Hands On Defense Internship Positions
Available Positions
Justice For Housing, Inc. is seeking individuals to join the Hands On Defense Program as direct client advocates and assist clients in justice-involved households experiencing housing discrimination or instability based on their criminal history. Clients may be appealing a housing authority decision or challenging an eviction.
Under the supervision of the Hands On Defense Program Manager, the Hands On Defense Advocacy Interns will:
- Assist clients with filing appeal requests and appropriate paperwork in advance of their hearing
- Assist in identifying and gathering mitigating circumstances information to present to hearing officers
- Assist in developing hearing presentations
- Participate in housing authority appeals hearings
- Witness housing court mediations
- Assist in entering client data for reporting purposes
Interns will learn about:
- Current policies and practices surrounding public housing denials and terminations based on criminal history
- Eviction prevention strategies for households in MA
- General advocacy and client interaction strategies, including professional communication, documentation filing, boundary setting, and other necessary skills
- Data entry and reporting in non-profit organizations
Justice For Housing, Inc. is seeking individuals to join the Hands On Defense Program as housing navigators and assist clients in justice-involved households experiencing housing discrimination or instability based on their criminal history. Clients may be seeking affordable or market rate housing.
Under the supervision of the Hands On Defense Program Manager, the Housing Navigation Interns will:
- Assist clients in completing applications for affordable housing waitlists and lotteries
- Refer clients to partner organizations for resources outside of the scope of Justice For Housing, Inc.
- Build out resource lists to provide clients with various supportive service needs
- Connect clients with CORI-friendly realtors and landlords
- Assist in entering client data for reporting purposes
Interns will learn about:
- Current policies and practices surrounding public housing denials and terminations based on criminal history
- Affordable housing navigation in MA
- General advocacy and client interaction strategies, including professional communication, documentation filing, boundary setting, and other necessary skills
- Data entry and reporting in non-profit organizations
Justice For Housing, Inc. is seeking individuals to join the Hands On Defense Program as housing navigators and assist clients in justice-involved households experiencing housing instability. Clients may be seeking rental assistance to move into new housing or stabilize current housing.
Under the supervision of the Hands On Defense Program Manager, the Rental Assistance Intern will:
- Determine client eligibility for and assist clients in completing applications for short-term rental and emergency financial assistance programs throughout the state
- Communicate with rental assistance program coordinators, landlords, and any other party necessary to ensure that all documentation is accurate and is submitted in a timely manner
- Refer clients to partner organizations for resources outside of the scope of Justice For Housing, Inc.
- Assist in entering client data for reporting purposes
Interns will learn about:
- Current policies and practices surrounding public housing denials and terminations based on criminal history
- Rental assistance and emergency assistance programs in MA
- General advocacy and client interaction strategies, including professional communication, documentation filing, boundary setting, and other necessary skills
- Data entry and reporting in non-profit organizations
About the Program
Positions will be 12 weeks unless otherwise negotiated by the applicant and supervisor prior to the expected start date. The position will be not more than ten (10) hours per week, with working hours determined by the intern based on their availability. The position can be remote or on-site at our Boston office at the intern’s discretion. This is an unpaid internship.
International students must provide work authorization documentation as applicable.
Students seeking academic credit should connect with their school’s internship coordinator prior to accepting a hiring offer to ensure that the position meets the relevant criteria.
How to Apply
Interested applicants may submit a resume and statement of interest to: resmith@justice4housing.org. Please include “HOD Internship Application” and the position(s) of interest in the subject line.
The Statement of Interest should answer the following questions:
- Why are you interested in this position?
- Why are you interested in working with our organization?
- What experience do you have in housing advocacy (if any)?
- What experience do you have with the target population (if any)?
The Statement of Interest need not be a full cover letter – answers can be 1-2 sentences. Prior field/population experience is not required for applicant consideration.