The City of New Orleans VISTA program is implemented by the Office of Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the Department of Safety and Permits. The City is seeking passionate individuals to build capacity to break the cycle of poverty and empower our community. The Department of Safety & Permits administers and enforces codes and regulations to ensure compliance with international standards for our city’s properties, in collaboration with various City stakeholders, to bolster efficient, high-quality permit and license reviews that encourages development and fosters business in New Orleans. The Department of Code enforcement ensures the public health and safety of the City’s neighborhoods and housing by enforcing statutes and ordinances.
The goal of the VISTA project is to build capacity to successfully merge the Department of Safety & Permits and Code Enforcement, which play a critical role in revitalization through economic development and affordable housing. The two departments will create one department of Licensing & Regulations, which will create a customer centric experience for constituents. The VISTA selected for this project will play a vital role in creating efficient policies which ultimately spur redevelopment including affordable housing solutions.
Whether your skills are accounting or engineering, or you have an interest in art history, architecture or some other field, this mission will excite you. If you love a mystery and want to be instrumental with policy implementation that will create long-lasting strategy to support community quality of life issues including affordable housing, preservation, and neighborhood stabilization initiatives- this is the position for you. Reviewing data in the office as well as site visits in various communities will provide invaluable insight and ample opportunity to think outside of four walls.
Service Activities
Throughout one year of service, the VISTA member will:
1) Collaborate with IT to revise and update website content.
2) Facilitate the collection of data through research and analysis to evaluate and assess cross-functional roles and service output from each process of the newly integrated division.
3) Work with inspectors, plan reviewers, support staff and management to develop recommendations which promote equitable policies.
4) Facilitate meaningful community engagement through outreach and collaboration development with community partners.
Community Need Addressed
The CNO VISTA Program supports City Hall by implementing sustainable capacity building projects to increase the effectiveness of each department.
Position Outcomes
Our VISTA members help the City strengthen existing services and provide more services for underserved and disproportionately impacted communities.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Living allowance, Non-competitive eligibility (federal jobs), Relocation allowance (if applicable), Student loan forbearance
Education Benefits
College Degree
N/A
Skills you will gain
Professional Development
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization