Volunteer

Under the direction of the Street Outreach Specialist, assist in providing intensive street outreach and access to services for youth who are experiencing homelessness, have left home due to family conflict or crisis, or are living on the streets.

Responsibilities:

• Support Street Outreach Specialist to connect with youth on the streets to provide survival aid and violence prevention resources.
• Assist with youth assessments in order to provide survival aid and sexual abuse and exploitation prevention services; including food and clothing, risk reduction supplies and education, housing and employment assistance, and resource and referral information.
• Assist in offering intensive street outreach and ongoing supportive services to youth staying at Youth Shelters, coordinating services with the Youth Shelter team.
• Assist in providing survival aid resources including basic needs (food, clothing), financial assistance, housing/ shelter, records and identification requests, and transportation assistance. Provide resource and referral information, including distribution of the project’s referral cards and assistance in accessing medical and mental health services. Provide trafficking and/or abuse prevention services, including advocacy, safety planning, crisis intervention, risk reduction resources, and assistance with exiting exploitive situations. Provide additional services including independent living skills development and assistance with school and employment concerns in collaboration with the Youth Shelter.
• Assist in providing follow-up care to youth engaged through intensive street outreach services
• Assist in monitoring, procuring, and stocking program equipment and resources in Outreach vehicle.
• Assist in providing project-related community outreach and promotional activities.
• Assist with client files; creation and maintaining.
• Must be organized, reliable, and able to maintain privileged client information.
• Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications:

• Requires education generally equivalent to a high school diploma. Intern should have experience or interest in working with youth.

• Ability to read and interpret documents, such as training manuals, client records, statistical reports, and policy and procedure guidelines.  Ability to speak effectively before groups of youth, adults, and professionals. 

• Ability to perform basic high school mathematical operations.

• Ability to carry out instructions provided in written and oral form. Ability to deal with problems that involve several concrete and abstract variables in multiple situations.

• Ability to work with Street Outreach Specialist and paid staff within the parameters of the project, and ability to work in a changing environment where there is frequent exposure to stressful/crisis situations. Ability to respect and maintain confidentiality. Ability to working with nonjudgmental attitude in a population comprised of diversity in gender, socio-economic and ethnic group, sexual orientation, and physical or mental abilities.  Ability to frequently use standard office equipment, including calculator, cellular telephone, and copier. Ability to accept supervision.

• While performing the duties of this position, the intern is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects, and to talk and hear. The intern is frequently required to stand, walk, and sit. The intern is occasionally required to reach above shoulders; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, or crouch.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The intern must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• In the regular duties of this position, the intern frequently works outside, occasionally during periods of inclement weather.  The intern may also work in public facilities, with the work environment having a minimal amount of office settings.  The intern may be exposed to some physical risk from clients.
• The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud.

• Position requires some availability within the days and hours of;

  • Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 11am – 7pm
  • Wednesday 9am – 5pm

Fill out a Volunteer Application