HOUSELESS INTERVENTION PROJECT FELLOW (PROJECT/TEMPORARY)

The University of Washington (UW) is proud to be one of the nation’s premier educational and research institutions. Our people are the most important asset in our pursuit of achieving excellence in education, research, and community service. Our staff not only enjoys outstanding benefits and professional growth opportunities, but also an environment noted for diversity, community involvement, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

At the University of Washington, diversity is integral to excellence. We value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives, strive to create welcoming and respectful learning environments, and promote access, opportunity and justice for all.

The Houseless Intervention Project is a new initiative formed by an interdisciplinary group of collaborators from across the University of Washington. The Project, which currently operates as part of the Mediation Clinic at the School of Law, has been working since January 2021 to develop a conflict resolution program designed to address the acute and increasing need to stabilize housing and prevent homelessness for those at risk in Seattle.

The homeless crisis in Seattle is not new, but the adverse financial and public health impacts of COVID-19 and the aftereffects of the City of Seattle’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium have led to a bottleneck of residential leasing disputes that courts and traditional community mediation models cannot readily handle on an urgent basis.  Designed to meet this unique confluence of challenges, the Project seeks to establish working partnerships between UW and a variety of community stakeholders, with the goal of deploying early-intervention dispute resolution resources to Seattle’s housing communities as effectively as possible. The Project mission includes: a commitment to rapid response de-escalation, the delivery of integrated social services support and connection to affordable/supportive housing; the use of technology-driven platforms for online dispute resolution; and an interdisciplinary, multicultural team.

The School of Law’s The Houseless Intervention Project has an outstanding opportunity for a Temporary , Part-Time (50% FTE) Houseless Intervention Project Fellow. This is a temporary position expected to last for one year. This position provides a wide range of administrative and project coordination duties, program design, and mediation opportunities.

Program Design – 20%

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary partners on the ongoing work of designing, refining, and implementing program structure, mission statement, and legal structure.

• Manage design and implementation of program success metrics.

• Maintain partnerships with interested UW faculty for interdisciplinary collaboration between schools and disciplines.

Develop Resources and Community Partners – 20%

• Organize and host meetings with stakeholders and community partners.

• Identify community partners and organize information about services offered by community partners.

• Advocate effectively for the need for eviction prevention and conflict mediation to a variety of stakeholders.

Administrative and Project Coordination Duties – 30%

• Coordinate communication and meetings amongst the interdisciplinary project team.

• Develop mid- and long-term goals for the project and keep project development goals on task.

• Work with/manage graduate student trainees from a variety of UW schools and disciplines who contribute to the project to gain practical experience (past examples include students from the School of Social Work and the School of Public Health).

Develop Long-Term Sustainable Funding Model – 20%

• Identify potential private and public funding opportunities in collaboration with UW Law staff and faculty.

• Draft and submit grant proposals.

• Work with program partners to design long-term funding model.

Design and Develop Alternative Dispute Resolution/Mediation Training for Collaborators – 10%

• Develop a training program and manual for mediators recognizing diverse perspectives, economic inequality, power dynamics, and interdisciplinary approaches.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors’ Degree and two years of mediation, homelessness intervention, legal, or other relevant experience

• Completion of 36 Hour WA State Mediation Training (or ability to complete a two-weekend-long training course upon hiring) (Training will be offered in October 2021—if hiring is done before October, could hire a candidate who will take the training then)

• Ability to work independently while maintaining positive working relationships with a broadly dispersed team of collaborators

• Ability to work with or to learn a variety of software programs including Microsoft Word, Excel.

DESIRED:

• Juris Doctor

• A demonstrated history of working with diverse clientele.

Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter, and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.