Hospitality for guests at Emergency Homeless Overflow Overnight Shelter

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Would you like to help us build relationships with people living outside who spend overnight with us during the winter months?

Joseph's House & Shelter runs a seasonal overflow homeless shelter for 5 months every Winter and we we love to have a volunteer help our two staff by getting out snacks. playing cards, games, coloring or chatting with our guests. Each night for 5 months at we open up our overflow shelter at a downtown troy church for up to 20 men and women from mid-November to mid- April. IN the past this has only been an overnight opportunity, but this year sleeping overnight is optional. The volunteer can make use of the dedicated volunteer bed or leave after their hospitality task ends. Comfortable beds and clean linens are provided for the volunteer.

Your commitment is to arrive at 9:30pm at the site, to spend time with our guests through 11pm (light's out time) then leave, or settle down with our guests. You will be awoken by staff at approx. 6:45am. Once the guests are up and have put away their cots you and the staff members will make sure the room is tidy for our host churches and leave, somewhere between 7 and 7:30am. By helping at our off-site shelter you will be making space at our shelter for people to drop in as the nights become colder including those coming in to our regular shelter because of Code Blue conditions. This program literally saves lives! You receive 10 hours volunteer credit for your overnight stay or 1.5 hours for hospitality only.

We are a Housing First agency. Applicants should be able to be confidential about our guests and be able to treat them non-judgmentally. Students are very welcome to apply. All applicants will need to fill out an application form, have a telephone call to check you like what we do and how we do it, and come for an orientation prior to their first shift. Shifts are chosen on an online calendar and do not need to be on a regular day. Volunteer should be committed to attend and keep staff informed if suddenly unavailable.