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About BASTA

BASTA (Building and Strengthening Tenant Action) is a project housed in Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) dedicated to helping Austin renters work alongside their neighbors to improve conditions in their homes and communities. In response to longstanding community frustration over substandard housing and landlord impunity, BASTA engages underrepresented tenants through outreach and education into a housing justice movement that seeks to dismantle the systems that prevent tenants from living in dignified and healthy homes.

BASTA works to build tenant power by supporting organized groups of renters -tenants associations- and by educating the larger renter community about evictions and other tenant issues. Our tenants association work supports tenants organizations at multifamily properties throughout Austin to advance campaigns to win dignity, respect, better living conditions, and community benefits. Our community education work includes interactive presentations, the development of digital and print materials, and connecting individual tenants facing eviction to resource and rights information. BASTA envisions a future where the collective action of Austin renters has brought healthy and affordable housing to all.

Position Description

The Director of Community Education and Arts Advocacy plays a crucial role on the BASTA leadership team, bridging the gap between the policy/legal services and tenant outreach sides of our work and ensuring that tenants rights information is available to Austin renters in accessible and creative formats. The Director will develop and build out our tenant-centered community education and arts advocacy program. The person in this role will ensure that the lived experience of tenants grounds BASTA education efforts, while drawing clear, accessible, and engaging connections for tenants and organizers between their everyday experiences and the legal structures in Texas that shape the lives of renters.

A creative self-starter, the successful candidate is a proactive problem-solver with a tenant-centered approach and deep commitment to the arts as a tool for education and advocacy. This role will include a combination of work that currently exists within BASTA and the revival and redevelopment of an area of work which has been in hibernation for several years; the Tenant Speak Up! Theatre Project.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee and execute all Community Education responsibilities for BASTA, including:

  • Identify community education needs, drawing on feedback from the team, court watch, insights from the TRLA housing team, and affirmative outreach to community partners.

  • Spearhead the development of accessible community education print, digital, and workshop materials, with the assistance of the Community Education Outreach Specialist and Paralegal.

  • Ensure community education materials are regularly updated, adapted to different formats as needed, and properly stored and organized. This includes ensuring materials on our website and other public platforms are regularly updated.

  • Develop content for, and co-facilitate, tenants rights workshops and presentations at partner organizations and other community institutions alongside other team members.

  • Build out Arts Advocacy program, including identifying necessary resources, such as staffing and tenant stipends, to revive the Tenant Speak Up! Theatre Project and brainstorming with the team other Arts programing that can be beneficial to tenants.

  • Work with the Research and Policy Director and the Organizing Director to identify policy issues to explore and advance with arts advocacy

  • Develop relationships with organizational allies and strategic partners to advance advocacy goals.

  • Coordinate and facilitate opportunities for shared learning across the team to avoid siloing of organizing information within the organizing team etc.

• Supervise the activities of the BASTA Community Education Outreach Specialist, including eviction outreach efforts, community education tabling, managing relationships with community partners, and data collection.

• Supervise the community-education-related activities of the Community Education Paralegal, including court watch, court advocacy and community education tabling (in collaboration with the Community Education Outreach Specialist).

• Ensure that data and deliverables are regularly updated and assist with grant reporting.

• Supervise the activities of the BASTA Volunteer Coordinator, including coordinating and executing monthly tenant outreach call clinic events, supporting the Community Education Outreach Specialist with flyering efforts, coordinating volunteer info drops to tenants, and active volunteer recruitment and list maintenance.

• All other duties assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Commitment to social, economic, racial and language justice;

• 2+ years of experience managing multiple staff, interns or volunteers;

• 3+ outreach or community engagement experience;

• 3+ years experience in ensemble/community-based theater;

• Experience with community education and popular education techniques;

• Ability to communicate complex concepts in plain language;

• Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills;

• Strong interpersonal and consensus-building skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of people, including team members, tenants, community allies, and policy-makers;

• Ability to problem solve and think strategically;

• Ability to effectively multi-task, work well with others under pressure, and creatively adapt as needed;

• Strong organizational skills;

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;

• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends; and

• Vehicle and drivers license.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in Spanish;

• Knowledge of housing issues in Austin/Texas more broadly;

• Organizing experience;

• Experience with working in multilingual spaces;

• Advanced graphic design skills;

• Familiarity with Salesforce, Slack, Miro, Hustle, and Toggl.

Compensation

Salary $70,000-$80,000 depending on experience. Full medical and dental benefits are provided to employees. Paid vacation, sick days, and holidays. This is an exempt position but hours are reasonable.

TRLA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

At TRLA, we are committed to offering fair and equal employment opportunities to all job applicants and employees. We strictly prohibit any form of discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.