ROOTS Wednesday Overnight Shelter Shift Volunteer During COVID-19 (Interim Location)

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ROOTS Overnight Shelter Shift Volunteer During COVID-19 (Interim Location)

The overnight shift starts at 8 pm on Wednesday and ends at 8:30 am on Thursday.

ROOTS Young Adult Shelter in Seattle's U-District is open 365 nights a year and serves 45 young adults, ages 18-25, each night. We are fighting to end homelessness in Seattle and need your support.

At ROOTS, we use every day to make a difference in the lives of homeless youth. The biggest impact is made by our overnight volunteers, who are crucial in this effort.

ROOTS is seeking additional volunteers to help out at our interim location in Queen Anne at 157 Roy St. Seattle, WA before we move to our new home back in the U-District. Beginning on the night of Thursday, December 17th,all shelter operations will take place at the Queen Anne location until at least the end of January 2021. Typically, we suggest making a 6 month commitment but welcome anyone who is able to help at our interim location in Queen Anne for any length of time. You must be at least 18 years of age to volunteer with us.

We require all volunteers and staff to wear gloves and face masks throughout the duration of their shift. Volunteers are free to bring in their own face masks or other PPE, and we can provide gloves and disposable face masks on-site. The wellbeing of our volunteers is of the utmost importance, and we only ask you to commit to volunteering if you are safely able to do so. Upon arriving to each shift your Volunteer Supervisor or other staff will ask you questions listed on the ROOTS COVID-19 screening guide and will take your temperature. Staff and guests are screened in the same way upon entering the space. We appreciate your understanding in this process.

Overnight volunteers stay the night at our shelter along with our guests. This shift starts at 8 pm and ends at 8:30 am the following morning. All overnight volunteers are supported by Overnight Supervisors and an Overnight Counselor, in case there are any questions or concerns during your shift.

Volunteers work directly with our guests and help ensure the emotional and physical safety of the space. Overnight Volunteers are responsible for assisting in walk-arounds of the room every 10 minutes, being available for guests who require emergency assistance, and completing guest laundry. Overnight volunteers will spend most of their shift sleeping, and bedding is provided. We also provide dinner in the evening and breakfast in the morning to our Overnight Volunteers. We ask overnight volunteers to commit to one night a week.

Please stay home if you are feeling under the weather, have had recent contact with anyone demonstrating COVID-19 symptoms, or if you yourself have experienced a dry cough, fever, or other COVID-19 symptoms within the last 14 days. Older adults and those with chronic health conditions are discouraged from pursuing our in-shelter Evening and Morning volunteer roles at this time. Our Sanitation role, which maintains a greater level of social distancing, is still available to everyone.

If you can help during this time and are healthy enough to do so, fill out an application on our website at http://www.rootsinfo.org/get-involved/volunteer/volunteer-application/ for your own welcome packet and all the information you will need to volunteer with us.