As Seattle grows, low-income residents are at risk for displacement. One way to prevent this and preserve the cultural and socio-economic diversity of communities is to assist tenants to become owners. The FUSE Executive Fellow will assist in the design of a program to organize tenants to purchase the rental units in which they live or collectively, with other tenants, purchase the building as a cooperative. As a result of this work, more Seattle renters will have the opportunity to increase security, stability and autonomy through ownership and the ability to remain in the City.

Fellowship Dates: April 28, 2025 – April 24, 2026

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

When designing each fellowship project, FUSE works closely with government partners and local stakeholders to define a scope of work that will achieve substantive progress toward regional priorities. FUSE then conducts an individualized search for each project to ensure that the selected candidate has at least 15 years of professional experience, the required competencies for the role, and deep connections to the communities being served. They are data-driven and results-oriented and able to effectively manage complex projects by developing actionable roadmaps and monitoring progress to completion.

Executive Fellows are hired as FUSE employees and embedded in government agencies for at least one year of full-time work. Throughout their fellowships, they receive training, coaching, and professional support from FUSE to help achieve their project goals. FUSE Executive Fellows bring diverse perspectives and new approaches to their projects. They build strong relationships with diverse arrays of stakeholders, foster alignment within.

PROJECT CONTEXT

The City of Seattle has a vision for homeownership as a method to preserve communities who are at risk of being priced out of the homes they currently rent. Over the past decade, Seattle has been one of the fastest growing large cities in the United States. While this presents a great opportunity, rents and home prices have increased rapidly. This is displacing low-income families to less expensive places further from the City. The City recognized that BIPOC households were at Heightened Displacement Risk. The City’s Office of Housing has adopted a multi-pronged approach to help these families remain, affordably, in their communities in the City.

One method to reduce displacement risk is homeownership. Renters (especially BIPOC renters) are more likely than homeowners to experience a housing cost burden. Affordable homeownership helps households keep costs low and predictable, while also increasing housing stability and potentially building wealth. Organizing tenants to purchase the rental units in which they live is one pathway to ownership for low-income households.

The Office of Housing recently received a Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) grant to help organize tenants to purchase their building. Now, the Office needs to identify potential buildings and equip interested stakeholders with the resources and information they need to be successful. Effective program design and stakeholder engagement would equip the City to develop an effective, replicable model for preserving low-income and BIPOC communities through homeownership.

The City of Seattle hopes to partner with FUSE to help design the Home Ownership as Preservation program. The Executive Fellow will identify buildings with strong tenant purchase potential; distribute resources to non-profit partners to facilitate resident organizing; and design an engagement process for rental building owners who are interested in selling. As a result of this work, Seattle will be a more diverse, inclusive and resilient place to live as renters at risk for displacement will be secure in the knowledge that they can afford to stay in their homes and invest in their communities as owners.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in May 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will quickly develop deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including City partners (e.g., Office of Housing), local non-profits (e.g., Urban League, El Centro de La Raza, and Washington Tenants Union), affordable housing owners (e.g., developers, rental owner-operators), and members of the public (with an emphasis on BIPOC individuals and communities at heightened risk for displacement). The Executive Fellow will seek to understand the resources, opportunities, and aspirations these partners have for tenants becoming homeowners. In addition, the Executive Fellow will review best practices for equitable community engagement and tenant ownership as well as the rules and processes associated with tenant relocation. Finally, the Executive Fellow will work with their Executive Sponsor and Project Supervisor to develop and approve specific project goals and deliverables. While these goals and deliverables will likely include the ones listed below, they may differ based on situational changes and the Executive Fellow’s specific skills and experience.

Next, the Executive Fellow will develop criteria for buildings that may be good candidates for tenant ownership conversions. The Executive Fellow will collaborate with Office of Housing staff to review and prioritize these buildings. For example, they should house families in communities at heightened risk for displacement and have an owner that is willing to sell. Additional criteria will help the City evaluate the feasibility, short- and long-term risks, and financial sustainability of tenant purchase.

At the same time, the Executive Fellow will design a program that equips stakeholders with the resources they need to help renters purchase their homes. For example, the program should empower local non-profits to organize tenants, educate them on the home purchase process, and assist them in becoming homeowners if they choose to do so. In addition, the Executive Fellow will create a process that guides property developers through the conversion process. This process should walk developers through acquiring and rehabilitating appropriate buildings and then selling them to tenants.

The deliverables for this fellowship include identification of a pipeline of buildings with strong conversion potential, a funded team of local organizers who are working with tenants, and guidance for building owners who want to sell their buildings for homeownership conversion. To ensure sustainability, the three deliverables must work together to create a cohesive, replicable model that the Office of Housing staff can use to demonstrate efficacy to the City and local funding partners. In addition, the model must be able to scale to market-rate, for-sale buildings and neighborhoods and adjust based on new funding opportunities going forward.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

By April 2026, the Executive Fellow will have overseen the following:

  • Conduct a Stakeholder Listening Tour – Develop relationships with stakeholders in City government, local non-profit and real estate leaders, and members of the public to understand the resources, constraints, perceived opportunities, potential threats, and aspirations affecting affordable housing in Seattle. Conduct extensive best practices research related to effective, inclusive tenant to owner conversions in similar communities.
  • Building a Pipeline – Develop screening and prioritization criteria for appropriate tenant purchases. Leverage criteria to identify a pipeline of buildings to target immediately.
  • Tenant Organizing – Design and fund a program that equips local non-profits with the resources they need to organize tenants and assist them with the home purchase process.
  • Tenant Relocation Assistance – Research and document regulations and best practices around relocation requirements for several audiences; Office of Housing staff, current rental owner-operators, current tenants and potential homeownership project developers.
  • Developer Process – Craft a process and guidance for property developers who are interested in rehabilitating properties and selling them to tenants.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

  • Executive Sponsor – Andrea Akita, Deputy Director, Office of Housing
  • Project Supervisor – Erika Malone, Homeownership Division Manager

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
  • Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
  • Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
  • Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
  • Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
  • Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
  • Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
  • Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
  • Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.

FUSE is an equal-opportunity employer with core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position.