Driver for Homeless Shelter

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The Haven overnight shelter in Oak Harbor is seeking volunteers!

At the Haven shelter, we strive to serve each person seeking shelter with compassion, dignity, and respect, meeting our guests 'where they are'. Operated by the Whidbey Homeless Coalition, and hosted in three to four month increments at local churches, the Haven is a "pop-up" shelter, meaning we convert the space into a shelter at night, and leave no trace of the shelter when we leave in the morning.

We transport our guests to and from the shelter in the evening and in the morning, respectively, with our van. We perform registration for the shelter in an alternate location from the shelter, to help us ensure safety at the shelter, and the van picks up the guests that have registered for the night to the shelter. The guests are brought back to Oak Harbor's downtown area in the morning. The van is a 10 passenger van, and usually we make two to three trips. This takes no more than an hour or so.


For roles with direct contact with guests (host, driver, mentor), we do require a criminal background check. For drivers, we also need to view your driver's license and driver abstract.

The Haven is committed to providing safe, warm shelter, with an emphasis on safety. We do have several rules for guests to abide by, and expect them to treat all with respect. We do not permit drugs, alcohol, or any paraphernalia on premises at all. All adult guests are screened for sex offenses. All staff are trained in CPR, first aid, AED, Narcan administration, de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and mental health first aid, with several of our staff also having specialized training to work with survivors of domestic violence, and we are continually receiving additional training, so we are able to provide a supportive, safe environment. We do serve women, men, and children accompanied by a parent or guardian. All guests are given a referral to the Housing Support Center, and connected with whatever services they have indicated they are in need of at intake. It is our goal to get every person housed.

Shelter guests, staff, and volunteers must still wear facial coverings, in accordance with state guidelines. We are happy to provide facial coverings and gloves for our volunteers.

Additionally, guests go through a temperature and symptom screening each evening before arrival at the shelter. We have social distancing guidelines in place, as well as hand-washing requirements. Guests are required to wear a facial covering in most situations (exceptions are for eating, drinking, etc).

There is nothing in this world like seeing someone flourish, and knowing you have contributed that lasting impact to their growth. If working with us sounds like something you would enjoy, please do send us an email!


Thank you so much for reading! We hope to see you at our next training. :)