Volunteer Positions

Volunteer Positions for Project Homeless Connect

Navigators: (shift begins at 8:00 a.m.) Be part of an important group of volunteers that supports clients from entrance to exit. WE NEED 500 NAVIGATORS. You do not have to have any experience in social services or working with individuals experiencing homelessness, just a desire to help those in need. Navigators act as guides, escorting clients to the areas where they can get food, services, and appointments.

• Meet and welcome your client at Intake, then take them through a structured set of questions.
• You will stay with one client from the time the client enters the exhibit hall through discharge (this may take a few hours or all day). If you finish escorting one client and still have time, you will greet another client at Intake and guide that client through the service areas.

Greeters: (shift begins at 7:00 a.m.) Greeters will help to create a welcoming, hospitable atmosphere while clients wait for the doors to open at 9:00 a.m.

• You may be serving coffee/donuts, making conversation, or holding someone’s place in line while they use the restroom.
• Duties may also include becoming a Navigator as the line of people waiting gets shorter.
• Spanish-speaking skills are a plus!

Food Service: (shift from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.) At Project Homeless Connect, we will serve a cafeteria style meal to all clients, volunteers, and service providers. Volunteers in the café area will:

• Plate food and interact with clients at they receive their lunch.
• Act as servers to many of the agencies in attendance.
• Deliver plated food to clients that may be waiting in lines.
• Assist in cleaning up once lunch service has been completed.

Discharge: (shift begin at 8:00 a.m.) The discharge area is the final stop for clients before obtaining any giveaway items. It is an opportunity to ensure that individuals seeking services obtain what they came for.

• Discharge volunteers will collect feedback on the event and important data related to who visited us and what services they may have asked for (aggregated data, preserving client confidentiality).
• All of the data that is collected via the discharge area will help with future planning and quantification of service needs.

Data Entry: (shift begins at 10:00 a.m.) Detail-oriented volunteers are needed to help enter data from the intake and discharge forms that are collected at the event.

• Data Entry volunteers will have little or no interaction with clients.
• All of the data that is collected via the discharge area will help with future planning and quantification of service needs.

Clean Up: (shift begins at 3:00 p.m.) Clean up volunteers will help us break down the event including packing clothing and toiletries as well as taking down service provider equipment. This position will require lifting and moving heavy objects.

I want to volunteer, what do I do next?
To register visit: www.handsonrva.org/project_homeless_connect
Questions? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page
If your question is still not answered, contact Erika Schmale, Community Engagement Coordinator - eschmale@homewardva.org and we will be in touch with more details.