ReStore Development VISTA, Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia

Posted by on May 30, 2011

ReStore Development (AmeriCorps VISTA Member), Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia

Posted on: May 20, 2011

Background:

Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia is an independently chartered affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), a nonprofit organization that seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Locally, Habitat Philadelphia is on a mission to transform lives and our city by building quality homes in partnership with families in need, and uniting all Philadelphians around the cause of affordable housing.

Description:

The Habitat Philadelphia ReStore is a resale outlet that sells reusable and surplus building materials to the public with a focus on home improvement goods like furniture, home accessories, building materials and appliances. The ReStore accepts donated goods which are sold to the general public at a fraction of the retail price. Every penny that the ReStore earns go right back into Habitat Philadelphia’s fund to build more houses.

As our ReStore moves into a store space in Kensington and starts to utilize more volunteers and a larger volume of donations, we will need to keep developing processes and procedures for ReStore operations. This AmeriCorps position will be essential in researching, reviewing, and documenting the processes that will need to be put in place to operate and market the ReStore successfully. The ReStore is an integral part of our larger goals as an affiliate to increase our impact throughout the City as well as our funding streams, and we see this position as an integral part of the development of our ReStore. The VISTA member will work to improve processes for a continuing revenue source for our affiliate, that also redirects items from landfills, and serves the low income population with access to home repair materials at a greatly reduced cost compared to what they would pay at a retail store ReStore.

Member Duties & Responsibilities:

Help finalize and document start-up processes and procedures as we are in the first year of having an “official” ReStore
Evaluate ways in which the store meets the needs of the low income community while increasing funding for Habitat homes
Create community partnerships
Develop processes to maintain inventory and train staff and/or volunteers on inventory tracking
Create/develop a database of local builders and possible commercial donors to be maintained by ReStore Manager
Create manuals for a variety of procedures once they are finalized
Train staff and volunteers on the processes and procedures that have been developed/documented by the ReStore VISTA member
Other duties as assigned

Service Week: generally Tuesday-Saturday, 8am-4pm
Our twelve-month position as a Full-Time AmeriCorps VISTA Member requires:

Ability to serve full-time from August 2011 to August 2012
Excellent oral communication skills, strong writing and organizational skills
Understand the Habitat for Humanity philosophy and have the desire to promote it
Ability to effectively work with folks of different races, religions, incomes and education levels
Desire to provide needed community services to an under-served community while receiving the following benefits: a living allowance of $850-950/month and monthly grocery gift card or SEPTA pass, an education award of $5,500 upon successful completion of term of service, loan forbearance w/ interest accrual payment, and health benefits.
We would prefer that the member has a Bachelor’s Degree and strong office/computer/database skills but this is not a requirement

Interested applicants should send the following via mail, e-mail or fax:
Letter of Interest (why do you want to work at Habitat Philadelphia?)
Resume
List of three references

Attn: Meghan Tidwell, Director of Family Services
Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia
1829 N. 19th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19121
Telephone: (215) 765-6000, x13
Fax: (215) 765-6002
Email: meghant@habitatphiladelphia.org

We will accept applications until Friday, June 3rd and will hire the AmeriCorps member in early June.