About the Role: Reporting to the Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Campaigns, the Lead Organizer will build and support a base of leaders living in New York City shelters. A key member of the Advocacy Department of the Coalition for the Homeless, the Lead Organizer will be responsible for the Coalition’s organizing efforts inside New York City shelters. This includes base-building, outreach, and leadership development to promote participation in planning and policymaking that affects the lives of homeless people. The Lead Organizer will work closely with other staff to support the Coalition’s policy priorities, including our campaign to build more housing affordable for homeless and extremely low-income households.  

NOTE: This position is currently funded for three years. Continued employment beyond three years is contingent upon funding.

Responsibilities Include:

Working under the direction of the Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Campaigns, the Lead Organizer will be in charge of:

Membership Recruitment and Relationship Building: 

• Conduct base-building and achieve targeted recruitment goals through regular community outreach, particularly outreach at New York City shelters
• Support leaders within shelters to recruit other residents 
• Help members address systemic issues in their shelters and engage them in shaping and advancing the Coalition’s legislative and budget campaigns
• Maintain regular contact with current and potential leaders 
• Facilitate referrals to the Coalition’s various programs, including crisis services and shelter-monitoring, to help address issues faced by people living in shelter. 

Support campaigns, meetings, and events: 

• Conduct regular phone-banking to engage and mobilize people to attend meetings, actions, and events and achieve targeted turnout goals
• Work with leaders to help them mobilize other residents at their shelters for meetings, events, rallies, and voter engagement
• Assist with preparing leaders to speak, lead chants, and serve in other roles at events and actions 
• Support the logistical and programmatic needs of membership & leadership meetings, including working with members to co-facilitate meetings 
• Work with other Advocacy  team staff to integrate organizing work with existing client groups
• Work with the Advocacy team and members to develop campaign and coalition strategies.

Leadership Development: 

• Identify potential leaders at different shelter sites and increase their leadership and organizing skills
• Conduct trainings & education to build the knowledge and skills of the membership base about policymaking that impacts their lives
• Help prepare members in advance of lobby days and lobbying meetings. 

Other Duties:

• Liaise with other departments and programs of the Coalition to provide updates and communicate about issues raised by members
• Obtain regular supervision with the Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Campaigns
• Participate in weekly staff and other meetings as directed, such as in-service training and staff development and orientation activities
• Perform all other duties as may be assigned by the Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Campaigns.

• At least three years of professional community organizing experience on behalf of homeless and/or low-income people required
• Experience working with homeless people is a plus
• Demonstrated success in both leading high turnout direct actions or events and cultivating leaders
• Must have a deep commitment to social justice and, in particular, identifying and addressing the systemic and bureaucratic obstacles encountered by unhoused individuals
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with individuals from diverse backgrounds and comfort speaking to new people
• Basic familiarity with office software, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Google Workspace apps, and Zoom
• Able to stay up-to-date with a large volume of emails
• A desire to work as part of a team to develop strategy, plan, and reflect on what is working well and what needs to be improved to reach our shared goals
• People who have experienced homelessness are strongly encouraged to apply
• This is an on-site position requiring work in the office and in the field. At least three days per week, the work schedule will be 11:00am - 7:00pm to support organizing in shelters. You may choose to work these hours five days per week, or to work 9:00am to 5:00pm on the other two days. Occasional later evening and weekend work is also required.
• Physical Demands: 
  • This job primarily operates in both an office environment and in shelters, and occasionally in public and outdoor spaces at all times of the year. 
  • Must be able to travel constantly by public transportation to multiple locations across New York City and move around in buildings that are not ADA-compliant.
  • Requires standing for long periods of time, long periods of computer and/or telephone work, and moving between standing and seated positions. 
  • Requires the ability to communicate constantly with people, maintain a conversation or dialogue, and exchange accurate information in these situations.  
  • Must be able to operate a computer, smart phone, and copy machine. 
  • Occasionally requires lifting and carrying items up to 10 lbs.