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Flexible Schedule
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Virtual Opportunity
Actually this volunteer position is not always at home, we mostly meet on zoom but once in a while meet in person usually in west Broward. The Coalition to End Homelessness has four committees. Board members and community members are needed to attend and to do some of the work of the committee. We are a small organization with only one staff person and volunteers do the bulk of our work so that as many funds as possible can be used to help the homeless. Committees establish goals and work together to reach those goals. Most of our meetings are on zoom, but some are face to face meetings in Sunrise We are looking for people who would like to serve on one of our 4 committees: Client Services, Information Technology (we are in the dark ages), Fundraising and Finance, and Board Development. If you have an interest in one of these, please let us know. Our greatest need is Client Services and Fundraising and Finance but all committees need more support, Serving on a committee is also a great way for Board members to meet you and ask you to serve on the board. We hope that our board will be representative of the demographics of Broward County in every way. We welcome participation by people with disabilities, young people over 18, and all demographics. We are particularly interested in people who have experienced homeless. Depending on the committee you serve on, there will probably be 1-2 meetings per month, and then it will be up to you to offer your assistance with tasks. Our website is currently under construction but right now you can find us at www.homelessfl.org. Our goal is to stop the cycle of people going to shelter, becoming homeless, and then going to shelter which is called episodic homelessness. We are focused on providing forever shelter for homeless families with children under 18. A great deal of financial education is included. In terms of skills it is impossible to list the complete training. It really depends on what committee you are on.
Date Posted: 2024-04-16
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Flexible Schedule
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Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
The "Pay the Rent First" program is focused on helping homeless get housed and more importantly, stay housed. Only a small percentage of homeless families are eligable for this program. They must have one adult working full-time and children under 18. Families that qualify have enough money to pay rent every month but they do not have enough for first, last, and security. Some low-income landlords may require an additional security deposit if the family has been convicted before or has a very low credit score. These families are easier to help than most homeless people but they often still have some problems besides poverty such as mental health, children with disabilities, etc. A lot of work goes into qualifying the family, such as an application, a quiz, and a background check. One qualified the family must find a place they can afford to rent (30-40% of their income). So a family making 10,000.00 a month can afford rent of about $3,500.00/month. Of course, none of our families earn so much and it is often difficult and time consuming to find an apartment they can afford. We then provide them with about $3,000.00 towards first, last and security. This is insufficient and requires that the family has some funding of their own in order to get into housing. Once housed, the real work begins as we mentor them for 12 months. We have additional funds available to help them stay housed. For example, if the car breaks down and they are barely making it, we can assist with repairs so that they don't lose a job. We are looking for a mentor who can go from reviewing the application, to helping them find an apartment, to providing ongoing assistance/education about how to stay housed and avoid eviction. The volunteer would start by attending some of our client services committee meetings, and perhaps shadowing another volunteer for a while. Some families want the money and then want nothing to do with mentoring. Other families call constantly wanting a volunteer to solve all their problems from paying for prescriptions, paying for child care, etc. While this is a long term volunteer position, it does not require a lot of time on a weekly basis. Ideally the volunteer will bond with the family and we would not want to change volunteers half-way through the process. The goal is that at the end of 12 months the family is in position to stay housed for the rest of their lives. The ideal volunteer is someone who is compassionate, not judgemental, and also realistic. We will help the volunteer find resources to assist the family in other areas (aside from housing) which most of them will require. The volunteer will work with the family and get to know them and their strengths and weaknesses. Each family will be different, needing help with different things depending on their strengths and weaknesses. Volunteers will have to pass a background check. While this is not always easily, many volunteers find it rewarding and enjoy getting to know the families.
Date Posted: 2024-04-17
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Flexible Schedule
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Plantation, FL 33324
We are looking for a few new board members. Board members are responsible for the organization and should have significant experience working with organizations. The most important thing board members must have is a commitment to helping individuals and families who are homeless. The Coalition is a non-denominational organization that values a diversity of perspectives particularly the perspectives of people who are, or have been homeless. Board members are expected to make a contribution to the organization in both time and resources. The Coalition is a volunteer run organization and therefore volunteers are often active in programs and services. The Board meets three or four times a year, however emails and phone calls occur weekly and time invested in the organization depends somewhat on board member interests. Specifically, we need board members with IT/Website skills, financial management skills, development skills, interpersonal skills and experience working closely with people from a variety of different backgrounds. Those interested in serving on the board must provide a resume which will be reviewed by the board. We welcome applications from under-represented groups.
Date Posted: 2024-03-16
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2024-04-23
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2024-06-29
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Virtual Opportunity
The Coalition to End Homelessness has only one employee and most of our work is done by volunteers. Right now we have a volunteer answering the main line but volunteers cannot answer the phone forever. After a brief training you will get a mobile phone with our number. The ideal candidate would commit to answering the phone for a week. A big part of this process is learning about resources, which we will teach you and sending callers to resources including some of our staff. The phone does not ring a lot, but it tends to ring often sometimes and then not at all for hours (all or nothing). You can volunteer for one week or more but it is probably best to do it once before you make up your mind. You will learn a lot about the limitation of services for those in need. This requires the right kind of person who can deal with severe problems without becoming too involved. This is a good opportunity for someone stuck at home most of the time. Generally we like to have the phone answered from 9 to 5 but if you miss some calls, check the messages and return them. You can expect 5-8 calls daily and some will be spam that don't take any time while others will be emergencies and you will have to call me for help. If you volunteer for a week you will get 40 hours even if you are only on the phone for 10 hours, and we would love to find someone who could do this longer than a week.
Date Posted: 2024-04-16
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Flexible Schedule
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Fort Lauderdale, FL 33324
The Coalition is just beginning to work on our website: www.homelessfl.com, and we still have a lot of work to do. We also have a Facebook page. We do not have a twitter or Instagram presence. We need a person who is experienced with creating and sustaining an internet presence. This would include reviewing and improving our website. We aren't certain how much information is too much, and how much is too little. We do have a committee whose mision is to improve our IT and social media, but they need assistance and in some cases leadership. The committee has already established some goals regarding information technology but does not have the volunteers necessary to implement some of these goals. For example, our website is www.homelessfl.com, when it should be www.homelessfl.lorg. We have the new name but all the information is still on the .com site. Also, as an employee I still use my personal address because I don't know how to create a personal email connected to our website. Ideally, it should be laura@homelessfl.org. Many of the things we need help with are not necessarily time consuming for someone who is knowledgeable about these things but nearly impossible for someone who is unfamiliar with utilizing these programs.
Date Posted: 2024-02-21
