Category: Summer Research

The NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Our mission is to promote quality housing and viable neighborhoods for New Yorkers. We are responsible for implementing Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan to build and preserve 165,000 units of affordable housing by 2014. Since the plan’s inception, over 144,700 affordable homes have been created or preserved. HPD also actively promotes the preservation of affordable housing through education, outreach, loan programs and enforcement of housing quality standards. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hpd.

HPD Internships

Every summer, HPD invites students from colleges, graduate programs and law schools to spend the summer with us learning about affordable housing and experiencing public service. Interns provide valuable work on key agency initiatives. HPD internships are unpaid. To complement the work experience, HPD interns will be invited to meet with the agency’s Commissioner and to participate in a site visit. In addition, all interns working for the City participate in a special seminar series run by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). These seminars feature top City officials presenting overviews of the mechanics of local government, discussing the work of specific agencies and providing insights into issues that confront the City today. In addition, New York City interns are encouraged to participate in a service project through NYCService.

Attached is a list of the current internship opportunities at HPD. Each write-up includes a description of the work of the division sponsoring the position, as well as expected start-dates. For more information about our divisions, please refer to our website at www.nyc.gov/hpd. You can also learn more about us at www.facebook.com/nychpd and www.twitter.com/nychousing.

 How to Apply

– Internships are administered by individual divisions: there is no centralized internship application processing center. If you are interested in more than one position, you must submit applications for each.

– Each unit requires that the applicant forward a cover letter and resume to the contact person. A writing sample might be required as well, as appropriate.

– Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and positions are filled on a rolling basis.

– The contact person will respond to questions about the position.

Duration of Internships

– Internships are generally available between May and September.

– There are no uniform start or end dates for internship assignments.

– Individual units determine the actual length and start/end dates for their internship assignments.

If you have any additional questions about the HPD Summer Internship Opportunities, please contact Elizabeth Greenstein, Director of External Affairs, at greenste@hpd.nyc.gov.

 

1. Office of the Chief of Staff

HPD is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and viable neighborhoods for New Yorkers through education, outreach, loan and development programs and enforcement of housing quality standards. It is responsible for implementing Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan (NHMP) to finance the construction or preservation of 165,000 units of affordable housing by 2014. Since the plan’s inception, more than 144,781 affordable homes have been created or preserved.

The Chief of Staff’s Office plays a major role in implementing Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan and furthering HPD’s housing preservation work. The Chief of Staff leads the coordination of our interagency relationships and key activities for the Commissioner. More information on HPD and the agency’s initiatives are available on our website: www.nyc.gov/hpd

Internship Description

The Office of the Chief of Staff is seeking enthusiastic, well-organized candidates with a strong interest in affordable housing, neighborhoods, and urban issues. The intern will support the work of the Chief of Staff’s Office and work on special projects. The intern will work closely with the Office’s Director of Policy and Operations.Tasks and project will include:

– assisting with the key Commissioner activities and agency-wide initiatives

– writing and editing policy briefings for the Comissioner

– assisting with preparation materials for the Commissioner’s meeting

– supporting the New Housing Marketplace Plan (NHMP) legacy project, including analyzing and synthesizing NHMP data, drafting NHMP presentations, interviewing key informants, summarizing meetings, and drafting a summary report on the NHMP’s legacy

–  Other special projects as required.

The ideal candidate should have strong analytical, writing, research, and communications skills. Experience with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are a must. Experience with Adobe InDesign or web design is a plus.

Graduate student preferred. However, undergraduate candidates with prior internship and relevant experience will be considered.

Dates: Flexible start; 8-12 week commitment

Hours: Flexible within Monday-Friday 9am – 6pm

To apply please send resume and cover letter to Elizabeth Guernsey at guernsee@hpd.nyc.gov with subject line marked “Intern Application.”

 

2. Office of Financial Management and Analysis

Performance Analysis

The Performance Analysis team is rethinking how HPD collects and uses data, with a focus on efficiency and effectiveness measures and utilizing data to inform cross-agency discussions on resource allocation and program design. We are creating process and data bridges between divisions throughout HPD and also looking at technological tools to make data more accessible, and evaluating what we report on a regular basis and to whom, to ensure that the right issues get attention.

Internship Description

The Intern will learn how to transform analysis into policy and procedural recommendations and learn how to develop outcome related performance metrics. In addition to the technical skills, the intern will learn how a large City agency moves from the goal of creating or preserving 165,000 housing units to actually producing and being accountable the units.

The intern will assist Performance Analysis and the Office of Development in implementing a new reporting requirement passed by the City Council focused on HPD’s Housing Development Project (Local Law 44). The intern will also have the opportunity to work directly with HPD Project Managers and housing development partners researching projects and work on an analytics projects associated with the data collected. Intern will also assist in creating a visual performance dashboard distributed agency wide monthly

Qualifications

HPD is seeking an enthusiastic, talented candidate with a strong interest in affordable housing and urban issues. The ideal candidate should have strong analytical, writing, research, and communications skills. The intern will be responsible for providing critical support to staff working in Performance Analysis. Support tasks require

– Junior or Senior enrolled at an accredited undergraduate college or university with an interest in public policy or Public Administration or Urban Planning graduate student.

– Proficient in MS Office, including MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Outlook. Access and GIS skills a plus

– Excellent organizational and problem solving skills with the ability to initiate and apply creative solutions.

–  Strong project management, research, communication, and data analysis skills, as well as an ability to work independently.

–  Detail-oriented, collaborative and dependable.

Time Commitment

–  Start Date: June 1

–  Flexible within Monday-Friday 9am – 5:30pm; minimum of 20 hours per week.

To apply please send resume and cover letter to Meghan Smith at smithmeg@hpd.nyc.gov with subject line marked “Research and Analytics Intern.

 

3. Office of the Chief of Staff, Division of Housing Policy Research and Program Evaluation

HPD has assembled a team of both academic and policy researchers to collaborate on a multi-phase, interdisciplinary study that examines the impact of housing and neighborhoods on health and well-being. The study has the potential to inform decision-making in multiple domains of public policy—including education, public health, and housing—at the local, state and national levels. The research team currently consists of partner teams from Columbia University/Teachers College, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York Academy of Medicine, and New York University.

Internship Description

The Division of Housing Policy Research and Program Evaluation at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is seeking Interns to help assist in implementing a study examining the effects of affordable housing on those who receive it. Interns will assist in a range of research activities both in the office and out in the field. While prior research experience is not necessary, candidates with such relevant experience will be given preference. Responsibilities will be commensurate with experience; the range of activities may include compiling literature reviews, preparation of study materials, data entry and management, communicating with study partners, data cleaning and analysis, and project management. No specific academic background is required, both undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply, though those pursuing degrees in the social sciences may find the position of greatest value to their professional development.

Successful applicants will demonstrate their ability to work both independently and on a team, think critically, and have a desire to learn about housing policy research. Hours: Flexible; full time (35 hours/ week) or part time (15-20 hours/ week) available.

To apply please send resume and cover letter to Ahuva Jacobowitz at jacobowa@hpd.nyc.gov with subject line marked “Research Intern.”