Affordable Housing Development Intern

Faith and Community Empowerment; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

Faith and Community Empowerment in Los Angeles is seeking an Affordable Housing Development Intern to join a mission-driven team transforming church sites into affordable housing. You will coordinate with architectural partners, staff, and churches to advance yield studies and test fits while learning the pre-development process.

This ground-floor role offers mentorship from experienced board members, exposure to zoning and development agreements, and a path toward an Assistant Project Manager

Qualifications

• Education: Current graduate student or recent graduate in Urban Planning, Real Estate Development, Architecture, or related field.
• Skills: Ability to read site plans/test fits and understand basic zoning terminology. Familiarity with the "affordable housing stack" (LIHTC, vouchers, etc.) is a major plus.
• Communication: High emotional intelligence; comfortable speaking with both architects and church leadership.
• Ambition: Someone looking to grow into a full-time Assistant Project Manager role as our portfolio scales.

Responsibilities

• Architectural Coordination: Act as the primary point of contact for our architect; track progress on Yield Studies and Test Fits for our top-tier church sites.
• Site Feasibility: Review zoning codes and site constraints to help determine the viability of proposed projects.
• Relationship Management: Assist in the preparation of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) documents and other documents for churches entering the early development phase.
• Project Tracking: Maintain the "Pipeline Dashboard," ensuring all 20 churches and other interested churches are moving through the screening process efficiently.
• Development Transition: As projects mature, assist in drafting the scope for Development Partnership Agreements and coordinate with co-developers.

Skills

Site plans / tests

Zoning terminology

LIHTC familiarity

Communication

Education

Urban Planning / Real Estate Development / Architecture

Job description

Future Opening: Affordable Housing Development Intern

Full Time • Los Angeles

Faith and Community Empowerment is a mission-driven organization currently managing a pipeline of 20 faith-based partners exploring the transformation of their land into affordable housing. We are seeking a highly motivated Affordable Housing Development Intern to serve as a critical bridge between our architectural partners, our board of experts, and our church sites.

This is a unique, "ground-floor" opportunity. You will start by coordinating technical yield studies and will be mentored to transition into an Assistant Project Manager role as we move toward formal development partnership agreements.

Key Responsibilities

• Architectural Coordination: Act as the primary point of contact for our architect; track progress on Yield Studies and Test Fits for our top-tier church sites.
• Site Feasibility: Review zoning codes and site constraints to help determine the viability of proposed projects.
• Relationship Management: Assist in the preparation of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) documents and other documents for churches entering the early development phase.
• Project Tracking: Maintain the "Pipeline Dashboard," ensuring all 20 churches and other interested churches are moving through the screening process efficiently.
• Development Transition: As projects mature, assist in drafting the scope for Development Partnership Agreements and coordinate with co-developers.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for a self-starter who isn't afraid of technical data or community-focused mission work.

• Education: Current graduate student or recent graduate in Urban Planning, Real Estate Development, Architecture, or related field.
• Skills: Ability to read site plans/test fits and understand basic zoning terminology. Familiarity with the "affordable housing stack" (LIHTC, vouchers, etc.) is a major plus.
• Communication: High emotional intelligence; comfortable speaking with both architects and church leadership.
• Ambition: Someone looking to grow into a full-time Assistant Project Manager role as our portfolio scales.

Why Join Us?

You won’t just be getting coffee; you’ll be in the room where deals happen. You will be mentored directly by board members with decades of affordable housing experience and gain hands‑on experience in the pre-development phase of real estate.

Compensation: $20.00 per hour

FACE serves as a light and bridge between the Asian American community and the greater community at large by connecting and creating private and public collaboration, maximizing the capacities of faith-based organizations and other community non‑profits, increasing access to resources and funds, and assisting low-income individuals and revitalizing neighborhoods. FACE has been dedicated to serving the AAPI community and other underserved communities since its founding in 2001. Our organization works to uplift and maximize the capacity of faith‑based organizations, community non‑profits, and the AAPI community by fostering private and public collaborations and increasing access to resources and funds for those who need them. Our major programs include: our HUD‑approved Homeownership Program, our C2 Leadership Institute, Stop AAPI Hate/Black & Asian Solidarity Initiative, AAPI Career Pathways Initiative, and Clean Energy Initiatives. FACE's Homeownership Program and Fairs have helped over 15,000 individuals be on their way to homeownership as well as prevent foreclosure. Our AAPI Career Pathways Initiative has provided over 600 youth access to paid internships & job training as well as mentorship through our monthly AAPI speaker series. Our C2 Leadership Institute has graduated seven cohorts of faith leaders and young people with the tools to serve and empower their communities. In response to the disproportionate impact of COVID‑19 on the AAPI community, we launched our Black & Asian Solidarity and Stop AAPI Hate Initiatives to discuss true allyship, raise awareness on myths and issues facing AAPI, and advocate for the AAPI community. We also conducted various COVID‑19 relief movements including but not limited to food bag, vaccine, covid test, and facemask disbursement.