Refugee Housing Internship

The Housing Intern secures and coordinates the furnishing of safe, sanitary and affordable housing for newly arrived refugees and provides related logistical support. 

Activities

Identify and secure safe, sanitary, and affordable housing for newly arriving refugees in compliance with established program requirements.

Conduct ongoing outreach to current and potential landlords and property managers, building strong working relationships with the goal of increasing access to housing for refugee families and to coordinate client home repair requests as needed. Collaborate effectively with coworkers and partner organizations to support a positive resettlement experience. 

Coordinate logistics of housing set-ups including ordering furniture and supplies and arranging delivery, arranging utility hook-ups, facilitating lease signings and renewals, arranging payments, and conducting home safety inspections. 

Deliver orientations to clients; may support other pre- and post-arrival activities such as airport pick-ups.

Use personal, insured vehicle and/or public transportation (where available) to travel and transport clients and materials as needed through the service delivery area. 

Maintain records according to regulations and requirements. 

Time Commitment

For the sake of stability and continuity, the IRC asks for a minimum commitment of 3 - 6 months, with at least 5-10 hours per week.

Training

In-depth training will be provided for interns to understand programming and the various needs of clients accessing services. A high-level of confidentiality is required when working with IRC clients.