Note: This is a full-time RPC AmeriCorps position with Tuscola County Economic Development Corporation
About the Rural Partners Corps:
The Rural Partners Corps (RPC) is a new AmeriCorps service fellowship from Lead For America (LFA) that places locally rooted fellows with rural, place-based backbone organizations. Fellows already live in or near the communities they serve. They bring local knowledge, transferable skills, relationships, and a commitment to making their communities stronger. RPC Fellows will serve 40 hours per week from December through August, working alongside Host Site staff and community partners to build organizational and community capacity and advance cradle-to-career economic mobility for rural young people.
About Tuscola County Economic Development Corporation
The Tuscola County EDC is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to raising the quality of life in Tuscola County through economic development.
Position Overview
The Housing and Community Development Specialist will serve under the guidance, supervision, and direction of TEDC staff to support Tuscola County Economic Development Corporation housing and redevelopment activities, including community-facing support for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing projects under TEDC's existing third-party administration (TPA) contracts and Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and tax increment financing (TIF) activities. A smaller portion of service will support staff-guided responses to small business and municipal inquiries, connections to appropriate resource referrals, and business retention and expansion (BRE) outreach and engagement. Through these service activities, the Member will help residents, businesses, and municipalities learn about and access available resources that support housing, community investment, and economic mobility in Tuscola County. The Member will not independently administer grants or contracts, make eligibility or funding determinations, provide professional or technical advice, or perform duties that replace or duplicate the work of TEDC employees or other paid professionals.
Key Responsibilities
The RPC fellow will:
Housing program assistance:
Help staff collect housing applications and supporting documents, identify missing items for staff review, share staff-approved information with applicants, and update project trackers.
Assist with organizing application materials and communicating next steps identified by staff, following applicable confidentiality and records-handling procedures.
Brownfield and redevelopment support:
Research redevelopment opportunities, compile application and TIF project information for staff review, and assist staff with BRA meeting preparation and project follow-up.
Gather publicly available information and organize supporting materials; staff will review all research, communications, and project-related recommendations before use.
Project documentation:
Help compile housing and redevelopment records, reimbursement support, service outcomes, reporting materials, and closeout information for staff review.
Organize and maintain project documentation under staff direction without independently certifying expenses, approving reimbursements, or submitting official reports.
Partner engagement:
Support staff-led housing and redevelopment meetings and communications with residents, municipalities, developers, consultants, contractors, and agency partners.
Assist with meeting preparation, documentation, follow-up, and sharing staff-approved information to support community engagement and coordination.
Small business and municipal assistance:
Help staff document inquiries, provide staff-approved resource referrals, assist with BRE visits and follow-up, and record identified needs and next steps for staff review.
Support general outreach and connections to publicly available resources and appropriate service providers. The Member will not provide individualized business consulting,…