introduced to Coupons for Home Furnishings.   The coupons are promoting a new Re-Use not Refuse campaign for new donated items at the Habitat ReStore.   Coupon savings for household furnishes amount to much greater savings than grocery items, are less fattening, and are just as much fun!   I’ve got a few extra coupons to share for anyone interested; just print out the pdf coupon and get shopping!

Do you want to stay in your own house but finding that the repairs are a little more than you can handle?
Then turn to Habitat for Humanity and look into our new program A Brush With Kindness.  That is just what homeowner Dan Belgrair did, and he had new windows installed, a driveway repaved, mailbox moved and a lot of yard work done.  He also enjoyed the fuzzy feeling he got realizing that he had helped several students from New Horizons High School complete their community service hours that are required by the school.

We can concrete, we can paint, in fact, we can do almost any exterior job that is needed.

For additional information please contact:

Sue Bannister
Habitat for Humanity
943-5555