Emergency Teen Shelter Volunteer

Title: Shelter Volunteer

Objective: Volunteers at Alternative House provide a helping hand for at‑risk young people and help youth improve education, life and social skills.  This empowers youth to gain the self-confidence necessary to become successful and independent community members.  Enrich the experience of the residents by engaging with and serving as support for shelter counseling staff.

Responsibilities, Expectations and Accountability

• Answer and respond to calls on the 24-hour crisis hotline
• Initiate and participate in scheduled recreational, educational and therapeutic activities with youth
• Engage informally with residents, individually and in groups, while modeling positive social skills and behavior
• Supervise and assist youth during scheduled activities including free time, meal preparation and chores
• Listen to and engage with youth objectively, being careful not to pass judgment
• Participate in group sessions led by staff and co-lead groups with staff and other volunteers
• Remain up-to-date with communication log, task calendar, and crisis hotline forms
• Conduct follow-up surveys with former residents to assess short and long-term success and referral needs
• Record volunteer hours at the end of each shift
• Perform other duties as needed that are related to residential services, including managing donations, meal preparation, and other household tasks.

Qualifications

• Ability to commit to a regular schedule of one shift per week that is 3‑4 hours in length
• Self-starter with a willingness to take initiative
• Outgoing and friendly personality
• Sincere interest in helping teenagers and spending time with them
  Willingness to do a variety of tasks directly and indirectly related to the youth
• Successful completion of background investigation and negative TB screening

Supervision Provided to Volunteers

• Direct supervision during shifts by the counselor on duty
• General supervision by the Program Coordinator, or Director of Residential Services.
• Written evaluations as required by school program

Required Training

• One orientation session covering volunteer responsibilities and shelter policies and procedures
• One training session for answering calls on the crisis hotline

Benefits

• Make a positive difference in the lives of young people
• Gain experience in the counseling, social work, and psychology fields
• Develop interpersonal communication skills
• Gain skills for working in a team environment
• Learn the dynamics of helping

Times during which Volunteers are Needed

Volunteers are needed at the Shelter during the following hours. Please note that our needs change, so new times are posted periodically. If none of these times work for you, please check this page periodically.

VOLUNTEER NEEDS – as of 8/21/12

Sunday 9-1p

Monday 1pm-4p

Wednesday 9a-9p

Thursday 9a-10p

Saturday 2nd/4th/5th Saturday 9-1; 5-10:30p