Bilingual (Spanish) Housing Counselor - Hybrid Remote

About the role

BALANCE is seeking a Hybrid (On-Site and Work-from-Home) Housing Counselor in San Francisco. This position provides counseling and education primarily to clients in San Francisco, and possibly across the country when needed, via in-person, telephone, or virtual consultation. The role assists clients with housing, down-payment assistance, money management, debt management, and credit-related issues.

This is a hybrid role requiring a combination of onsite work at one of our San Francisco locations and work from home. Depending on the funder, this role may shift to permanent in-person in the future.

Responsibilities

• Housing
  • Assists clients in developing specific strategies toward achieving homeownership, understanding the lending process, affordability, down-payment assistance programs, fair housing, and maintaining financial and homeownership stability.
  • Provides housing application assistance.
  • Produces a written action plan supporting the counselor’s conclusion or the client’s chosen course of action and motivates the client to implement it.
  • Prepares and mails preliminary paperwork to clients in a timely manner.
  • Conducts housing education workshops.
  • Ensures compliance with current housing regulations.
  • Counsels proficiently in the following programs, as defined by management:
    • Pre-purchase Counseling
    • Rental Counseling and application assistance
    • Default Counseling, if applicable
    • Post-purchase, if applicable
• Money Management
  • Assists clients in developing strategies to resolve financial concerns, establish and achieve financial goals, and create overall financial stability.
  • Provides information on bankruptcy, collections, court judgments, credit issues, credit reports, housing issues, consumer protection laws, student loans, wage attachments, and financial planning.
  • Confers with clients to determine available monthly income after living expenses to meet credit obligations.
  • Explains credit report ratings, protections laws, and answers client questions.
• Administrative
  • Promptly answers incoming client calls and determines the nature of problems or questions to establish a course of action.
  • Schedules, confirms, and reschedules client appointments as necessary, and performs regular follow-ups.
  • Performs ongoing casework to provide service and problem-solving assistance for client inquiries and account management.
  • Reports and documents session information, activities, and outcomes.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or one to two years of related experience (e.g., EAP, financial services, counseling, banking, credit, and collections) or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Must successfully pass and obtain the HUD Housing Counselor Certification within 60 days of hire.
• Familiarity with city, state, and federal housing programs.

Skills

• Analytical: Collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data.
• Problem Solving: Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
• Technical Skills: Assesses strengths and weaknesses; pursues training and development; shares expertise with others.
• Customer Service: Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; responds promptly to needs; meets commitments.
• Interpersonal Skills: Demonstrates empathy; focuses on solving conflict; maintains confidentiality; listens without interrupting.
• Oral Communication: Speaks clearly in positive or negative situations; listens and clarifies; responds well to questions.
• Written Communication: Writes clearly and informatively; edits for grammar and spelling; adapts style to meet needs.
• Teamwork: Balances team and individual responsibilities; contributes to a positive team spirit.
• Quality Management: Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness.
• Ethics: Treats people with respect; works ethically and with integrity; upholds organizational values.
• Organizational Support: Follows policies and procedures; completes tasks on time; supports organizational goals.
• Language: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret business periodicals, professional journals, and regulations; writes reports and correspondence; presents information effectively.
• Judgment: Exhibits sound and accurate judgment; makes timely decisions.
• Motivation: Sets and achieves challenging goals; measures self against standards of excellence.
• Planning/Organizing: Prioritizes and plans work activities; uses time efficiently.
• Professionalism: Approaches others tactfully; reacts well under pressure; treats others with respect.
• Adaptability: Adapts to changes in the work environment; deals with frequent change or delays.
• Attendance/Punctuality: Consistently at work and on time; ensures responsibilities are covered when absent.
• Dependability: Follows instructions; takes responsibility for actions; completes tasks on time.
• Initiative: Volunteers readily; undertakes self-development; asks for and offers help when needed.
• Mathematical: Applies concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
• Reasoning Ability: Solves practical problems with limited standardization; interprets instructions in various formats.
• Technology: Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook) and web/app-based client management systems.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule

• 8-hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday with one Saturday a month