National Housing Initiative Engagement Coordinator
SAGE is the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ+) older people. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is a national organization that offers supportive services and consumer resources to LGBTQ+ older people and their caregivers, advocates for public policy changes that address the needs of LGBTQ+ older people, provides education and technical assistance for aging providers and LGBTQ+ organizations through its National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging, and cultural competence training through SAGECare. SAGE supports a growing network of 70+ SAGECollab Partners across the country.
Summary: SAGE’s National LGBTQ+ Elder Housing Initiative (NHI) is designed to reshape the housing landscape across the U.S. to become more welcoming to LGBTQ+ seniors. The NHI’s primary objectives are to raise awareness and to increase the availability of LGBTQ-affirming and safe elder housing to LGBTQ+ older adults across the country. The NHI is comprised of five interlocking strategies to assist the nation’s existing senior housing stock to become safe and welcoming to LGBTQ+ elders, while simultaneously accelerating the development of housing specifically designed for them. The five strategies are as follows:
1. Identify resources to aid those interested in developing LGBTQ-inclusive elder housing
2. Conduct consumer/stakeholder education and training
3. Conduct policy advocacy
4. Provide cultural competence training and,
5. Build model LGBTQ-affirming elder housing
SAGE has most recently achieved the fifth strategy in building New York City’s first affordable LGBTQ-affirming senior housing developments: Stonewall House in Brooklyn and Crotona Pride House in the Bronx. Building these two senior housing developments enables SAGE to create models for LGBTQ-affirming elder housing for use by providers across the country.
Considering these lessons learned, the NHI has embarked on the most intensive local community engagement project to date. Since August 2022, NHI staff have been engaging organizational partners, community members, and city leaders in Baltimore to better understand the need for LGBTQ+ elder housing in the city and to lay the groundwork for an LGBTQ+ affirming, affordable elder housing development in Baltimore. In partnership with local community-based organizations and local leadership, the first part of this project has focused on trust-building, community engagement, and data collection about the barriers, needs, and hopes of LGBTQ+ elders related to housing safety and access. Next steps for this project will include ongoing community engagement and partnership with local organizations and housing development experts in moving an affordable housing project forward in Baltimore.
The NHI Assistant Director and part-time National Projects Coordinator have been the project planning leads on this project since August 2022. This position will be based in Baltimore and is grant-funded until approximately March 2026
Essential Job Functions:
The Baltimore Community Engagement Coordinator of SAGE’s National LGBTQ+ Elder Housing Initiative will provide programmatic support, community outreach, and public education and direction around the development of LGBTQ-affirming, affordable senior housing in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Community Engagement Coordinator is responsible for executing and growing this new area of housing work in Baltimore in the following ways:
- Support the ongoing vision and goals of developing community-informed affordable senior rental housing in Baltimore;
- Deepen SAGE’s relationships with existing community organizations, local elected officials, service providers, housing partners, and LGBTQ+ elder communities, and create new high-value partnerships in LGBTQ+ aging housing and services based in Baltimore and surrounding communities;
- Provide public education and coalition-building to individuals and organizations across Baltimore that are seeking to address the housing needs of vulnerable LGBTQ+ elders;
- Engage LGBTQ+ older adults from diverse backgrounds and other community members in Baltimore to capture community feedback on developing LGBTQ+ affirming, affordable senior housing; and
- Ensure that feedback is represented to the project’s developer, community partners, and other important stakeholders
While the position will not have any direct supervisory responsibilities, the Baltimore Community Engagement Coordinator leans heavily on cross-departmental project management, including staff from National Initiatives, Communications, Programs/Services, and Policy departments. The Baltimore Community Engagement Coordinator will report directly to the Assistant Director of the NHI, who is located in St. Louis, MO. The Coordinator is part of the NHI team and the larger partnership-based, field-building National Initiatives team.
Key Responsibilities:
- Engage LGBTQ+ older adults from diverse backgrounds and other community members in Baltimore City and surrounding communities to capture community feedback on the development of LGBTQ+ affirming, affordable senior housing in Baltimore. Community engagement responsibilities could include but are not limited to:
- Leading the planning and implementation of town halls, community outreach events, stakeholder listening sessions, and other relevant events
- Managing the engagement, coordination, and follow-up of conversations with community members and groups in Baltimore and surrounding communities
- Creating relevant consumer education materials to disseminate to LGBTQ+ elders interested in this model of housing in Baltimore
- Providing relevant input from constituents as needed to inform the housing development process
- Developing and implementing community surveys, focus groups, and other methods of data collection with an emphasis on collecting feedback from elders vulnerable to displacement and other impacts of gentrification
- Cultivate new relationships with key organizations and leaders in Baltimore and surrounding communities to develop collaborative partnerships with organizations. Community partnership development responsibilities could include but are not limited to:
- Connecting local housing advocates to community members needing assistance
- Organizing and building a robust coalition of stakeholders in the LGBTQ+ affirming housing arenas
- Providing input on the local advocacy, outreach, and housing work as needed to inform training products for community-based organizations, housing developers, and other target audiences
- Developing buy-in from partner organizations for LGBTQ+ affirming, affordable elder housing in Baltimore and surrounding communities, strengthening community support, and increasing the feasibility of the development
- Support the execution of the NHI’s long-term vision to create and expand LGBTQ+ elder housing in Baltimore, with focus on deeply vulnerable elders and vulnerable communities in which housing is built. Supportive responsibilities could include but are not limited to:
- Supporting the Assistant Director of the NHI as they manage the ongoing partnership with a local affordable housing developer, including the coordination of events to capture community feedback on culturally informed housing development and design
- Supporting the Assistant Director of the NHI in the planning and implementation of a long-term project plan for the Baltimore housing development, including community outreach and organizing, design charettes, tenant education and outreach, and establishment of key community partners based in Baltimore and surrounding communities
- In the development’s transition to the lease-up phase, conducting intensive community engagement and outreach to potential tenants to support the lease-up process and get residents in the building
- Supporting the Director and Assistant Director of the NHI in providing technical assistance and conducting presentations or trainings on community outreach and best practices to groups seeking to create this model of housing across the country
- Archiving the outreach, organizing, and community engagement work in Baltimore and surrounding communities
- Conducting or assisting with other efforts as needed
- Some travel within the state will be required, with opportunities for national travel to arise as needed.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree (May be waived if applicant possesses relevant expertise or experience)
- Deep subject matter expertise and connections in local community organizing in Baltimore
- Experience in community engagement, relationship-building, public education, or coalition-building with a diverse range of stakeholders
- Experience working in and with diverse and underrepresented communities
- Experience in conducting workshops, town halls, focus groups, or other forms of public education
- Strong commitment to SAGE’s mission, with particular attention to racial justice, transgender justice, and aging justice
- Effective multi-tasking skills and ability to function in fast-paced environment
- Extremely detail-oriented and organized
- Ability to establish solid working relationships with broad cross-sections of people
- Strong verbal and writing skills
- Strong problem-solver
- Clear and open communicator
- Superb time management skills
- Positive and dependable demeanor
Preferred Qualifications:
- Deep subject matter expertise and connections in the affordable housing sector in Baltimore
- Experience working with and/or on behalf of diverse and underrepresented communities and LGBTQ+ elders in Baltimore, with demonstrated LGBTQ+ cultural competence
- Experience in local coalition or network building towards a shared goal
- Experience in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data
- Experience in project management focused on long and short-term strategic visioning
- Experience conducting public education on issues of equity, oppression, or discrimination
- Track record of demonstrated leadership in community-based organizations or nonprofit management
- Experience in local coalition or network building towards a shared goal
- Experience in collecting, analyzing, and reporting data
- Experience in project management focused on long and short-term strategic visioning
- Experience conducting public education on issues of equity, oppression, or discrimination
- Track record of demonstrated leadership in community-based organizations or nonprofit management
Status: Full-time / Exempt / Regular schedule is 35 hours hours/week, grant-funded until approximately March 2026.
Location: This position will be a hybrid position located in Baltimore, Maryland, with potential travel opportunities.
Salary range: $55K to $67K
How to Apply: Please click here to begin the application process. Contact careers@sageusa.org if you have any questions.
Equal Employment Opportunity
SAGE is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, alienage or national origin, ancestry, age, citizenship status, marital or family status, family medical history or genetic information, veteran status, HIV serostatus, military or military discharge status, height, weight, disability or handicap, domestic violence victim status, employment status, socioeconomic status, criminal history or arrest record, sexual or other reproductive health decisions, natural hair or hairstyle, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. SAGE is dedicated to this policy, with respect to all matters concerning employment.