Community Connector

**Job Title: Community Connector, 415 Martin Luther King Jr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI**

**Hours: 8-10 per week**

**Compensation**:100% paid rent subsidy plus $10.33/hr.**

**Program Summary**

The ICCF Community Homes will receive hands on training in Christian community development principles, asset-based community development, and nonprofit administration. They will be responsible for completing several projects independently and will also assist ICCF CH in the achievement of its mission to build equitable opportunity, affordable homes, and thriving neighborhoods.

**Position Summary**

ICCF Community Homes, a faith-based community development organization, is seeking a Community Connector who will serve as an on-site strategic neighbor at its multi-family housing development located at 415 Martin Luther King Jr. SE.

**Responsibilities**

The Community Connector will help to design an on-site approach to building organic connections among the residents who call 415 MLK Jr. home and residents in the surrounding ICCF CH developments, as well as with the business owners who occupy the ground-floor commercial spaces.

The Community Connector position combines the skills of a community organizer with the spiritual and relational gifts of a parish priest or pastor. As community organizer, the Community Connector’s top priority is to know the community, become known within the community and model a “neighboring” lifestyle. As parish priest or pastor, the chaplain should develop the art of integrating the witness of our hope in Jesus within the challenging hopelessness which many persons and communities are feeling. The Community Connector’s mission is relationships and community building, not evangelism. However, if we listen and affirm people and trust the Holy Spirit to empower every contact and conversation, the evangelistic impact will become evident. The Community Connector recognizes the centrality of prayer and is always ready to pray with and for people as the situation and the Spirit leads.

The first few months will be focused on getting to know residents, engaging with them in ways that could include the following: being present, praying with them, listening to their stories, learning about each other, getting to know people, sending notes of welcome and compassion, etc. The Community Connector, Resident Engagement team members and HFS department leadership will meet monthly to connect, problem solve, share celebrations, look at basic qualitative data and analyze current situation. The Community Connector will collect qualitative notes and quantitative interaction notes to contribute to this program. The Community Connector will meet periodically together with his/her supervisors will share qualitative and quantitative data via an evaluation report to the ICCF CH Leadership Team that will focus on conveying key learning gathered.

The lease agreement between the Community Connector and ICCF CH will include the successful execution of this position. If for some reason either party would like to exit from the Community Connector and ICCF CH position and lease agreement, the lease may be exited per fair housing guidelines and the Community Connector may be given the opportunity to continue his/her lease at fair market rate.

The ICCF CH Community Connector subscribes to the following principles:

- To follow Jesus in seeking God’s Kingdom in today’s world
- To live a neighboring lifestyle in the community and call others to do the same
- To value the dignity and personhood of all persons as children of God
- To serve without discrimination regarding race, culture, class, religion, gender or sexual orientation
- To work with the community to discover the assets and opportunities for community wholeness and development
- To work in the confidence that God is at work within the neighborhood to create the shalom of God’s Kingdom
- To work with the churches and other institutions serving the community to imagine what the Shalom of God means in this context
- To continually sound the call for others to join us in this work as neighbors, investors partners and friends

**SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES**
None

**SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL POSSESS**:

- A high degree of initiative, independence and tenacity; able to identify and prioritize actions towards a goal
- Outstanding organization skills and excellent detail orientation
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel
- Team player, works well in a group setting
- Compassionate listener
- Capable of leading residents to resources to overcome challenges
- Adaptable
- Leadership skills

**QUALIFICATIONS**

**EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE**
Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field or related experience plus 1 year of internship or work experience working with a diverse group of people.

**LANGUAGE SKILLS**
Must be able to follow both written and verbal instructions, speak and write articulately, and